Matthew Poole and continuators on Deuteronomy 26

2 That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth , which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall chuse, to place his Name there.

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 Ierusalem, as here they are.

Either of their corn, or of the fruits of trees.

Marginal references: Exod. 23. 19. chap. 16. 10.

3 And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those dayes, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the countrey which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us.

(i. e.) To any of the Priests, who shall be appointed in Gods stead to receive these oblations and acknowledgments.

5 And thou shalt speak, and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous.

So Iacob was, partly by his original, as being born of Syrian Parents, as were Abraham and Rebecca, 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 Nazarite, and a Capernaite, and partly by his relations, his wives being such, and his children too by their mothers.

Either through want and poverty; see Gen. 28. 11, 20▪ and 32. 10. or through the rage of my brother Esau, and the treachery and cruelty of my father in law Laban.

Marginal references: Gen. 46. 1.

10 And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me: and thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God.

To wit, mediately, by the Priest who was to set it there, ver. 4.

(i. e.) the basket of first-fruits, ver. 2.

11 And thou shalt rejoyce in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.

(i. e.) Either 1. thou shalt hereby be enabled to rejoyce 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 rejoycing) with the Levites and strangers upon the oblations which at these solemn times were offered. Which exposition is confirmed by comparing Deut. 16. 10, 11, 14, 15.

12 When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase, the third year, which is the year of tithing , and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled:

Of which see on Deut. 14. 28.

Heb. the year of that tithe, so called either 1. because these tithes were gathered onely in that year▪ Or rather 2. because then onely they were so bestowed or used; and whereas these second tithes for two years together were eaten onely by the owners and Levites, and that in Ierusalem in the third year they were eaten also by the strangers, fatherless and widows, and that in their own dwellings. The seventy joyn these words with the following, and for Shenath, the year, read Shenith, the second, and take Vau for redundant, as sometimes it is, and read the place thus, The second tithe thou s[illegible: 1+ letters]it give to the Levite, &c.

Marginal references: chap. 14. 28.

13 Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God , I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them.

(i. e.) Either before the Tabernacle or Temple: or rather, in thy private and domestick addresses to God; for this is to be said presently upon the distribution of these tithes, which was not done at Ierusalem, 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 Ierusalem meerly 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 Gods presence and will and glory, which is a sufficient ground for that phrase.

Or, separated or removed, to wit, from my own proper and private fruits.

(i. e.) The tithes which hath been sanctified and set apart for these uses.

14 I have not eaten thereof in my mourning , neither have I taken away ought thereof for any unclean use , nor given ought thereof for the dead : but I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me.

(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 chearfully eaten and feasted with them, as I was obliged to do. For though it be taken for granted by some learned Expositours from Deut. 14. 28, 29. that the owner was not to eat any part of the third years 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 Deut. 26. 12. that they may not eat within thy gates, and be filled. Which implies, that these tithes, or some part of them were eaten in the owners gates or dwelling, with holy rejoycing and feasting, wherein it is most probable the owner had his share, though it be not there expressed, because it was evident in it self from the foregoing passage Deut. 14. 23, &c. where the owner is allowed and commanded to eat those tithes together with the Levites. And howsoever somethink the third years tithes ver. 28. were not the same with those ver. 23. yet it cannot with any colour of reason be thought that those tithes which were to be eaten not onely by the Levites, but also by the strangers ver. 29. were more sacred than those that were to be eaten by none but the Levites and the owners, ve[illegible: 1+ letters]. 23, 27. or that the owner might eat of the one, and not of the other.

(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.

(i. e.) For any funeral pomp or service or feast, for the Iews used to send in provisions to feast with the nearest relations of the party deceased, of which see Ier. 16. 7. Ezek. 24. 17▪ Hos. 9. 4. and in that case both the guests and food were legally polluted, Numb. 19. 11, 14. and therefore the use of these tithes in such cases had been a double fault, both the defiling of sacred food, and the imploying of those provisions upon sorrowful occasions which by Gods express command were to be eaten with rejoycing, Deut. 14. 26. and 26. 11.

15 Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

After that solemn profession of their obedience to Gods commands, they are taught to pray for Gods blessing upon their land, whereby they are instructed how vain and ineffectual the prayers of unrighteous o[illegible: 1+ letters] disobedient persons are.

Marginal references: Isa. 63. 15. Zech. 2. 13.

17 Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in his wayes, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice.

Or declared, or, professed, or, owned.

(i. e.) At this time, in this wilderness, where thou hast accepted and ratified Gods covenant.

18 And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments e.

Hath owned thee for such before all the world by eminent and glorious communications and manifestations of his power and grace and favour in thee and for thee, by a solemn entring into covenant with thee and giving peculiar laws promises and priviledges to thee above all mankind.

u Which is here mentioned as an act of Gods, because though this be mans duty, yet it is the work of Gods 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, Ezek. 36. 26, 27.

Marginal references: chap. 7. 6. and 14. 2.