Deuteronomy 26:1-11

(2) OFFERING THE FIRST-FRUITS (Deuteronomy 26:1-11)

And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein, 2 that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which thou shalt bring in from thy land that Jehovah thy God giveth thee; and thou shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there. 3 And thou shalt come unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto Jehovah thy God, that I am come unto the land which Jehovah sware unto our fathers to give us. 4 And the priest shall take the basket out of thy hand, and set it down before the altar of Jehovah thy God. 5 And thou shalt answer and say before Jehovah thy God, a Syrian ready to perish was my father; and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, we in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous. 6 And the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage: 7 and we cried unto Jehovah, the God of our fathers, and Jehovah heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression; 8 and Jehovah brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders; 9 and he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground, which thou, O Jehovah, hast given me. And thou shalt set it down before Jehovah thy God, and worship before Jehovah thy God: 11 and thou shalt rejoice in all the good which Jehovah thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thy house, thou, and the Levite, and the sojourner that is in the midst of thee.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 26:1-11

452.

For what purpose was the offering made?

453.

Where and before whom was this offering made?

454.

Is the offering here the same as what we also know as Pentecost? Cf. Deuteronomy 16:9-12.

455.

There appears to be an exchange between the priest and the worshipper. Approximate the part of each. This is a very impressive ceremony.

AMPLIFIED TRANSLATION 26:1-11

When you have come into the land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance, and possess it, and live in it,
2 You shall take some of all the produce of the soil which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God gives you, and put it in a basket, and go to the place [the sanctuary] which the Lord your God has chosen as the abiding place of His name [and His presence].
3 And you shall go to the priest who is in office in those days, and say to him, I give thanks this day that I have come to the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us;
4 And the priest shall take the basket from your hand, and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God.
5 And you shall say before the Lord your God, A wandering and lost Aramean ready to perish was my father [Jacob], and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number, and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and numerous.
6 And the Egyptians treated us very badly, and afflicted us, and laid on us hard bondage.
7 And when we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labor, and our (cruel) oppression;
8 And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great (awesome) power, and with signs, and with wonders;
9 And He brought us into this place, and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
10 And now, behold, I bring the first fruits of the ground, which You, O Lord, have given me. And you shall set it down before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God;

11 And you shall rejoice in all the good which the Lord your God has given you and your household, you and the Levite, and the stranger and the sojourner among you.

COMMENT 26:1-11

See also Deuteronomy 16:9-12 and notes. We have connected this ceremony to the feast of the first-fruits (Pentecost) as the two events must have come at approximately the same time.

The Israelite was to take a portion of these first fruits, and placing it in a basket, take it to the sanctuary, where it was to be received by the priest that shall be in those days (Probably not the high priest, but a priest whose function it was to officiate on such occasions, see Deuteronomy 17:12). There, in a formal way, he was to say words to the effect I profess this day unto Jehovah thy God, that I am come (etc.) The priest now setting the basket down before the altar, the offerer responds, A Syrian ready to perish, etc. (Deuteronomy 26:5-9); concluding with the recognition and grateful acknowledgement that all the blessings he now enjoyed (after so humble an origin) were the result of God's mercy and goodness, (Deuteronomy 26:10-11). Thus he was both rejoicing and giving thanks. The ceremony, when carried out as directed, must have been an impressive one.

A SYRIAN READY TO PERISH WAS MY FATHER (Deuteronomy 26:5)Jacob, their father, was in fact a Syriana wandering Aramean (Berkely)for twenty years (Genesis 31:38; Genesis 31:41). A wandering and lost Aramean ready to perish was my father Jacob (Amplified O.T.). This was, specifically, the land of Paddan-aram or Mesopotamia. Thus, Laban, Jacob's father-in-law, was referred to as the son of Bethuel the Syrian (Aramean). And if these were humble origins for what was to become the great tribe of Israel, their sojourn into Egypt (Deuteronomy 26:5-8), while few in number (see Genesis 46:27) further demonstrated their lowly beginning.