Who must appear at the Lord’s chosen place three times a year, and what must each bring?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

All the males must appear there for Unleavened Bread, Weeks, and Tabernacles. No one may come empty-handed. Each must offer according to what he has and the blessing the Lord gives him. The chapter also gives the feasts’ timing and guest lists, rules for just judgment, and prohibitions on groves, trees, and statues.

Chapter breakdown

Israel must observe the month of new corn, the first of spring, and celebrate the phase, or Passover, to the Lord. In that month he brought Israel out of Egypt by night. Sheep and oxen are to be sacrificed at the place he chooses for his name to dwell. No leavened bread may be eaten with it. For seven days Israel must eat without leaven, the bread of affliction, because it came out of Egypt in fear, so it may remember the day throughout life. No leaven may be seen throughout its territory for seven days, and no flesh sacrificed the first evening may remain until morning. The phase may not be sacrificed in any of its cities. It must be sacrificed at the chosen place in the evening at sunset, the time Israel came out of Egypt. The people must prepare and eat it there, then rise in the morning and go to their dwellings. The text also directs eating unleavened bread for six days and doing no work on the seventh, because it is the Lord’s assembly.

Israel must count seven weeks from the day it puts the sickle to the corn. It must celebrate Weeks to the Lord with a voluntary offering of its hand according to his blessing. At his chosen place for his name, the person addressed must feast with son, daughter, manservant, maidservant, the Levite within the gates, and the stranger, fatherless, and widow living with them. Israel must remember its service in Egypt and keep and do what is commanded.

After gathering the produce of the threshing floor and winepress, Israel must celebrate Tabernacles for seven days. The person addressed must rejoice with son, daughter, manservant, maidservant, Levite, stranger, fatherless, and widow within the gates. For seven days they must feast to the Lord at his chosen place. He will bless all their fruits and every work of their hands, and they will be in joy.

Three times a year all the males must appear before the Lord at his chosen place: at Unleavened Bread, Weeks, and Tabernacles. No one may appear with empty hands. Each must offer according to what he has and according to the blessing the Lord will give him.

Israel must appoint judges and magistrates in all the gates the Lord will give it, throughout all its tribes, to judge the people justly. They must not turn aside to either party, show favoritism, or accept gifts. The stated reason is that gifts blind the eyes of the wise and change the words of the just. Israel must follow what is just in a just way, so it may live and possess the land the Lord will give.

Israel must not plant a grove or any tree near the Lord’s altar. It must not make or set up a statue for itself. The Lord hates these things.

The story inside

Moses gives three festival directions with different timing. The phase falls in the first month of spring and remembers the departure from Egypt by night and in fear. Weeks is counted from putting the sickle to corn. Tabernacles follows gathering the produce of threshing floor and winepress. The guest lists for Weeks and Tabernacles name the children, both servant groups, Levite, stranger, fatherless, and widow. The summary rule requires all males to appear three times at the chosen place without empty hands, giving according to what they have and the Lord’s blessing. The chapter then turns to appointing judges, refusing partiality and gifts, and the stated harm gifts do to wise eyes and just words. It ends with separate planting and statue prohibitions. These are instructions, without a narrated festival or court case.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The feast timing keeps specific occasions distinct. The phase recalls Egypt, Weeks begins its count with the sickle, and Tabernacles follows ingathering. The chapter names the duties and durations rather than describing a completed celebration.
2
The named guest lists are broad and concrete. Weeks and Tabernacles include son, daughter, manservant, maidservant, Levite, stranger, fatherless, and widow. The three annual appearances require offerings according to what each has and the Lord’s blessing.
3
Judges must refuse favoritism and gifts. The chapter gives a reason: gifts blind wise eyes and change just words. The direction to pursue justice is joined to the purpose of living and possessing the promised land.

Test your recall

Why does the chapter forbid accepting gifts in judgment?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 20302–20336
Deuteronomy Chapter 16 The three principal solemnities to be observed: just judges to be appointed in every city: all occasions of idolatry to be avoided. 16:1. Observe the month of new corn, which is the first of the spring, that thou mayst celebrate the phase to the Lord thy God: because in this month the Lord thy God brought thee out of Egypt by night. 16:2. And thou shalt sacrifice the phase to the Lord thy God, of sheep, and of oxen, in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, that his name may dwell there. 16:3. Thou shalt not eat with it leavened bread: seven days shalt thou eat without leaven, the bread of affliction, because thou camest out of Egypt in fear: that thou mayst remember the day of thy coming out of Egypt, all the days of thy life. 16:4. No leaven shall be seen in all thy coasts for seven days, neither shall any of the flesh of that which was sacrificed the first day in the evening remain until morning. 16:5. Thou mayst not immolate the phase in any one of thy cities, which the Lord thy God will give thee: 16:6. But in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, that his name may dwell there: thou shalt immolate the phase in the evening, at the going down of the sun, at which time thou camest out of Egypt. 16:7. And thou shalt dress, and eat it in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, and in the morning rising up thou shalt go into thy dwellings. 16:8. Six days shalt thou eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day, because it is the assembly of the Lord thy God, thou shalt do no work.
Lines 20338–20352
16:9. Thou shalt number unto thee seven weeks from that day, wherein thou didst put the sickle to the corn. 16:10. And thou shalt celebrate the festival of weeks to the Lord thy God, a voluntary oblation of thy hand, which thou shalt offer according to the blessing of the Lord thy God. 16:11. And thou shalt feast 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, who abide with you: in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, that his name may dwell there: 16:12. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a servant in Egypt: and thou shalt keep and do the things that are commanded.
Lines 20354–20366
16:13. Thou shalt celebrate the solemnity also of tabernacles seven days, when thou hast gathered in thy fruit of the barnfloor and of the winepress. 16:14. And thou shalt make merry in thy festival time, thou, thy son, and thy daughter, thy manservant, and thy maidservant, the Levite also and the stranger, and the fatherless and the widow that are within thy gates. 16:15. Seven days shalt thou celebrate feasts to the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose: and the Lord thy God will bless thee in all thy fruits, and in every work of thy hands, and thou shalt be in joy.
Lines 20368–20374
16:16. Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose: in the feast of unleavened bread, in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles. No one shall appear with his hands empty before the Lord: 16:17. But every one shall offer according to what he hath, according to the blessing of the Lord his God, which he shall give him.
Lines 20376–20386
16:18. Thou shalt appoint judges and magistrates in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God shall give thee, in all thy tribes: that they may judge the people with just judgment, 16:19. And not go aside to either part. Thou shalt not accept person nor gifts: for gifts blind the eyes of the wise, and change the words of the just. 16:20. Thou shalt follow justly after that which is just: that thou mayst live and possess the land, which the Lord thy God shall give thee.
Lines 20388–20394
16:21. Thou shalt plant no grove, nor any tree near the altar of the Lord thy God: 16:22. Neither shalt thou make nor set up to thyself a statue: which things the Lord thy God hateth.