The Bible — World English Bible

Deuteronomy 26

In brief

Deuteronomy 26 prescribes two gestures for the people entering the promised land. The first is the offering of firstfruits: the Israelite brings a basket of the first fruits to the sanctuary and recites the story of his people, from oppression in Egypt to liberation. The second is the declaration made at the tithe of the third year, given to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan and the widow. The chapter ends with the mutual commitment between the Lord and his people: he will be their God, and they will keep his commandments.

The chapter in 4 parts

  1. v. 1-4Firstfruits brought to the sanctuary
  2. v. 5-11The confession: from Egypt to the land given
  3. v. 12-15The tithe shared with the most vulnerable
  4. v. 16-19The mutual commitment between God and his people

1It shall be, when you have come in to the land which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance, possess it, and dwell in it,

2that you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you shall bring in from your land that Yahweh your God gives you. You shall put it in a basket, and shall go to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there.

3You shall come to the priest who shall be in those days, and tell him, “I profess today to Yahweh your God, that I have come to the land which Yahweh swore to our fathers to give us.”

4The priest shall take the basket out of your hand, and set it down before Yahweh your God’s altar.

5You shall answer and say before Yahweh your God, “My father was a Syrian ready to perish. He went down into Egypt, and lived there, few in number. There he became a great, mighty, and populous nation.

6The Egyptians mistreated us, afflicted us, and imposed hard labor on us.

7Then we cried to Yahweh, the God of our fathers. Yahweh heard our voice, and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.

8Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, with great terror, with signs, and with wonders;

9and he has brought us into this place, and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

10Now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, Yahweh, have given me.” You shall set it down before Yahweh your God, and worship before Yahweh your God.

11You shall rejoice in all the good which Yahweh your God has given to you, and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the foreigner who is among you.

12When you have finished tithing all the tithe of your increase in the third year, which is the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the foreigner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat within your gates and be filled.

13You shall say before Yahweh your God, “I have put away the holy things out of my house, and also have given them to the Levite, to the foreigner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all your commandment which you have commanded me. I have not transgressed any of your commandments, neither have I forgotten them.

14I have not eaten of it in my mourning, neither have I removed any of it while I was unclean, nor given of it for the dead. I have listened to Yahweh my God’s voice. I have done according to all that you have commanded me.

15Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel, and the ground which you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.”

16Today Yahweh your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances. You shall therefore keep and do them with all your heart and with all your soul.

17You have declared today that Yahweh is your God, and that you would walk in his ways, keep his statutes, his commandments, and his ordinances, and listen to his voice.

18Yahweh has declared today that you are a people for his own possession, as he has promised you, and that you should keep all his commandments.

19He will make you high above all nations that he has made, in praise, in name, and in honor; and that you may be a holy people to Yahweh your God, as he has spoken.

Key verses

Verse 2
that you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you shall bring in from your land that Yahweh your God gives you. You shall put it in a basket, and shall go to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there.

The Israelite offers the very first fruits of the soil. Giving first, before everything is harvested, is an act of trust and gratitude.

Verse 5-9
You shall answer and say before Yahweh your God, “My father was a Syrian ready to perish. He went down into Egypt, and lived there, few in number. There he became a great, mighty, and populous nation. The Egyptians mistreated us, afflicted us, and imposed hard labor on us. Then we cried to Yahweh, the God of our fathers. Yahweh heard our voice, and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, with great terror, with signs, and with wonders; and he has brought us into this place, and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

As he presents his basket, the Israelite tells the story of his people: wandering, oppressed, delivered by God. Giving is born from remembering what God has done.

Verse 12-13
When you have finished tithing all the tithe of your increase in the third year, which is the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the foreigner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat within your gates and be filled. You shall say before Yahweh your God, “I have put away the holy things out of my house, and also have given them to the Levite, to the foreigner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all your commandment which you have commanded me. I have not transgressed any of your commandments, neither have I forgotten them.

The tithe of the third year goes to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan and the widow. The one who gives declares before God that he has acted according to his commands.

Verse 17-18
You have declared today that Yahweh is your God, and that you would walk in his ways, keep his statutes, his commandments, and his ordinances, and listen to his voice. Yahweh has declared today that you are a people for his own possession, as he has promised you, and that you should keep all his commandments.

Each commits to the other: the people promise to obey their God, and God recognizes them as his people. The chapter closes on the idea of covenant.

Test your knowledge

All Bible quizzes →

What the sermons say

Living Without Mammon: Tithe, Firstfruits, and a Generosity PlanThe preacher sees in the firstfruits a confession in which the Israelite places all he owns within God's goodness. Generosity becomes a feast to which the most vulnerable are invited.Read the summary →How to Live Free From Mammon: Three Challenges for This SummerFirstfruits are presented as an act of memory and gratitude, not only a material gift: celebrating God's faithfulness with what he has given you.Read the summary →Living Free from Mammon: Three Challenges for Your GenerosityDeuteronomy 26 is the second challenge of the series: celebrating firstfruits means making generosity an act of gratitude and faith.Read the summary →Tithing, a Feast Before God: Living Without Mammon (Deuteronomy 14)After the tithe of Deuteronomy 14, the preacher moves on to firstfruits: giving first, out of gratitude, by bringing the very first fruit.Read the summary →

Frequently asked questions about Deuteronomy 26

What are firstfruits in Deuteronomy 26?

They are the first fruits of the harvest, which the Israelite brings in a basket to the sanctuary. This offering acknowledges that the land and its fruits come from God. It comes with a confession recalling the departure from Egypt and the gift of the land.

What does Deuteronomy 26 say about the tithe?

In verses 12 to 15, the tithe of the third year is given to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan and the widow, so that they may eat and be satisfied. The one who gives declares before God that he has obeyed. Christians discuss how it applies today, but the attention to the most vulnerable is clear.

Why does the Israelite tell the story of his people?

Before setting down his basket, he recalls where he comes from: a wandering father, oppression in Egypt, the cry to God, the deliverance. This story shows that the gift is a response to what God has already done, and that abundance does not come from the skill of the harvester alone.

Articles quoting Deuteronomy 26

← All chapters

World English Bible translation — public domain.