Deuteronomy16

Deuteronomy 16 outlines the observance of three annual feasts: Passover and Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles, emphasizing their proper celebration at the Lord's chosen place with rejoicing and offerings. It also commands the appointment of just judges and officers, prohibiting bribery and partiality. Finally, the chapter forbids idolatrous practices like planting groves or setting up images near God's altar.

The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread

1
Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to the LORD your God; for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night. ​
2
You shall sacrifice the Passover to the LORD your God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there. ​
3
You shall eat no leavened bread with it. You shall eat unleavened bread with it seven days, even the bread of affliction; for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste; that you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life. ​
4
No yeast shall be seen with you in all your borders seven days; neither shall any of the flesh, which you sacrifice the first day at evening, remain all night until the morning.
5
You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates, which the LORD your God gives you;
6
but at the place which the LORD your God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell in, there you shall sacrifice the Passover at evening, at the going down of the sun, at the season that you came out of Egypt. ​
7
You shall roast and eat it in the place which the LORD your God chooses. In the morning you shall return to your tents. ​
8
Six days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD your God. You shall do no work.

The Feast of Weeks (Shavuot)

9
You shall count for yourselves seven weeks. From the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain you shall begin to number seven weeks. ​
10
You shall keep the feast of weeks to the LORD your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give, according as the LORD your God blesses you. ​
11
You shall rejoice before the LORD your God: you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite who is within your gates, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are in your midst, in the place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there. ​
12
You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt. You shall observe and do these statutes. ​

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)

13
You shall keep the feast of booths seven days, after you have gathered in from your threshing floor and from your wine press. ​
14
You shall rejoice in your feast, you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your gates.
15
You shall keep a feast to the LORD your God seven days in the place which the LORD chooses; because the LORD your God will bless you in all your increase, and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be altogether joyful. ​

Mandatory Annual Pilgrimages

16
Three times in a year all of your shall males appear before the LORD your God in the place which he chooses: in the feast of unleavened bread, in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty. ​
17
Every man shall give as he is able, according to the LORD your God’s blessing which he has given you. ​

Establishing Justice and Authority

18
You shall make judges and officers in all your gates, which the LORD your God gives you, according to your tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. ​
19
You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality. You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, and perverts the words of the righteous. ​
20
You shall follow that which is altogether just, that you may live, and inherit the land which the LORD your God gives you. ​

Prohibition of Idolatry

21
You shall not plant for yourselves an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of the LORD your God, which you shall make for yourselves. ​
22
Neither shall you set yourself up a sacred stone which the LORD your God hates. ​

Study Notes for Deuteronomy 16

Verse 1

Observance of the Passover (Pesach) is tied directly to the historical memory of the Exodus, which occurred in haste. Abib (later called Nisan) is the first month of the religious calendar.

Verse 2

The command to sacrifice the Passover 'in the place which the LORD shall choose' reinforces the Deuteronomic principle of centralizing worship, preventing unauthorized local shrines.

Verse 3

Unleavened bread (matzah) is called the 'bread of affliction' because it symbolizes the speed of the departure from Egypt and the suffering endured there, emphasizing continuous remembrance.

Verse 6

The ritual timing—'at the going down of the sun'—marks the transition into the 15th day of Abib, ensuring accurate observance of the moment of departure.

Verse 7

The instruction to return to their tents the next morning indicates that while the sacrifice must be central, the people did not need to reside permanently at the chosen sanctuary during the entire feast.

Verse 9

This festival, known as the Feast of Harvest or Weeks (Pentecost in Greek), marks the conclusion of the spring grain harvest, occurring seven weeks after the beginning of the barley harvest.

Verse 10

The offering is a 'freewill offering' proportional to God's blessing, linking agricultural success directly to required gratitude and generosity towards the Lord.

Verse 11

The emphasis on including the socially vulnerable (Levite, stranger, fatherless, widow) underscores the theological principle that communal rejoicing must be radically inclusive.

Verse 12

The remembrance of slavery in Egypt serves as the ethical foundation for observing these statutes, ensuring that Israel treats others justly and celebrates inclusively.

Verse 13

This final major festival celebrates the autumn harvest (gathering corn and wine) and commemorates Israel’s dwelling in temporary shelters during the wilderness wanderings.

Verse 15

The command to 'surely rejoice' is repeated, emphasizing joy as a required element of worship, based on the assurance of God’s blessing upon their labors.

Verse 16

This verse summarizes the law of mandatory pilgrimage, requiring all adult males to appear at the central sanctuary three times a year, symbolizing national unity and allegiance.

Verse 17

The instruction that they 'shall not appear before the LORD empty' establishes the principle of proportional giving; offerings must reflect the relative blessing the individual has received.

Verse 18

The transition here moves from religious observance to civil structure. The appointment of judges and officers (shoterim) in every city ensures local application of divine law.

Verse 19

The prohibition against perverting justice, respecting persons (favoritism), or taking bribes is foundational to the covenant society, protecting the vulnerable from corruption.

Verse 20

The pursuit of absolute justice ('that which is altogether just') is tied directly to the continued inheritance and life in the land, illustrating the theological connection between morality and national destiny.

Verse 21

This law strictly forbids planting sacred poles (Asherah poles, often associated with Canaanite fertility cults) near the altar of Yahweh, demanding purity in worship space.

Verse 22

The prohibition against setting up a sacred pillar (matzevah) or standing stone—even if intended for Yahweh—aims to prevent the adoption of foreign religious practices associated with idol worship.

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