Deuteronomy 26:13

Deu 26:13 Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of [mine] house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten [them]:

Ver. 13. I have not transgressed.] This is spoken, not by way of Pharisaical boasting or opinion of merit, but public testification of entire obedience.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Deu 26:13. Before the Lord thy God — As this tithe of the third year was to be spent at home, these words must signify either that every man was to make this solemn profession at home in his private addresses to God, or that the next time he went up to the place of the sanctuary he was to make this declaration before the most holy place, where God was supposed to be peculiarly present. At whichever place he made it, it was to be done as before God; that is, solemnly, seriously, and in a religious manner, with due respect to God’s presence, in obedience to his command, and with an eye to his glory.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

26:13 I have taken (literally burned) the sacred gift: This phrase means that the donor had given his own property to the Levites and to others in need.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Without hypocrisy.

Of malice and contempt.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

thou shalt say before the Lord thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house--This was a solemn declaration that nothing which should be devoted to the divine service had been secretly reserved for personal use.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

13. then thou shalt say before the Lord thy God] That is (in accordance with Deu_26:5; Deu_26:10, Deu_12:7; Deu_12:12; Deu_12:18, Deu_14:23; Deu_14:25 f., Deu_15:20, Deu_16:11, Deu_19:17) at the sanctuary, and probably during the Feast of Booths (so all recent commentators).

I have put away] The same vb. as, in Deu_13:5 (6), q.v., Deu_17:7, etc., is used for putting away evil things. Equally with them the tithe is taboo, forbidden and dangerous for common use.

the hallowed things] Heb. the ḳodesh, lit. holiness or hallowedness (see above on Deu_7:6), but applied also to the concrete objects or persons set apart for the Deity or (as here) by His command, e.g. the Temple and its contents, the Holy City, sacrifices, etc.; in Deu_12:26 parallel to vows, here the tithes for the poor, an interesting extension of the idea of ceremonial sacredness; not without its ethical meaning for ourselves. ‘We are commanded to give alms of such things as we have; and then, and not otherwise, all things are clean to us’ (M. Henry).

out of mine house] where they had been stored, Deu_14:28.

all thy commandments] So Sam., LXX. The anxiety to keep these ritual laws, with a great ethical purpose behind them—viz. the relief of the poor—is very striking. The laws are now detailed:—

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then thou shalt say before the Lord thy God,.... Make the following declaration as in his presence; for this was not made in the tabernacle or temple at, Jerusalem, since the tithe was to be eaten with the poor in the gates of the owner, as in Deu 26:12,

I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house: which Aben Ezra and Onkelos interpret of the tithe; but it seems, besides that, to take in everything devoted to all holy uses, be they what they will, which were at this time to be separated from a man's own common goods, and applied to the purposes for which they were designed and devoted, and particularly what was to be given to the poor:

and also have, given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me; giving to each according as the law directs; which the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi interpret as before, giving the first tithe to the Levites, and the second tithe to the rest:

I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them: neither broken them wilfully, nor omitted them through carelessness, negligence, and forgetfulness, but was mindful to observe them punctually and exactly.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Taken. Hebrew, "burnt." (Calmet) --- I have brought all that was due, (Tirinus) so that no more can be found in my house than what the fire would have spared, if it had been thrown into it.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Before the Lord, i.e. either before the tabernacle or temple; or rather, in thy private and domestic addresses to God; for this is to be said presently upon the distribution of these tithes, which was not done at Jerusalem, but

in their own private gates or dwellings; except we will suppose that after he had given away these tithes at home he should go up to Jerusalem merely to make this acknowledgment, which seems improbable. And this is to be spoken before the Lord, i.e. solemnly, seriously, and in a religious manner, with due respect to God’s presence and will and glory, which is a sufficient ground for that phrase. I have brought away, or, separated, or, removed, to wit, from my own proper and private fruits. The hallowed things, i.e. the tithes which have been sanctified and set apart for these uses.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

13. The hallowed things — Any thing that was set apart to be bestowed in accordance with the law to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, the widow. “Every consecrated present bore the brief appellation, ‘Sacred thing.’” — EWALD’S Antiquities of Israel, p. 75.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Say before the Lord; i.e. address him as present and ready to hear. The expression, "before the Lord," does not necessarily imply that it was in the sanctuary that the prayer was to be offered. Isaac proposed to bless his son "before the Lord," i.e. within his own house or tent; (Gen_27:7) and so the Israelite here might in his own home make his prayer to the Omnipresent Jehovah. I have not transgressed thy commandments, etc. This is not a self-righteous boast; it is rather a solemn profession of attention to duties which might have been neglected, and refers, not to the keeping of every commandment, but to the having faithfully done all that the Law required in respect of tithes.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Before the Lord - In thy private addresses to God; for this is to be said presently upon the distribution of these tithes, which was not done at Jerusalem, but in their own private gates or dwellings. And this is to be spoken before the Lord, that is, solemnly, seriously, and in a religious manner, with due respect to God's presence, and will, and glory.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

ואמרת לפני ה' אלהיך THEN THOU SHALT SAY BEFORE THE LORD THY GOD — Make the declaration (lit., confess) that you have given your tithes (Sifrei Devarim 303:5).

בערתי הקדש מן הבית I HAVE REMOVED THE HALLOWED THINGS FROM THE HOUSE — this refers to the “Second Tithe” which is termed קדש (cf. Leviticus 27:30 and Rashi thereon) and the “fruit of the vineyard in the fourth year of its growth” (נטע רבעי which is also termed קדש; cf. Leviticus 19:24) (Sifrei Devarim 303:6; Mishnah Maaser Sheni 5:10). Scripture teaches you that if he has delayed his “Second Tithes” of the first two years of the Shemitta period and has not taken them up to Jerusalem he must bring them up now (Mishnah Maaser Sheni 5:10).

וגם נתתיו ללוי AND I HAVE ALSO GIVEN THEM TO THE LEVITE — this refers to the “First Tithe”. וגם AND ALSO — the redundant word וגם serves also to include “Terumah” and the first-fruits that one has failed to give to the priests (Sifrei Devarim 303:7; Mishnah Maaser Sheni 5:10).

ולגר ליתום ולאלמנה AND [I ALSO HAVE GIVEN] … UNTO THE STRANGER, THE FATHERLESS, AND THE WIDOW — this refers to the “Tithe of the Poor” (Sifrei Devarim 303:8).

ככל מצותך ACCORDING TO ALL THY COMMANDMENTS — i.e. I have given them (all the sacred gifts mentioned) in the sequence prescribed for them: I have not set aside the heave-offering before the first-fruits, nor the tithe before the heave-offering, nor the “second” tithe before the “first”. This would indeed have meant altering the sequence, for the heave-offering is (after the first-fruits which are naturally the first of all sacred gifts) termed ראשית “firstling״ (in its relation to the tithes) because it is the first gift due after it (the crop) has become (bears the name of) corn (i.e. after it has been winnowed), and it states, (Exodus 22:28) “Thou shalt not delay to offer from thy fulness and thy liquids”, which means (see Rashi on that verse and Note thereon): Thou shalt not alter the prescribed order (cf. Sifrei Devarim 303:11; Mishnah Maaser Sheni 5:11).

לא עברתי ממצותיך I HAVE NOT TRANSGRESSED THY COMMANDMENTS — i.e. I have not set apart as a sacred gift grain from one species as a substitute for what was due from another species, nor have I separated grain from the new crop as a substitute for what was due from the old one (Sifrei Devarim 303:13; cf. Mishnah Maaser Sheni 5:11).

ולא שכחתי NOR HAVE I FORGOTTEN — i.e. forgotten to bless you on the occasion of setting the tithes apart (Sifrei Devarim 303:14; Mishnah Maaser Sheni 5:11; cf. Berachot 40b).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.