Deuteronomy 26:18

18 And Yahweh [has] declared you {today} to be for him as a people, a treasured possession, as he {promised} to you, and [that you are] to observe all his commandments,

Deuteronomy 26:18 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 26:18

And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar
people
Affirmed and declared them to be his special people, above all people on the face of the earth, and that they were looked upon and considered by him as his jewels, his peculiar treasure:

as he hath promised thee;
on condition of their obedience to him, as he did in ( Exodus 19:5 ) ;

and that [thou] shouldest keep all his commandments;
at the same time declared this as his will, that they should observe all his precepts, to which they were laid under obligation by the special favour and peculiar privileges he bestowed upon them, ( Deuteronomy 7:6 Deuteronomy 7:7 ) . The Targums interpret both these verses of the people of Israel choosing and making the Lord their King, and of his being made King over them; and so it respects their peculiar form of civil government, being a theocracy. The Lord's people in Christ are a peculiar people; they are distinct from all people, and are peculiarly regarded by him; they are the objects of his peculiar love, and receive peculiar favours from him; and whom having chosen and redeemed, he calls by his special grace, and witnesses their special relation to him by his Spirit; which grace obliges and excites them to a cheerful obedience to his commands.

Deuteronomy 26:18 In-Context

16 "This day Yahweh your God is commanding you to do these rules and regulations, {and you must observe them diligently} with all your heart and with all your soul.
17 Yahweh you [have] declared {today} to be for you as [your] God, and to go in his ways and to observe his rules and his commandments and his regulations and to listen to his voice.
18 And Yahweh [has] declared you {today} to be for him as a people, a treasured possession, as he {promised} to you, and [that you are] to observe all his commandments,
19 {and that he then will set you} high above all the nations that he has made for his praise and {for fame} and for honor and {for you to be a holy people} to Yahweh your God, as he {promised}."

Footnotes 2

Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.