The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 397

Yer. 8.-The priest that shall be in those xvi ii. 12, etc.); b11t of those a portion wna dllyi;: 11nt thC' hig-h priC'Bt,, but the priPste to be taken for this specin\ service; nnd or enll!',·ti,Pi)·, nr the indiddulll priC'st whore thllt n feast wns to bo mndc. f"unetion it wns to officinte on tho oreasion. Vera. 12~15.-0n the occasion of pre- 'J'lJp fruil prp~cnted ,rns the sensible proof senting tho tithes, a specil\l service wns 11\so 1hat I hC' lnnd was now in th<'ir possession, and I he C'onfcssion mRcle 11lo11g with the to bo made. 'l'ho tilho here referred tn is prcsentntion was nn ncknowlcdgmcnt of the vegetable or predinl tithe, which, 11t tho their 111rnorthiness. nnd of the Divine favour end of each third yeo.r, ns here prescribed, ns lh,it I" which nlone they were indchtcd wa.s to be converted into B gift to tho poor for the pri\·ileged position in which they and needy. This, properly tho second tithe were plnced. (LXX., .,.i, 8nl.-.pov /1r,8/1<a:rov), bnt usually Yer. 5.-A Syrian ready to perish was my father. The reference is to Jacob, the stem- called the third tithe (Tobit i. 7, 8; Jo-_ father of the twelve tribes. He is here sephus, 'Antiq.,' iv. 8, 22), is quite distinct en\le<.l n Syrinn, or Arnmrenn, because of from tho Levitical tithe prescribed in Lev. his long residencP, in Mesnpotamia (Gen. xxvii. 30-33 and Numb. xviii. 21-32; xxix.-xxxi.), whence Abraham had origin- and it is a mistake to suppose that the l11w ally come (Gen. xi. 31), and because there the family of which he was the head wo.s here was designed to contravene or super- founded. The translation "ready to perish" sede that in the earlier books (see Kitto, fairly represents the Hebrew ; the verb • Dibl. Cycl.,' iii. 1010). As this tithe -::a, means not merely to strny or wander, completed the triennial series of tithes I,~t nlso to lose one's self, to perish, to be which the Israelites had to offer, it wns fit- in dnnger of perishing (cf. eh. h-. 26: Job ting that in presenting it a solemn declB- xxix. 13; Prov. x:ni. 6, etc.). Different renderings of this cl:i.use he.ve been given. ration should be made by the offerer to the The 'fnrg-um, Yulg:1te, Luther, etc., have, effect that he ho.d honournbly and conscien- •• The AranucRn (i.e. Lo.ban) oppressed my tiously discharged o.11 the obligntions in father ; " The LXX., :fvpitw a:rrb,,.,,.,,, I, this respect which the Lo.w le.id upon him. wa-c7Jp µ.ov (" My father left Syria"); others, Ver. 12-The third year, which is the '' To the Aramrea.n my father wandered." year of tithing. As eo.ch week ender\ with Bui these either follow another reading a sabbath, so o. sabbe.tico.l year ended eo.ch than that of the received text, or they are eve le or week of ,·ears; o.nd o.s on it no expedients to soften down the apparent tithes were levied, "the yeo.r of tithi_ng" ignominy of the description. The probable here specified would be the third o.nd the allusion to the wandering, nomadic life of sixth years in each septennial period. the patrie.rch, however, is not to be lost Ver. 13.-Say before the Lord; i.e. ad- sight of, With a few; literally, in men of dress him as present o.nd rendy to hear, few ; i.e. consisting of few men, as a sm11ll The expression, "before the Lord,'' does not company; the father and head of the tribe necessarily imply that it was in the sanc- is named for those belonging to him ( cf. tuary that the prnyer was to be offered. Gen. xniv. 30; xlvi. 27). A great nation, Isoe.c proposed to bless his son " before the etc. (ef. Exod. i. 7, 9). Lord," i.e. within his own house or tent Yer. 6.-The Egyptians evil entreated us (Gen. xxvii. 7); and so the Israelite here ( cf. Exod. i. 11-22; ii. 23, etc.). might in his own home make his prayer to \"er. 8.-(Cf. eh. iv. 34..) the Omnipresent Jehovah. I have not trans- Ver. 10.-Thon shalt set it, etc.; either a gressed thy commandments, etc. This is genere.l conduding remark, taking up the not a self-righteous boast; it is rather a statement of ver. 4, or the offerer may have solemn profession of attention to duties resullled hold of the basket, and after hold- which might have been neglected, o.nd iug- it in his hand while offering prayer, refer8, not to the keeping of every com- l\"ould solemnly deposit it before the altar. mandment, bnt to the having faithfully Yer. 11.-.And thon shalt rejoice in ever, done all that the Law required in respect of good thin~, etc.; i.e. with these bounties of tithes. God's providence make e. feast for yourself Ver. 14.-In my mourning; i.e. while and your household, nnd omit not to invite ceremonially unclean (cf. Lev. vii. 20; xxi. tLe Lel'il.e and tLe stranger to partake of it I, etc.). Neither have I taken away ought with y0u. As with the yearly tithe (eh. thereof for any unclean use; rather, Neither xi,. 2il) and the firstlings (eh. xv. 20), so har:e I removed ought of it being unclean; with this portion of the firstfruits, a festive i.e. he had not only not eaten of tt, but he meal was to consummate the service. Ac- had not removed any pa.rt of it from his cording to the Law, the firetfruits were the house (vcr. 13) while he was ccremoninlly perquiEiLt: of the priest (eh. :niii. 4; Numb. unclean, in which state it was unlawful to OR, U.VI, 1-l!l.] Tm: nooK OF DIWTERONOMY. 407