Deuteronomy Chapter 16 — The Three Feasts and Just Judges
This chapter outlines the requirements for three major annual festivals and mandates the appointment of honest judges to maintain justice among the people.
1Observe 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.
2You 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.
3You 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.
4No yeast shall be seen with you in all your borders seven days; neither shall any of the meat, which you sacrifice the first day at evening, remain all night until the morning.
5You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates which the LORD your God gives you;
6but 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.
7You shall roast and eat it in the place which the LORD your God chooses. In the morning you shall return to your tents.
8Six 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.
9You shall count for yourselves seven weeks. From the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain you shall begin to count seven weeks.
10You shall keep the feast of weeks to the LORD your God with a tribute of a free will offering of your hand, which you shall give according to how the LORD your God blesses you.
11You 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 among you, in the place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there.
12You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt. You shall observe and do these statutes.
13You shall keep the feast of booths seven days, after you have gathered in from your threshing floor and from your wine press.
14You 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.
15You 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.
16Three times in a year all of your males shall 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.
17Every man shall give as he is able, according to the LORD your God’s blessing which he has given you.
18You 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.
19You 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.
20You shall follow that which is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which the LORD your God gives you.
21You shall not plant for yourselves an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the LORD your God’s altar, which you shall make for yourselves.
22Neither shall you set yourself up a sacred stone which the LORD your God hates.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Deuteronomy 16:11
“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 among you...”
This verse emphasizes that the festivals were inclusive celebrations meant to involve the entire community, including the vulnerable.
Deuteronomy 16:17
“Every man shall give as he is able, according to the LORD your God’s blessing which he has given you.”
It establishes the principle of proportional giving based on how one has been personally blessed.
Deuteronomy 16:20
“You shall follow that which is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which the LORD your God gives you.”
This is a central mandate linking the Israelites' possession of the land to their commitment to absolute justice.
Chapter Summary
Deuteronomy 16 provides specific instructions for the observation of three primary religious festivals: the Passover (linked with the Feast of Unleavened Bread), the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths. These celebrations are to take place at the central location chosen by God and serve to remind the Israelites of their deliverance from Egypt and God's ongoing provision for their harvests. The text specifies that all males must appear before the Lord three times a year, bringing offerings proportional to the blessings they have received. Following these liturgical instructions, the chapter shifts to civil administration, commanding the appointment of judges and officers within each tribe. These leaders are strictly forbidden from showing partiality or accepting bribes, as the pursuit of justice is presented as a requirement for remaining in the promised land. The chapter concludes with a prohibition against idolatrous symbols like Asherah poles.
Frequently Asked Questions
The three major feasts are the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the Feast of Weeks (occurring seven weeks after the harvest begins), and the Feast of Booths (celebrated after the final harvest of grain and wine).
The 'bread of affliction' refers to unleavened bread. It was eaten during the Passover to remind the Israelites of how they left Egypt in great haste, leaving no time for their bread to rise.
Judges are commanded to judge the people with righteous judgment. They are specifically forbidden from perverting justice, showing partiality, or taking bribes, because bribes can blind the wise and pervert the truth.
According to verse 16, all males were required to appear before the Lord three times a year at the place God chose for the feasts of Unleavened Bread, Weeks, and Booths.
Study Note
The repetition of the phrase 'the place which the LORD shall choose' underscores the transition from nomadic worship to a centralized religious center in the promised land.
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