King James Version

What Does Deuteronomy 16:9 Mean?

“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.”

Context

And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents.

Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein. solemn: Heb. restraint

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.

And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: a tribute: or, sufficiency

And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there.

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Commentary

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

Deuteronomy 16:9-12. **THE FEAST OF WEEKS, OR PENTECOST.** See also Exodus 23:16; Exodus 34:18-23; Leviticus 23:15-22; Numbers 28:26-31. The feast itself is ordained in Exodus; the *time *is given in Leviticus; and the *sacrifices *in Numbers. (9) **From such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.**—The word for sickle only occurs here and in Deuteronomy 23:25. In Leviticus the weeks are ordered to be reckoned from the offering of the wave sheaf on the sixteenth day of the first month, two days after the Passover. This sheaf was of barley, the first ripe corn. A different view is sometimes taken of the word *“*Sabbath “in Leviticus 23:11; but the view given here is correct according to the Talmud. (10) **A tribute.**—This word (*missah*) occurs nowhere else in the Bible. The marginal rendering, *“sufficiency,” *is its Aramaic or Chaldæan sense. The idea seems to be “a *proportionate *offering “—*i.e., *a free will offering, proportioned to a man’s means and prosperity. In Exodus 34:20; Exodus 23:15, we read, “None shall appear before me empty.” The command is made general for all the three feasts in Deuteronomy 16:16-17 further on. (11) **Thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God.**—This aspect of the feast of weeks is specially insisted upon in Deuteronomy. Its relation to the poor appears also in the command connected with this feast in Leviticus 23:22, to leave the corners of the fields un-reaped for them.

Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Deuteronomy. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Deuteronomy 16:9 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.