Femte MosebokenKapitel 26

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When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it and settle there,

take some of the first of all the produce of the soil that you harvest from the land the LORD your God is giving you, put it in a basket, and go to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name.

Go to the priest who is serving at that time and say to him, "Today I declare before the LORD your God that I have come into the land the LORD swore to our fathers he would give us."

The priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the LORD your God.

Then you shall declare before the LORD your God: "My father was a wandering Aramean. He went down to Egypt and lived there as a stranger, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and many.

But the Egyptians mistreated us and oppressed us, and imposed hard labor on us.

So we cried out to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, our toil, and our oppression.

The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror, with signs and wonders.

He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

And now, see, I have brought the first of the produce of the soil that you, LORD, have given me." Then set it down before the LORD your God and bow low before the LORD your God.

And you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given you and your household—you, the Levite, and the foreigner living among you.

When you have finished setting aside the full tithe of your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow, so that they may eat their fill in your towns.

Then say before the LORD your God: "I have cleared the sacred portion out of my house and given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow, just as you commanded me. I have not violated your commandments, nor have I forgotten them.

I have not eaten any of it while in mourning, nor removed any of it while unclean, nor offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the LORD my God; I have done everything you commanded me.

Look down from your holy dwelling, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us, as you swore to our fathers—a land flowing with milk and honey."

Today the LORD your God commands you to follow these statutes and ordinances. Keep them and do them with all your heart and with all your soul.

Today you have declared that the LORD is your God, that you will walk in his ways, keep his statutes, his commandments, and his ordinances, and obey his voice.

And today the LORD has declared that you are his people, his treasured possession, as he promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments.

He will set you high above all the nations he has made, for praise, renown, and honor, and you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he has promised.

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Kapitel 26

Main Theme: The chapter describes the rituals for the firstfruits offering and tithes, as well as the mutual covenant declaration between God and Israel.

Content: When the Israelites enter the land, they are to bring the firstfruits to the sanctuary and recite a historical confession that begins with "a wandering Aramean was my father" – a summary of Israel's history from the time of the patriarchs through Egypt to deliverance. Every third year, the tithe is to be given to Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows. The chapter concludes with a mutual covenant declaration: Israel acknowledges the Lord as their God, and the Lord declares Israel to be His treasured possession (עַם סְגֻלָּה).

Key Words/Images:

Firstfruits (רֵאשִׁית): The first and best portion of the harvest, given to God in recognition that the land is His gift.
"A wandering Aramean": The opening of the historical confession, recalling Jacob's uncertain life and God's faithfulness.
Treasured possession (עַם סְגֻלָּה): Israel as God's chosen people, called to holiness and obedience.
A land flowing with milk and honey: A description of the promised land's fertility and abundance.

Historisk kontext

Historical and Cultural Context for Deuteronomy 26

Events and Customs

Firstfruits Ritual (bikkurim)

The chapter describes the firstfruits offering, called in Hebrew bikkurim. This ritual required Israelites to bring the first ripe fruits of the harvest to the sanctuary. According to the Mishnah (Bikkurim 1:3), this applied especially to the seven species for which the land of Canaan was known: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and honey (dates). The farmer was to place the fruits in a basket (tene) and present them to the priest. Similar firstfruits offerings were widespread throughout the ancient Near East, where people expressed gratitude to their deity for the harvest and sought continued fertility.

The Historical Confession (verses 5–10)

The liturgical text to be recited is often called "the little creed" or "the historical confession." This is one of the oldest concise retellings of Israel's salvation history in the Old Testament. The text follows a fixed pattern: the patriarch as a wandering Aramean, slavery in Egypt, deliverance, and the gift of the land. Such ritual recitation of the people's history was common in ancient Near Eastern cultic practice and served to anchor each worshiper's identity within the community's story.

The Tithe Declaration (verses 12–15)

Every third year, the tithe was to be given locally to Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows, rather than brought to the central sanctuary. The Israelite was then to make a solemn declaration that the tithe had been handled correctly. This "oath of purity" confirms that none of the holy portion had been eaten in mourning (be'oni), used in an unclean way, or given to the dead. The last point may refer to pagan customs where food was offered to ancestors or gods of the underworld, a practice widespread in Canaanite and Egyptian religion.

Key Terms

"A wandering Aramean was my father" (arami oved avi)

The expression in verse 5 is debated. The Hebrew oved can mean "wandering," "lost," or "on the way to ruin." Tradition has understood this as a reference to the patriarch Jacob, who had connections to Aram through his uncle Laban and his wives. The term "Aramean" points to the ancestors' origin in the Aramean region (Paddan-Aram/Haran) before they settled in Canaan.

"A people for his own possession" (am segulla)

The term segulla in verse 18 denotes a special, valuable possession. In Akkadian texts, the related word sikiltum refers to the king's personal treasure or private property, as distinct from the kingdom's general resources. When Israel is called God's segulla, it expresses that the people hold a unique status as God's precious possession among all the peoples of the earth.

Chapter-Specific Findings

Archaeological discoveries of baskets from ancient Israel confirm the use of woven containers for transporting agricultural products. Inscriptions from the Second Temple in Jerusalem mention bikkurim processions, and the Mishnah tractate Bikkurim provides detailed descriptions of how pilgrims came to the temple with baskets decorated with fruit. Ostraca (inscribed pottery shards) from Samaria and Arad dating to the 700s BCE document tithe systems and deliveries to cultic centers, confirming that such levy systems were well established in Israelite society.

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Nyckelord7

Heritage land — Land given to the people of Israel by God, and which is to be passed down from generation to generation.
Firstfruits — The first and best harvests gathered, often seen as a gift from God and a symbol of gratitude and trust.
Offering — An act where something is given to God, often food, drink, or animals, as a form of worship, thanksgiving, or atonement for sins.
Levite — A member of the tribe of Levi, who was responsible for carrying out religious ceremonies and duties in ancient Israel.
Foreigners — People who were not born into the people of Israel but lived among them. They were often treated with respect and care, in accordance with God's commands.
Widow — A woman who has lost her husband and who is often in a vulnerable situation in society.
Fatherless — Children who have lost their father and thus lack the traditional provider in the family.