Deuteronomy 16:16

16 In three times by the year all thy male kind shall appear in the sight of thy Lord, in the place which he choose, in the solemnity of therf loaves, and in the solemnity of weeks, and in the solemnity of tabernacles. A man shall not appear void before the Lord; (Three times a year all thy males shall appear before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles. A man shall not appear empty-handed before the Lord;)

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

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FOOTNOTES:

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

Deuteronomy 16:16 In-Context

14 And thou shalt eat in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thine handmaid, also the deacon, and the comeling, and the fatherless, either motherless child, and the widow, that be within thy gates. (And thou shalt be glad at thy feast, or thy festival, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy slave, and thy slave-girl, and the Levite, and the newcomer, and the fatherless or the motherless child, and the widow, yea, all who be within thy gates.)

15 By seven days thou shalt hallow feasts to thy Lord God, in the place which the Lord choose; and thy Lord God shall bless thee, in all thy fruits, and in all the work of thine hands, and thou shalt be in gladness. (For seven days thou shalt keep this feast to the Lord thy God, in the place which the Lord shall choose; and the Lord thy God shall bless thee, with all thy fruits, and with all the work of thine hands, and thou shalt be glad, or be happy.)

16 In three times by the year all thy male kind shall appear in the sight of thy Lord, in the place which he choose, in the solemnity of therf loaves, and in the solemnity of weeks, and in the solemnity of tabernacles. A man shall not appear void before the Lord; (Three times a year all thy males shall appear before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles. A man shall not appear empty-handed before the Lord;)

17 but each man shall offer after that that he hath, by the blessing of his Lord God, that he gave to him. (but each man shall offer what he hath, in proportion to the blessing which the Lord his God hath given him.)

18 Thou shalt ordain judges, and exactors, in all thy gates which thy Lord God shall give to thee, by each of thy lineages, that they deem the people by just doom, (Thou shalt ordain judges, and exactors, in all thy gates which the Lord thy God shall give thee, in each of thy tribes, and they shall judge the people with fair judgements,)