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Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 26:1-11

EXPOSITION THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER AT THE PRESENTATION OF FIRSTFRUITS AND TITHES . As Moses began his exposition of the laws and rights instituted for Israel by a reference to the sanctuary as the place which the Lord should choose, and the place where religious service was to be rendered ( Deuteronomy 12:1-32 .), so here he follows up his address by a reference to the same. Of the gifts which had to be presented at the sanctuary there were two specially... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Joy in the use of temporal mercies; or, sanctification of our possessions to God warrants a holy joy in the use of them. The order of thought is this: 1. In due time Israel would be in possession of the land which the Lord promised to give them. 2. Of this comfortable possession the gathering of the fruits thereof would be the proof and sign. 3. In accordance with a well-understood law, the firstfruits were to be offered to God (see reference). 4. In thus offering the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 26:1-11

The presentation of the first fruits. This interesting ceremony: 1. Reminded the individual that the land and its fruits were God's. 2. Required from him a devout acknowledgment of the fact, with a gift in which the acknowledgment was suitably embodied. 3. Threw him back on the recollection of God's former mercies to his nation. 4. Secured a confession and rehearsal of these from his own lips. It served: 1. To create and deepen religious feeling. 2. To quicken... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Commemorations of national deliverance. An instinct in man impels him to dwell with pleasure on his national beginnings and growth; and, in cases where that beginning sprang out from a specific event, that event has been the subject of public commemoration year by year. Of this Rome is a conspicuous instance. But the Jews were designed to be eminently a religious people; hence this commemoration was to be a simple act of piety—the presentation of firstfruits. I. MAN IS THE ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 26:1-11

The dedication of the firstfruits. A beautiful religious service is here associated with the dedication of the firstfruits. It was to be an act of worship. There was to be the appearance before the priest, the acknowledgment of God's great bounty to the forefathers as well as to the worshipper himself, the presentation of the firstfruits as a return of God's gifts to him, the setting of the basket before God, and the rejoicing in the Divine presence. All this is surely typical. I. ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 26:2

The first of all the fruit of the earth. (On the law of the firstfruits, see Numbers 18:12 ; Deuteronomy 18:4 .) A basket ; טֶנֶא , a basket of wickerwork. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 26:3

The priest that shall be in those clays ; not the high priest, but the priests collectively, or the individual priest whose function it was to officiate on the occasion. The fruit presented was the sensible proof that the land was now in their possession, and the confession made along with the presentation was an acknowledgment of their unworthiness, and of the Divine favor as that to which alone they were indebted for the privileged position in which they were placed. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 26:5

A Syrian ready to perish was my father. The reference is to Jacob, the stem-father of the twelve tribes, tie is here called a Syrian, or Aramaean, because of his long residence in Mesopotamia (Genesis 29-31.), whence Abraham had originally come ( Genesis 11:31 ), and because there the family of which he was the head was founded. The translation "ready to perish" fairly represents the Hebrew; the verb אָבַד means not merely to stray or wander, but also to lose one's self, to perish, to... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Deuteronomy 26:1

Two liturgical enactments having a clear and close reference to the whole of the preceding legislation, form a most appropriate and significant conclusion to it, namely,(1) the formal acknowledgment in deed and symbol of God’s faithfulness, by presentment of a basket filled with firstfruits, and in word by recitation of the solemn formula prescribed in Deuteronomy 26:3, Deuteronomy 26:5-10; and(2) the solemn declaration and profession on the part of each Israelite on the occasion of the third... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Deuteronomy 26:2

On the subject of firstfruits see the notes at Leviticus 23:9 ff. The firstfruits here in question are to be distinguished alike from those offered in acknowledgment of the blessings of harvest (compare Exodus 22:29) at the Feasts of Passover and Pentecost, and also from the offerings prescribed in Numbers 18:8 ff. The latter consisted of preparations from the produce of the earth, such as oil, flour, wine, etc.; while those here meant are the raw produce: the former were national and public... read more

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