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16:1–17 This passage describes the festivals of Passover, Israel’s sacred calendar is detailed several other times in ot law (Exod 23:10–17; 34:18–24; Lev 23; Num 28–29). Deuteronomy emphasizes that the seven-day pilgrimage festivals required travel to the central sanctuary. The other accounts in ot law assume the feasts will be celebrated at the tabernacle (Exod 23:14–17) because Israel lived together as one camp prior to the settlement of Canaan. However, Passover was originally celebrated in the home (see Exod 12), and Deuteronomy relocates the celebration to the central sanctuary (Deut 16:5–6).
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Israelite Festivals Table
16:1 you shall keep the Passover The Passover observance served as Israel’s annual reminder of Yahweh’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. See note on Exod 12:1–51.
16:2 place that Yahweh will choose Refers to the central sanctuary (see note on Deut 12:5). In Exodus, Passover is observed in private homes, not at a formal site of worship (Exod 12:46; compare Exod 12:3–4).
16:3 unleavened The Hebrew word used here, matsah, describes bread made without yeast.
in haste Withholding the yeast for unleavened bread meant that the bread could be prepared quickly, since there was no need to wait for the dough to rise. The method recalled the haste of Israel’s departure from Egypt after the death of the firstborn (Exod 12:39; 13:8–10).
16:5–6 These verses note that the Passover must now be celebrated at the central sanctuary. This stipulation is a modification of the procedures established in Exod 12 (see note on Exod 12:3). In Exodus, the Israelites were to eat the meal in their homes (Exod 12:46). Compare note on Deut 16:1–17. Deuteronomy states three times that Passover is to be celebrated at the central sanctuary (vv. 2, 6, 7). |
Passover Regulations in Exodus and Deuteronomy Table
16:7 you shall cook The Hebrew word used here, bashal, appears to be a general term for cooking, but it is often used as a term for boiling. If bashal denotes boiling the meat in water, then the instruction here is at odds with Exod 12:9, which explicitly forbids boiling the meat in water. However, while bashal is used to refer to cooking by boiling (e.g., Exod 23:19), the term is also often used without any specification about a method of cooking (Exod 29:31).
This verse is commonly taken as a key example of how Deuteronomy blatantly modifies and undermines earlier laws, but there is only a discrepancy if the basic meaning of bashal is assumed to be “to cook by boiling in liquid.” This assumption then drives the discovery of how 2 Chr 35:13 fixes the problem with the ridiculous statement that they “boiled” (bashal) the Passover
lamb “in the fire” (ba’esh). The broader usage of bashal in Hebrew suggests it refers to cooking but does not specify how the cooking is done. Even in Exod 12:9, the prohibition against boiling the meat explicitly adds “in the water” (bammayim) to make clear that the verb in that context refers to boiling.
Passover Regulations in Exodus and Deuteronomy Table
go to your tents The sequence of events implied in these instructions is unclear. It appears that the people were to observe Passover at the central sanctuary on the night of the 14th and then return home on the morning of the 15th to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Deut 16:8).
16:9–12 The Festival of Weeks (known as Pentecost
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16:9 You shall count off seven weeks The first harvest was ready after seven weeks, a figure confirmed by the Gezer Calendar, a 10th-century-bc inscription. In the later Hellenistic (Greek-speaking) Jewish world, the day after the seven weeks was called Pentecost.
16:10 the freewill offering of See Deut 26:1–10. As with other festivals, the people brought tithes, the firstborn of cattle, and other offerings (see 12:6; 14:23; 15:20).
16:12 you shall remember that you were a slave If the people remembered this contrast, they would better appreciate their freedom and prosperity.
16:13–17 The Feast of Booths Deuteronomy 16:16–17 is the closing summary statement of vv. 1–17; it reiterates that all Israelite males were to appear before Yahweh at His central sanctuary three times per year (vv. 16–17).
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16:13 Booths The Hebrew term used here, sukkoth, means “huts” or “booths.” According to Lev 23:39–43, the people are to construct temporary shelters to live in during the festival as a reminder of life before the settled occupation of the promised land.
16:16 all of your males Women are presumably exempted so that they can care for children.
16:18–17:13 Deuteronomy 16:18–17:13 focuses on Israel’s judicial system. The text presumes that once settled in the promised land, the Israelites will abolish their earlier system of civil government (1:13–17), which derived from the military nature of the Israelite camp and its march. |
16:18 You shall appoint judges and officials The people must choose their own magistrates to serve their respective communities. No clear distinction is made between the judges and the officials (or officers) mentioned here. See note on 19:12.
Judge, Judging AYBD
Judge, Judicial ISBE
Judge ISBE
16:19 You shall not subvert justice See 27:19; Exod 23:2, 6; Isa 10:2; Amos 5:12.
16:21–17:7 This passage treats idolatry as a judicial issue, describing how someone found to be worshiping idols should be tried and punished. Compare Deut 13:6–11. |
16:21 an Asherah pole Refers to making an idol out of an engraved wooden pole or tree planted by an altar. See note on 7:5.
16:22 you shall not set up for yourselves a stone pillar See note on 7:5.
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About Faithlife Study BibleFaithlife Study Bible (FSB) is your guide to the ancient world of the Old and New Testaments, with study notes and articles that draw from a wide range of academic research. FSB helps you learn how to think about interpretation methods and issues so that you can gain a deeper understanding of the text. |
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