Deuteronomy 16:16
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Three times a year all your men are to appear before the LORD your God in the place He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God--No command was laid on women to undertake the journeys, partly from regard to the natural weakness of their sex, and partly to their domestic cares.
Open source ↗Three times a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God,.... This has been observed before, Exo 23:17, and is repeated here for the sake of mentioning the place where they were to appear, which before now was not observed, and indeed it is chiefly for that the other festivals are here recited: in the place which he shall choose; which though not expressed is now easily understood; and the three times at which they were to appear there were, in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles; or passover, Pentecost, and tabernacles; and of numbers of people going up from the country to each of these feasts, we have instances in the New Testament; to the passover, Luk 2:42, to Pentecost, Act 2:5, to tabernacles, Joh 7:2, and they shall not appear before the Lord empty; Aben Ezra observes, the meaning is, not empty of the tribute of the freewill offering of their hand, and which Jarchi more fully explains of the burnt offerings of appearance, and of the peace offerings of the Chagigah, or money answerable to them; which, according to the Misnah (q) was a meah of silver for a burnt offering, and two pieces of silver for the Chagigah, which weighed thirty two barley corns (r). (q) Chagigah, c. 1. sect. 2. (r) Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.
Open source ↗In this chapter we have, I. A repetition of the laws concerning the three yearly feasts; in particular, that of the passover (Deu 16:1-8). That of pentecost (Deu 16:9-12). That of tabernacles (Deu 16:13-15). And the general law concerning the people's attendance on them (Deu 16:16, Deu 16:17). II. The institution of an inferior magistracy, and general rules of justice given to those that were called into office (Deu 16:18-20). III. A caveat against groves and images (Deu 16:21, Deu 16:22).
Open source ↗16:16 Participation in the festival was required of every man, but women and children could participate as well (16:11, 14; cp. Luke 2:41).
Open source ↗Cross-references
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Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering and enter His courts.
You expected much, but behold, it amounted to little. And what you brought home, I blew away. Why? declares the LORD of Hosts. Because My house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.
On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.
You must redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a lamb; but if you do not redeem it, you are to break its neck. You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons. No one shall appear before Me empty-handed.
Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he had built for the LORD, burning incense with them before the LORD. So he completed the temple.
Yet her profits and wages will be set apart to the LORD; they will not be stored or saved, for her profit will go to those who live before the LORD, for abundant food and fine clothing.
But they seized the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.