Deuteronomy 16:16

16 Thre tymes in the yere shall al youre males appere before the Lorde thi God in the place which he shal chose: In the feast of swete bred, in the feast of wekes and in the booth feast. And they shal not appere before the Lorde emptie:

Deuteronomy 16:16 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 16:16

Three times a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord
thy God
This has been observed before, ( Exodus 23:17 ) ( 34:23 ) , 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, ( Luke 2:42 Luke 2:44 ) ( John 11:55 ) , to Pentecost, ( Acts 2:5-11 ) , to tabernacles, ( John 7:2 John 7:10 ) ,

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 ^F17 was a meah of silver for a burnt offering, and two pieces of silver for the Chagigah, which weighed thirty two barley corns ^F18

---

FOOTNOTES:

F17 Chagigah, c. 1. sect. 2.
F18 Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.

Deuteronomy 16:16 In-Context

14 And thou shalt reioyse in that thi feast, both thou and thi sonne, thi doughter, thi seruaunte, thi mayde, the leuite, the straunger, the fatherlesse and the wedowe that are in thi cities.

15 Seuen dayes thou shalt kepe holy daye vnto the Lorde thi God, in the place which the Lorde shal chose: for the Lorde thi God shall blesse the in all thi frutes and in all the workes of thine handes, and thou shalt be all together gladnesse.

16 Thre tymes in the yere shall al youre males appere before the Lorde thi God in the place which he shal chose: In the feast of swete bred, in the feast of wekes and in the booth feast. And they shal not appere before the Lorde emptie:

17 but euery ma with the gifte of his honde, acordynge to the blessinge of the Lorde thi God which he hath geuen the.

18 Ivdges and officers thou shalt make the in all thi cities which the Lorde thi God geueth the thorow out thi trybes. and lett the iudge the people righteously.