Deuteronomium 26:4 Kommentar

With this chapter Moses concludes the particular statutes which he thought fit to give Israel in charge at his parting with them; what follows is by way of sanction and ratification. In this chapter, I. Moses gives them a form of confession to be made by him that offered the basket of his first-fruits (Deu 26:1-11). II. The protestation and prayer to be made after the disposal of the third year's tithe (Deu 26:12-15). III. He binds on all the precepts he had given them, 1. By the divine authority: "Not I, but the Lord thy God has commanded thee to do these statutes" (Deu 26:16). 2. By the mutual covenant between God and them (Deu 26:17, etc.).

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 26 This chapter treats of the basket of firstfruits to be brought and presented to the Lord, and the confession to be made along with it, Deu 26:1; and of the declaration to be made on the third year, the year of tithing, and the prayer annexed to it, Deu 26:12; and of the covenant made in a solemn manner between God and the people of Israel, Deu 26:16.

And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand,.... To wave it, as Jarchi says, putting his hand under the hand of the owner, and so waving it; and this being waved to and fro towards the several corners of the earth, was an acknowledgment of the Lord being the proprietor of it: and set it down before the altar of the Lord thy God; that it might have some appearance of a sacrifice, and be a fit emblem of the spiritual sacrifice of praise, which is accepted upon the altar Christ, which sanctifies every gift.

THE CONFESSION OF HIM THAT OFFERS THE BASKET OF FIRST FRUITS. (Deu 26:1-15) Thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth--The Israelites in Canaan, being God's tenants-at-will, were required to give Him tribute in the form of first-fruits and tithes. No Israelite was at liberty to use any productions of his field until he had presented the required offerings. The tribute began to be exigible after the settlement in the promised land, and it was yearly repeated at one of the great feasts (Lev 2:14; Lev 23:10; Lev 23:15; Num 28:26; Deu 16:9). Every master of a family carried it on his shoulders in a little basket of osier, peeled willow, or palm leaves, and brought it to the sanctuary.