Deuteronomy 16:14-22

14 and you shall rejoice at your feast, you and your son and your daughter and your slave and your slave woman and the Levite and the orphan and the widow that [are] in your {towns}.
15 Seven days you shall celebrate [your] feast to Yahweh your God at the place Yahweh will choose, for Yahweh your God shall bless you in all of your produce and in all [of] the work of your hand, and you shall surely [be] rejoicing.
16 Three times in the year all [of] your males shall appear {before } Yahweh your God at the place that he will choose, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear {before Yahweh} empty-handed.
17 Each [person] {shall give as he is able}, [that is], according to the blessing of Yahweh your God that he has given to you.
18 "You shall appoint judges and officials for you in all your {towns} that Yahweh your God [is] giving to you throughout your tribes, and you shall render [for] the people {righteous judgments}.
19 You shall not subvert justice; you shall not {show partiality}; and you shall not take a bribe, for the bribe makes blind [the] eyes of [the] wise and misrepresents [the] words of [the] righteous.
20 {Justice, only justice} you shall pursue, so that you may live, and you shall take possession of the land that Yahweh your God [is] giving to you.
21 You shall not plant for yourselves {an Asherah pole} beside the altar of Yahweh your God that you make for yourselves.
22 And you shall not set up for yourselves a stone pillar, [a thing] that Yahweh your God hates.

Deuteronomy 16:14-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 16

This chapter treats of the three grand yearly festivals, of the feast of passover, when, where, and what was to be sacrificed, how to be dressed, and in what manner to be eaten, De 16:1-8, of the feast of pentecost, when to begin it, where and how it was to be observed, De 16:9-12, and of the feast of tabernacles, when, where, and how long it was to be kept, De 16:13-15, which three times in the year all the males were to appear before the Lord, and not empty, De 16:16,17, an order is given for the appointment of judges in the land, to execute judgment, De 16:18-20, and the chapter is closed with a caution against planting groves, and setting up images, De 16:21,22.

Footnotes 14

  • [a]. Literally "gates"
  • [b]. Or "increase"
  • [c]. Or "joyful"
  • [d]. Literally "with the face of"
  • [e]. Literally "with the face of Yahweh"
  • [f]. Literally "according to the gift of his hand"
  • [g]. Literally "gates"
  • [h]. Literally "a judgment [based on] righteousness"
  • [i]. Or "distort/pervert"
  • [j]. Literally "recognize faces"
  • [k]. Literally "justice justice"
  • [l]. Hebrew "for/to you" but with collective meaning
  • [m]. Literally "an Asherah of any wood/tree"
  • [n]. Hebrew "for/to you" but with collective meaning
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.