Deuteronomy 16:9

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from [such time as] thou beginnest [to put] the sickle to the corn.

Complete Jewish Bible:

"You are to count seven weeks; you are to begin counting seven weeks from the time you first put your sickle to the standing grain.

Berean Standard Bible:

You are to count off seven weeks from the time you first put the sickle to the standing grain.

American Standard Version:

Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: from the time thou beginnest to put the sickle to the standing grain shalt thou begin to number seven weeks.

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

Seven^{H7651} weeks^{H7620} shalt thou number^{H5608} unto thee: begin^{H2490} to number^{H5608} the seven^{H7651} weeks^{H7620} from such time as thou beginnest^{H2490} to put the sickle^{H2770} to the corn^{H7054}.

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Commentary for Deuteronomy 16:9

Deuteronomy 16:9 is part of the instructions Moses gives to the Israelites regarding the Festival of Weeks, also known as Shavuot or the Feast of Harvest. This festival is one of the three major Jewish pilgrimage festivals, along with Passover and Sukkot.

**Themes:**
1. **Agriculture and Harvest:** The verse reflects the agrarian nature of ancient Israelite society. It is a command to count seven weeks from the beginning of the grain harvest, specifically when the sickle is first put to the standing grain.
2. **Religious Observance:** The counting of seven weeks leading up to Shavuot is a religious duty, linking the festival to the cycle of the harvest and emphasizing the connection between the land and the religious life of the Israelites.
3. **Connection to Passover:** The Festival of Weeks occurs seven weeks after the second day of Passover, which marks the beginning of the barley harvest. The count, therefore, begins in the context of celebrating Israel's liberation from Egypt.
4. **Historical Context:** The commandment to count the weeks to Shavuot is given as the Israelites are about to enter the Promised Land. It serves as a way to structure the agricultural year and to ensure that the festival is celebrated at the proper time.

**Historical Context:**
The book of Deuteronomy is presented as a series of speeches by Moses to the Israelites as they stand on the plains of Moab, ready to cross the Jordan River into Canaan. This verse is part of the legal and ritual codes that Moses is said to have received from God on Mount Sinai and is now transmitting to the people. The historical context is thus the transition from a nomadic life in the wilderness to a settled, agricultural existence in the land of Canaan. The instructions given in Deuteronomy are meant to guide the Israelites in their worship and social order as they establish themselves in the new land.

In summary, Deuteronomy 16:9 encapsulates the intersection of religious practice with the agricultural cycle, emphasizing the importance of aligning the celebration of Shavuot with the harvest, and it reflects the broader context of the Israelites' imminent settlement in Canaan.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

1. Strong's Number: H7651
   There are 345 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: שֶׁבַע
   Transliteration: shebaʻ
   Pronunciation: sheh'-bah
   Description: or (masculine) (שִׁבְעָה); from שָׁבַע; a primitive cardinal number; seven (as the sacred full one); also (adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by extension, an indefinite number; ([phrase] by) seven(-fold),-s, (-teen, -teenth), -th, times). Compare שִׁבְעָנָה.
   
2. Strong's Number: H7620
   There are 17 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: שָׁבוּעַ
   Transliteration: shâbûwaʻ
   Pronunciation: shaw-boo'-ah
   Description: or שָׁבֻעַ; also (feminine) שְׁבֻעָה; properly, passive participle of שָׁבַע as a denominative of שֶׁבַע; literally, sevened, i.e. a week (specifically, of years); seven, week.
   
3. Strong's Number: H5608
   There are 154 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: סָפַר
   Transliteration: çâphar
   Pronunciation: saw-far'
   Description: a primitive root; properly, to score with a mark as a tally or record, i.e. (by implication) to inscribe, and also to enumerate; intensively, to recount, i.e. celebrate; commune, (ac-) count; declare, number, [phrase] penknife, reckon, scribe, shew forth, speak, talk, tell (out), writer.
   
4. Strong's Number: H2490
   There are 131 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: חָלַל
   Transliteration: châlal
   Pronunciation: khaw-lal'
   Description: a primitive root (compare חָלָה); also denominative (from חָלִיל); properly, to bore, i.e. (by implication) to wound, to dissolve; figuratively, to profane (a person, place or thing), to break (one's word), to begin (as if by an 'opening wedge'); to play (the flute); begin ([idiom] men began), defile, [idiom] break, defile, [idiom] eat (as common things), [idiom] first, [idiom] gather the grape thereof, [idiom] take inheritance, pipe, player on instruments, pollute, (cast as) profane (self), prostitute, slay (slain), sorrow, stain, wound.
   
5. Strong's Number: H2770
   There are 2 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: חֶרְמֵשׁ
   Transliteration: chermêsh
   Pronunciation: kher-mashe'
   Description: from חָרַם; a sickle (as cutting); sickle.
   
6. Strong's Number: H7054
   There are 8 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: קָמָה
   Transliteration: qâmâh
   Pronunciation: kuw-maw'
   Description: feminine of active participle of קוּם; something that rises, i.e. a stalk of grain; (standing) corn, grown up, stalk.