Deuteronomy 26

Deuteronomy 26:2

This seems to be required of each particular master of a family, either upon his first settlement, or once every year at one of their three feasts, when they were obliged to go up to Jerusalem, as here they are.

Of all the fruit of the earth; either of their corn, or of the fruit of trees.

Deuteronomy 26:3

Unto the priest, i.e. to any of the priests, who shall be appointed in God’ s stead to receive these oblations and acknowledgements.

Deuteronomy 26:5

Jacob was a

Syrian, partly, by his original, as being born of Syrian parents, as were Abraham and Rebekah, both of Chaldea or Mesopotamia, which was a part of Syria largely so called, as is confessed by Strabo, b. 16. and by Pliny, b. 5. c. 12; partly, by his education and conversation, for which reason Christ is called a Nazarene, and a Capernaite; and partly, by his relations, his wives being such, and his children too by their mothers. Ready to perish; either through want and poverty; see ,20 32:10; or through the rage of his brother Esau, and the treachery and cruelty of his father-in-law Laban.

Deuteronomy 26:10

Thou shalt set, to wit, mediately, by the priest, who was to set it there, . Set it, i.e. the basket of first-fruits, .

Deuteronomy 26:11

Thou shalt rejoice; i.e. either,

1. Thou shalt hereby be enabled to rejoice and take comfort in all thy enjoyments, when thou hast sanctified them by giving God his portion. Or,

2. Thou shalt feast (which is oft expressed by rejoicing) with the Levites and strangers upon the oblations which at these solemn times were offered; which exposition is confirmed by comparing 11 14 15.

Deuteronomy 26:12

Of

the tithes, See Poole on “”. The year of tithing, Heb. the year of that tithe; so called, either,

1. Because these tithes were gathered only in that year. Or rather,

2. Because then only they were so bestowed or used; and whereas these second tithes for two years together were eaten only by the owners and Levites, and that in Jerusalem, in the third year they were eaten also by the strangers, fatherless, and widows, and that in their own dwellings. The LXX. join these words with the following, and for shemath, the year, read shenith, the second, and take vau for redundant, as sometimes it is, and read the place thus, The second tithe thou shalt give to the Levite, &c.

Deuteronomy 26:13

Before the Lord, i.e. either before the tabernacle or temple; or rather, in thy private and domestic addresses to God; for this is to be said presently upon the distribution of these tithes, which was not done at Jerusalem, but

in their own private gates or dwellings; except we will suppose that after he had given away these tithes at home he should go up to Jerusalem merely to make this acknowledgment, which seems improbable. And this is to be spoken before the Lord, i.e. solemnly, seriously, and in a religious manner, with due respect to God’ s presence and will and glory, which is a sufficient ground for that phrase. I have brought away, or, separated, or, removed, to wit, from my own proper and private fruits. The hallowed things, i.e. the tithes which have been sanctified and set apart for these uses.

Deuteronomy 26:14

In my mourning, i.e. either,

1. In my funeral solemnities for the dead. But this falls in with the last branch. Or,

2. In my distress or poverty, or upon pretence of my own want, in which case men are tempted and inclined to fall upon sacred or forbidden things. Or,

3. In sorrow, or grieving that I was to give away so much of my profits to the poor, but I have cheerfully eaten and feasted with them, as I was obliged to do. For though it be taken for granted by some learned expositors, from ,29, that the owner was not to eat any part of the third year’ s tithe, but to give it all away to the stranger and fatherless, &c., the contrary seems to me more probable from that very place, where it is said, thou shalt lay it up within thy gates, and then it follows, that the Levite, stranger, &c. shall come, to wit, to thy gates, and shall eat, to wit, there, as is expressed , that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled; which implies that these tithes, or some part of them, were eaten in the owner’ s gates or dwelling, with holy rejoicing and feasting, wherein it is most probable the owner had his share, though it be not there expressed, because it was evident in itself from the foregoing passage, , &c., where the owner is allowed and commanded to eat those tithes together with the Levites. And howsoever some think the third year’ s tithes, , were not the same with those , yet it cannot with any colour of reason be thought that those tithes which were to be eaten, not only by the Levites, but also by the strangers, , were more sacred than those that were to be eaten by none but the Levites and the owners, ,27, or that the owner might eat of the one, and not of the other. For any unclean use, i.e. for any common use; the words common and unclean being oft indifferently used one for the other, or for any other use than that which thou hast appointed, which would have been a pollution of them.

For the dead, i.e. for any funeral pomp, or service, or feast; for the Jews used to send in provisions to feast with the nearest relations of the party deceased, of which see ; and in that case both the guests and food were legally polluted, ,14, and therefore the use of these tithes in such cases had been a double fault, both the defiling of sacred food, and the employing of those provisions upon sorrowful occasions, which by God’ s express command were to be eaten with rejoicing, 26:11.

Deuteronomy 26:15

After that solemn profession of their obedience to God’ s commands, they are taught to pray for God’ s blessing upon their land, whereby they are instructed how vain and ineffectual the prayers of unrighteous or disobedient persons are.

Deuteronomy 26:17

Avouched, or declared, or professed, or owned. This day, i.e. at this time, in this wilderness, where thou hast accepted and ratified God’ s covenant.

Deuteronomy 26:18

Hath owned thee for such before all the world by eminent and glorious communications and manifestations of his power and grace and favour in time and for thee, by a solemn entering into covenant with thee, and giving peculiar laws, promises, and privileges to thee above all mankind. That thou shouldest keep all his commandments; which is here mentioned as an act of God’ s, because though this be man’ s duty, yet it is the work of’ God’ s grace, that he will vouchsafe to give us such commands, that he doth require and will accept of our obedience to them, and that we have any power or will to obey them, ,27.