Deuteronômio 26

ARC · Chapter 26/34

1E será que, quando entrares na terra que o Senhor teu Deus te dér por herança, e a possuires, e n'ella habitares,

2Então tomarás das primicias de todos os fructos da terra, que trouxeres da tua terra, que te dá o Senhor teu Deus, e as porás n'um cesto, e irás ao logar que escolher o Senhor teu Deus, para ali fazer habitar o seu nome

3E virás ao sacerdote, que n'aquelles dias fôr, e dir-lhe-has: Hoje declaro perante o Senhor teu Deus que entrei na terra que o Senhor jurou a nossos paes dar-nos.

4E o sacerdote tomará o cesto da tua mão, e o porá diante do altar do Senhor teu Deus.

5Então protestarás perante o Senhor teu Deus, e dirás: Syro miseravel foi meu pae, e desceu ao Egypto, e ali peregrinou com pouca gente: porém ali cresceu até vir a ser nação grande, poderosa e numerosa.

6Mas os egypcios nos maltrataram e nos affligiram, e sobre nós pozeram uma dura servidão.

7Então clamámos ao Senhor Deus de nossos paes; e o Senhor ouviu a nossa voz, e attentou para a nossa miseria, e para o nosso trabalho, e para a nossa oppressão.

8E o Senhor nos tirou do Egypto com mão forte, e com braço estendido, e com grande espanto, e com signaes, e com milagres;

9E nos trouxe a este logar, e nos deu esta terra, terra que mana leite e mel.

10E eis que agora eu trouxe as primicias dos fructos da terra que tu, ó Senhor, me déste. Então as porás perante o Senhor teu Deus, e te inclinarás perante o Senhor teu Deus

11E te alegrarás por todo o bem que o Senhor teu Deus te tem dado a ti e á tua casa, tu e o levita, e o estrangeiro que está no meio de ti

12Quando acabares de dizimar todos os dizimos da tua novidade no anno terceiro, que é o anno dos dizimos, então a darás ao levita, ao estrangeiro, ao orphão e á viuva, para que comam dentro das tuas portas, e se fartem:

13E dirás perante o Senhor teu Deus: Tirei o que é consagrado de minha casa, e dei tambem ao levita, e ao estrangeiro, e ao orphão e á viuva, conforme a todos os teus mandamentos que me tens ordenado: nada traspassei dos teus mandamentos, nem d'elles me esqueci.

14D'elle não comi na minha tristeza, nem d'elle nada tirei para immundicia, nem d'elle dei para algum morto: obedeci á voz do Senhor meu Deus; conforme a tudo o que me ordenaste, tenho feito.

15Olha desde a tua sancta habitação, desde o céu, e abençoa o teu povo, a Israel, e a terra que nos déste, como juraste a nossos paes, terra que mana leite e mel.

16N'este dia o Senhor teu Deus te manda fazer estes estatutos e juizos: guarda-os pois, e faze-os com todo o teu coração e com toda a tua alma.

17Hoje fizeste dizer ao Senhor que te será por Deus, e que andarás nos seus caminhos, e guardarás os seus estatutos, e os seus mandamentos, e os seus juizos, e darás ouvidos á sua voz.

18E o Senhor hoje te fez dizer que lhe serás por povo seu proprio, como te tem dito, e que guardarás todos os seus mandamentos.

19Para assim te exaltar sobre todas as nações que fez, para louvor, e para fama, e para gloria, e para que sejas um povo sancto ao Senhor teu Deus, como tem dito.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Moses institutes the ceremony of firstfruits, in which the Israelite farmer would publicly recite the story of the deliverance from Egypt while bringing the first fruits of the land, and reinforces the giving of the triennial tithe to those in need, closing with a solemn declaration of the mutual covenant between God and Israel.

Explanation

The confession of firstfruits, which quickly sums up all of Israel's history — from 'a Syrian ready to perish was my father' (a reference to Jacob) to the deliverance from Egypt and the entry into the promised land — turned a simple agricultural act of gratitude into a living reaffirmation of the people's historical and spiritual identity, at every harvest. This declaration, repeated generation after generation by each individual farmer, ensured that the collective memory of the deliverance never became merely an abstract story, but an experience personally reaffirmed by every family that brought in its fruits. The chapter formally closes the book's main section of laws with a mutual, reciprocal declaration: Israel declares that the Lord will be their God, and the Lord declares that Israel will be his own treasured people — a solemn, two-sided covenant that sums up the entire relationship established throughout the book.

Fun facts

  • This confession of firstfruits (v. 5-10) is considered by scholars to be one of the possible oldest 'creeds' of Israel — a condensed summary of its history of faith that may have been used liturgically long before it was ever recorded in writing in this form.
  • The opening phrase 'a Syrian ready to perish was my father' most likely refers to Jacob, who lived and worked for many years in Syria/Aram under Laban, showing how Israelite identity acknowledged its humble — and even foreign — roots before becoming a great nation.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Deuteronômio 26:1It opens a new section with the arrival in the promised land as the starting point for a ritual of gratitude.
  2. Deuteronômio 26:2The ceremony of the firstfruits asks the grower to carry the first fruit of the harvest, still in a basket, to the sanctuary: a physical gesture of giving God the first share before keeping the rest for himself.
  3. Deuteronômio 26:3The farmer was to formally declare to the priest that he had finally entered the land sworn to the ancestors.
  4. Deuteronômio 26:4The priest would take the basket of firstfruits and set it down before the altar, as part of the offering ritual.
  5. Deuteronômio 26:5The phrase “A Syrian ready to perish was my father” refers to Jacob, who spent part of his life in Mesopotamia before becoming the father of the twelve tribes. The verse works as a short creed, recited while handing over the firstfruits, telling the whole story of the people in just a few lines.
  6. Deuteronômio 26:6The recited declaration goes on to tell how the Egyptians mistreated the people and enslaved them harshly.
  7. Deuteronômio 26:7It recalls the people’s cry to God in the midst of their suffering, and how God answered, seeing their misery and oppression.
  8. Deuteronômio 26:8It describes the deliverance from Egypt with a mighty hand, an outstretched arm, great terror, signs, and wonders.
  9. Deuteronômio 26:9It closes the historical narrative with the arrival in the promised land, described once again as “a land that floweth with milk and honey.”
  10. Deuteronômio 26:10The declaration ends with the physical handing over of the firstfruits to God, accompanied by a gesture of reverence.
  11. Deuteronômio 26:11The moment was meant to be one of shared joy, including the Levite and the foreigner in celebrating the blessing received.
  12. Deuteronômio 26:12The tithe declaration was a text the giver himself had to recite, affirming that he had done everything correctly and kept nothing improperly for himself: a kind of spoken accounting, made directly before God.
  13. Deuteronômio 26:13It describes another declaration, tied to the three-year tithe: publicly affirming that the sharing with the Levite, the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow was carried out exactly.
  14. Deuteronômio 26:14The declaration includes guaranteeing that none of the tithe was used improperly — not in mourning, not in uncleanness, and not offered to the dead.
  15. Deuteronômio 26:15It ends with a request: that God, from heaven, bless the people and the land promised to the ancestors.
  16. Deuteronômio 26:16It sums up the moment as a call to total obedience, with heart and soul, to the statutes and judgments just given.
  17. Deuteronômio 26:17It describes the people’s commitment that day: accepting the LORD as God and pledging to walk in His ways.
  18. Deuteronômio 26:18It describes God’s mirrored commitment: accepting Israel as His own treasured people, just as He had already promised.
  19. Deuteronômio 26:19It closes the chapter with the promise of exaltation: Israel would be lifted high above all other nations, as a holy people and a source of praise and glory for God.

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