The form of words with which the firstfruits and tithes are to be offered. God’s covenant.
First fruites must be offered in special place assigned to Gods seruice, professing of gratitude for the land possessed according to Gods promise. 12. Likewise tithes of the third yeare, 16. with conclusion, that the people promise to obserue al the preceptes of God, and so doing he wil protect and prosper them.
1And when thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God will give thee to possess, and hast conquered it, and dwellest in it:Ed entrato che tu sarai nella terra, di cui il Signore Dio tuo ti darà il possesso, e fatto Signore, e abitatore di essa;AND when thou art entred into the Land, which our Lord thy God wil geue thee to possesse, and hast obteyned it, and dwellest in it:Cumque intraveris terram, quam Dominus Deus tuus tibi daturus est possidendam, et obtinueris eam, atque habitaveris in ea: 2Thou shalt take the first of all thy fruits, and put them in a basket, and shalt go to the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, that his name may be invocated there:Prenderai le primizie di tutti i prodotti della tua terra, e le metterai in un canestro, e andrai al luogo eletto dal Signore Dio tuo per istabilirvi il suo Culto.thou shalt take first of al thy fruites, and put them in a maunde, and shalt goe to the place, which our Lord thy God shal choose, that his name may be inuocated there:tolles de cunctis frugibus tuis primitias, et pones in cartallo, pergesque ad locum quem Dominus Deus tuus elegerit, ut ibi invocetur nomen ejus: 3And thou shalt go to the priest that shall be in those days, and say to him: I profess this day before the Lord thy God, that I am come into the land, for which he swore to our fathers, that he would give it us.E ti presenterai al sacerdote, che sarà allora, e gli dirai: confesso oggi dinanzi al Signore Dio tuo, com'io sono entrato nella terra, che egli giurò a' padri nostri di dare a noi.and thou shalt goe to the priest, that shal be in those daies, and say to him: I professe this day before our Lord thy God, that I am entred into the Land, for the which he sware to our fathers, that he would geue it vs.accedesque ad sacerdotem, qui fuerit in diebus illis, et dices ad eum: Profiteor hodie coram Domino Deo tuo, quod ingressus sum in terram, pro qua juravit patribus nostris, ut daret eam nobis. 4And the priest taking the basket at thy hand, shall set it before the altar of the Lord thy God:E il sacerdote preso il canestro dalle tue mani, lo porrà sull'altare del Signore Dio tuo:and the priest taking the maund at his hand, shal sette it before the altar of our Lord thy God:Suscipiensque sacerdos cartallum de manu tua, ponet ante altare Domini Dei tui: 5And thou shalt speak thus in the sight of the Lord thy God: The Syrian pursued my father, who went down into Egypt, and sojourned there in a very small number, and grew into a nation great and strong and of an infinite multitude.E al cospetto del Signore Dio tuo dirai: Il Siro perseguitava mio padre, il quale se n'andò in Egitto, e ivi si stette come forestiero con pochissimi dei suoi: e diventò capo di una nazione grande e forte, e infinita di numero.and thou shalt speake in the sight of our Lord God: The Syrian persecuted my father, who descended into Aegypt, and seiourned there in a verie smale number and grew into a nation greate and strong and of an infinite multitude.et loqueris in conspectu Domini Dei tui: Syrus persequebatur patrem meum, qui descendit in Ægyptum, et ibi peregrinatus est in paucissimo numero: crevitque in gentem magnam ac robustam et infinitæ multitudinis.
6And the Egyptians afflicted us, and persecuted us, laying on us most grievous burdens:Ma gli Egiziani ci straziavano, e ci perseguitavano, imponendoci pesi gravissimi:And the Aegyptians afflicted vs, and persecuted vs laying on most grieuous burdens:Afflixeruntque nos Ægyptii, et persecuti sunt, imponentes onera gravissima: 7And we cried to the Lord God of our fathers: who heard us, and looked down upon our affliction, and labour, and distress:E alzammo le grida al Signore Dio de' padri nostri: il quale esaudì, e volse lo sguardo alla nostra umiliazione, e all'affanno, e alle angustie:and we cried to our Lord the God of our fathers: who heard vs, and respected our affliction, and labour, and distresse:et clamavimus ad Dominum Deum patrum nostrorum: qui exaudivit nos, et respexit humilitatem nostram, et laborem, atque angustiam: 8And brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand, and a stretched out arm, with great terror, with signs and wonders:E ci trasse dall'Egitto con mano forte, e con braccio disteso, spandendo terrori, facendo segni, e portenti:and brought vs out of Aegypt in a strong hand, a stretched out arme, in great terrour, in signes and wonders:et eduxit nos de Ægypto in manu forti, et brachio extento, in ingenti pavore, in signis atque portentis: 9And brought us into this place, and gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.E c'introdusse in questo luogo: e ci diede una terra, che scorre latte, e miele.and brought vs into this place, and deliuered to vs this Land flowing with milke and honie.et introduxit ad locum istum, et tradidit nobis terram lacte et melle manantem. 10And therefore now I offer the firstfruits of the land which the Lord hath given me. And thou shalt leave them in the sight of the Lord thy God, adoring the Lord thy God.E per questo io offerisco adesso le primizie dei frutti della terra data a me dal Signore. E le lascerai davanti al Signore Dio tuo, e dopo di avere adorato il Signore Dio tuo,And therfore now I offer first fruites of the Land, which our Lord hath geuen me. And thou shalt leaue them in the sight of our Lord thy God, adoring our Lord thy God.Et idcirco nunc offero primitias frugum terræ, quam Dominus dedit mihi. Et dimittes eas in conspectu Domini Dei tui, et adorato Domino Deo tuo. 11And thou shalt feast in all the good things which the Lord thy God hath given thee, and thy house, thou and the Levite, and the stranger that is with thee.Farai banchetto di tutti i beni dati dal Signore Dio tuo a te, e alla casa tua, tu, e il Levita, e il forestiero, che è con te.And thou shalt feast in al the good thinges, which our Lord thy God hath geuen to thee, and thy house, thou and the Leuite, and the stranger that is with theeEt epulaberis in omnibus bonis, quæ Dominus Deus tuus dederit tibi, et domui tuæ, tu et Levites, et advena qui tecum est.
12When thou hast made an end of tithing all thy fruits, in the third year of tithes thou shalt give it to the Levite, and to the stranger, and to the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled:Quando avrai data la decima di tutti i tuoi frutti, tu la darai nel terzo anno (anno delle decime) al Levita, e al forestiero, e al pupillo, e alla vedova nella tua città, affinché mangino, e si satollino:When thou hast finished the tithe of al thy fruites, in the third yeare of tithes thou shalt geue to the Leuite, and the stranger, and the pupil, and the widow, that they may eate within thy gates, and be filled:Quando compleveris decimam cunctarum frugum tuarum, anno decimarum tertio, dabis Levitæ, et advenæ, et pupillo et viduæ, ut comedant intra portas tuas, et saturentur: 13And thou shalt speak thus in the sight of the Lord thy God: I have taken that which was sanctified out of my house, and I have given it to the Levite, and to the stranger, and to the fatherless, and to the widow, as thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments nor forgotten thy precepts.E dinanzi al Signore Dio tuo dirai: Io mi son levato di casa quello che era consacrato, e l'ho dato al Levita, e al forestiero, e al pupillo, e alla vedova, come tu mi hai comandato: non ho trasandato i tuoi comandamenti, e non mi sono scordato de' tuoi precetti.and thou shalt speake in the sight of our Lord thy God: I haue brought that which is sanctified out of my house, and haue geuen it to the Leuite and the stranger, and the pupil and the widow, as thou hast commanded me: I haue not transgressed thy commandements nor forgotten thy preceptes.loquerisque in conspectu Domini Deo tui: Abstuli quod sanctificatum est de domo mea, et dedi illud Levitæ et advenæ, et pupillo ac viduæ, sicut jussisti mihi: non præterivi mandata tua, nec sum oblitus imperii tui. 14I have not eaten of them in my mourning, nor separated them for any uncleanness, nor spent any thing of them in funerals. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God, and have done all things as thou hast commanded me.Non ne ho mangiato nulla nelle mie angustie, e non le ho separate per alcuna specie d'immondezza, e non ne ho speso niente per ragione di funerale. Ho obbedito alla voce del Signore Dio mio, e ho fatto ogni cosa, come mi hai comandato.I haue not eaten of them in my mourning, nor separated them in any vncleannes, nor spent of them any thing in funerals. I haue obeyed the voice of our Lord my God, and haue done al thinges as thou didst command me.Non comedi ex eis in luctu meo, nec separavi ea in qualibet immunditia, nec expendi ex his quidquam in re funebri. Obedivi voci Domini Dei mei, et feci omnia sicut præcepisti mihi. 15Look from thy sanctuary, and thy high habitation of heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou didst swear to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.Mira del tuo santuario, e dall'abitazione eccelsa dei cieli: e da' benedizione al popol tuo d'Israele, e alla terra che tu desti a noi, come giurasti ai padri nostri, terra, che scorre latte, e miele.Looke from thy sanctuarie, and thy high habitation of heauen, and blesse thy people Israel, and the Land, which thou hast geuen vs, as thou swarest to our fathers, a land flowing with milke and honie.Respice de sanctuario tuo, et de excelso cælorum habitaculo, et benedic populo tuo Israël, et terræ, quam dedisti nobis, sicut jurasti patribus nostris, terræ lacte et melle mananti.
16This day the Lord thy God hath commanded thee to do these commandments and judgments: and to keep and fulfil them with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.Oggi il Signore Dio tuo ti ha ordinato di osservare questi comandi, e queste leggi, e di custodirle, e di metterle in pratica con tutto il cuore, e con tutta l'anima tua.This day our Lord thy God hath commanded thee to doe these commandmentes and iudgementes: that thou keepe and fulfil them with al thy hart, and with al thy soule.Hodie Dominus Deus tuus præcepit tibi ut facias mandata hæc atque judicia: et custodias et impleas ex toto corde tuo, et ex tota anima tua. 17Thou hast chosen the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways and keep his ceremonies, and precepts, and judgments, and obey his command.Oggi tu hai eletto il Signore, perch'egli sia il tuo Dio, e perché tu cammini nelle sue vie, e osservi le sue ceremonie, e i comandamenti, e le leggi, e obbedisca al suo impero:Thou hast chosen our Lord this day, to be thy God, and to walke in his waies, and keepe his ceremonies, and preceptes and iudgementes, and obey his commandement.Dominum elegisti hodie, ut sit tibi Deus, et ambules in viis ejus, et custodias cæremonias illius, et mandata atque judicia, et obedias ejus imperio. 18And the Lord hath chosen thee this day, to be his peculiar people, as he hath spoken to thee, and to keep all his commandments:E il Signore ha oggi eletto te, affinché tu sii specialmente suo popolo (come egli ha detto a te), e osservi tutti i suoi comandamenti:And our Lord hath chosen thee this day, that thou shouldest be his peculiar people, as he hath spoken to thee, and thou shouldest keepe al his commandementes:Et Dominus elegit te hodie ut sis ei populus peculiaris, sicut locutus est tibi, et custodias omnia præcepta illius: 19And to make thee higher than all nations which he hath created, to his own praise, and name, and glory: that thou mayst be a holy people of the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken.Ed egli per laude, onore, e gloria sua ti faccia la più illustre di tutte le genti create da lui: affinché tu sii il popol santo del Signore Dio tuo, com'egli ha promesso.and make thee higher then al nations which he created, to his prayse, and name, and glorie: that thou mayest be a holie people of our Lord thy God, as he hath spoken.et faciat te excelsiorem cunctis gentibus quas creavit, in laudem, et nomen, et gloriam suam: ut sis populus sanctus Domini Dei tui, sicut locutus est.
26:1
Haydock
It. The land where Moses was speaking, which had been already conquered, was no less under the obligation of paying the first-fruits, etc., than Chanaan, and the parts of Syria which were promised to the Israelites. (Haydock)
Menochius
All the products of the earth seem to have been liable to be offered, (Matthew 23:23,) in proportion as they ripened, at the feasts of the Passover and of Pentecost, (Calmet) and of tabernacles. (Menochius)
Calmet
Yet we find no mention here of the therumah, or offering, of which the Rabbins speak so much, as distinct at least from the first-fruits, which were heaved both by the priest and the offerer towards heaven and earth, on the right and left hand. Each (Calmet) landholder, (Haydock) and even the king himself, was bound to bring his own basket to the temple, and to recite the words here prescribed. The wheat and barley were first winnowed, and the grapes and olives made into wine and oil. Before the offering was made to the Lord, no one was allowed to taste any of the produce, Leviticus 23:10., and Numbers 18:12, etc. Whether legumes were to be tithed, seems a matter of dispute. (Calmet)
26:5
Calmet
Hebrew, "My father was a Syrian, poor, (or ready to perish) and he went down," etc. The ancestors of Jacob had, in effect, come from beyond the Euphrates, and he had dwelt in Mesopotamia for twenty years. But the translation of the Septuagint seems preferable, "My father abandoned (apebalen) Syria." (Calmet)
26:8
Calmet
Terror. Septuagint, "with surprising visions," (Hebrew) or "with astonishing prodigies," etc. (Calmet)
26:10
Menochius
God, with profound humility, acknowledging that all comes from him, (Haydock) and praying for a continuance of his fatherly protection. (Menochius)
26:11
Calmet
Feast. The Jews could not yet be required with propriety to raise themselves to delights purely spiritual, Deuteronomy 12:7. Strabo (x.) observes, that the Greeks and barbarians accompanied their sacrifices with feasting and music, which served to take off their thoughts from earthly concerns, and gave them a sort of foretaste of the divinity. (Calmet)
26:12
Haydock
Third. It has been remarked (chap. 14:28., and Leviticus 27:30,) that the Jews gave two tithes every year, the second was for feasts at Jerusalem, or on the third year, at home, if there was not also a third tithe due on that year. (Haydock)
26:13
Calmet
Taken. Hebrew, "burnt." (Calmet)
I have brought all that was due, (Tirinus) so that no more can be found in my house than what the fire would have spared, if it had been thrown into it.
26:14
Firminus
Mourning. It was then unlawful to taste what was set apart for the Lord, and even to touch a thing, at that time, would render it unclean, Osee 9:4. Others explain it thus: I have not eaten, how much soever I was distressed; or, I eat it with a cheerful heart. But these interpretations seem unnatural. Spencer (Rit. 2:24,) thinks rather that the Jews thus disclaim having given any worship to Isis, whom the Egyptians invoked after the harvest, with mournful cries. (Diod. Sic. I.) About the same season of the year, lamentations were also made for the death of Adonis, (Marcel. xxii.) and for that of Osiris. (Firminus.)
Calmet
The Phoenicians mourned in like manner for the desolate appearance of the earth, after the fruits were collected. The Egyptians thought that Isis had discovered fruits and corn, and therefore offered the first-fruits to her. But the Jews are here taught to refer all such favours to God alone, and they testify that they have taken no part in the superstitious rites of other nations, nor spent any thing in funerals. Hebrew, "upon the dead;" Osiris, etc., here styled uncleanness, by way of contempt. (Calmet)
26:16
Menochius
This day. In this last solemn harangue of Moses, the covenant between God and his people was ratified. (Menochius)
26:19
Haydock
To his own praise. Hebrew, Septuagint, etc., "higher...in praise, reputation, and glory." (Haydock)
26:5
26:1
The third lesson in Masse on Imber Saturday in whit funweke.
26:5
Laban pursued Iacob, when he parted from Mesopothamia of Syria. Gen. 27.
26:11
The first lessō in Masse on Imber Saturday in Lent.
26:12
The people payed euerie yeare two •• thes: first to the Leuites: the second for entertaining trauelers to & from Ierusalē & euerie third yeare, a third tith for relief of the poore inhabitantes.
26:17
Mutual pact betwen God & his peoples that they seruing him, he wil reward them.
26:1
1. THOU SHALT OBTAIN IT. — Therefore this law did not bind the Hebrews except from the seventh year after their entry into Chanaan, when they had conquered the Canaanites and obtained and cultivated the land, and thereafter. Thus Abulensis.
26:2
2. THOU SHALT TAKE OF ALL THY FRUITS THE FIRSTFRUITS, AND SHALT PUT THEM IN A BASKET, in a canister. Here the firstfruits of all crops were to be offered annually at the feast of Tabernacles, as I said Num. XVIII, 12; then therefore this profession which follows here was to be made: annually therefore this profession was to be repeated, as also the offering of firstfruits, and this to renew the memory of God their creator and benefactor, lest that memory should grow old in their minds. Note: The Gentiles set various gods over various things; hence Varro says they numbered 300 gods. Thus they set Ceres, or the goddess Segetia, over crops; and when some famine occurred, they strove to appease and propitiate her with sacrifices and games, as St. Augustine testifies, lib. IV De Civit. Dei, cap. VIII. Lest therefore the Jews should do the same, and lest they should think they received crops from any other than the true God, hence He commanded them to profess this very thing in the offering of these firstfruits. Furthermore, the Hebrews hand down that this offering of firstfruits was performed in this manner. First, they say, they were placed in a basket. Secondly, they were brought into the temple. Thirdly, they were lifted up on high. Fourthly, the profession prescribed here was made. Fifthly, a peace offering was offered. Sixthly, psalms or hymns were sung; for singing was wont to be joined to sacrifices. They add seventhly, that those offering spent the night in the city; but this is not in Scripture. Note, secondly: Of all thy fruits; therefore the Jews were bound to offer annually to God the firstfruits of all crops. They err therefore who think that only the firstfruits of certain crops, namely the clean ones, not the unclean, were commanded to them. For all crops were clean; only animals were separated into clean and unclean.
26:5
5. THE SYRIAN (namely Laban, the father-in-law of Jacob, who dwelt in Mesopotamia of Syria, Genesis XXVIII, 5) PERSECUTED MY FATHER, namely Jacob, fleeing from him, and returning to Isaac in Chanaan; for Mesopotamia in Hebrew was called Aram naharaim, that is, Syria of the rivers, because it is surrounded by the Tigris and Euphrates. Secondly, Vatablus translates: That Syrian was afflicted with want, my father, namely Jacob dwelling in Syria, that is to say, We did not receive these riches from our father Jacob, but from God. But the former sense is clearer, and the Chaldean follows it. AND HE SOJOURNED THERE WITH A VERY SMALL NUMBER, 70 men, namely of his sons and grandsons.
26:10
10 and 11. AND THOU SHALT ADORE THE LORD THY GOD, AND SHALT FEAST UPON ALL THE GOOD THINGS WHICH THE LORD THY GOD SHALL HAVE GIVEN THEE. — God here commands that each one of the people offer the firstfruits of the harvest to the Lord, and therefore enter before the Lord, that is, before the altar of holocausts, and there make a profession, by which he testifies that he is bound to this oblation on account of so many benefits received from God, especially the liberation from Egypt and the entrance into Chanaan; then, that he adore the Lord there, namely by humbling himself before the altar, and praying that God direct him in good: all which things redounded to the honor of God, and were acts of religion, which being completed, he feasted with his whole household, also inviting the Levites and poor strangers, and this within the court of the sanctuary, if he had offered some peace victim; but if not, he feasted upon those things which he had brought with him, nor were they consecrated to God, in some lodging. But he feasted, so that from the pleasure of this feast, he might be incited to frequent these acts of gratitude and devotion. Thus Abulensis.
On Thanksgiving and Gratitude Toward God Note here how earnestly God requires of us the remembrance of His benefits, and the giving of thanks. For this virtue is owed to God a thousand times, and is the proper virtue of Saints and the Blessed. Isaiah LI, 3: "Joy and gladness shall be found in her (Sion), thanksgiving and the voice of praise." Apocalypse VII, 12, all the angels adore God, saying: "Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, honor and power, and strength to our God for ever and ever. Amen." Psalm XLIX, 13: "Offer to God the sacrifice of praise." Ephesians V, 20: "Be filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual canticles, giving thanks for all things." And to the Philippians IV, 6: "In all prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your petitions be made known to God." St. Augustine, epistle 5 to Marcellinus: "What better thing," he says, "can we bear in mind, and utter with our mouth, and set forth with our pen, than to give thanks to God? Nothing can be said more briefly, nor heard more joyfully, nor understood more gratefully, nor done more fruitfully." Christians therefore should at least in the morning, in the evening, and after food say: Thanks be to God. The first fruit of thanksgiving, which St. Chrysostom gives in Psalm VII, 18: "Nothing," he says, "makes one grow in virtue so much as to be constantly with God and converse with Him, and to give Him thanks perpetually and sing psalms to Him." The second, which the same Chrysostom gives, homily 8 on the epistle to the Colossians: In adversities, he says, the unfaithful curse, Christians give thanks. "See how great this philosophy is. First, then you gladden God. Second, you put the devil to shame. Third, what was done badly, you make as nothing. For you at the same time give thanks, and God removes the pain, and the devil departs." The third, which Chrysostom gives in the same place: "God," he says, "requires gratitude of us, not because our celebration is necessary to Him, but so that whatever profit there is may return again to us, and make us worthy of greater aids." The fourth is found in the same place in Chrysostom: "Nothing," he says, "is more holy than this tongue, which gives thanks to God in adversities. Certainly it is not inferior to the tongue of Martyrs: both alike are crowned." Thus St. Job in so many adversities says: "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." The incentive to this gratitude is the consideration of the innumerable benefits of God, which God has bestowed upon each one through Himself and through Christ, both generally and particularly; which indeed demand that we praise Him with a thousand minds, a thousand voices (if that could be done).
26:12
12. WHEN THOU SHALT HAVE MADE AN END OF TITHING ALL THE FRUITS OF THY INCREASE THE THIRD YEAR, THOU SHALT GIVE IT TO THE LEVITE, AND TO THE STRANGER, AND TO THE FATHERLESS, AND TO THE WIDOW. — God here prescribes tithes, which were to be separated every three years, and given to the poor. For which note: every third year three kinds of tithes were separated and given by the Jews. For first, tithes were separated which were given to the Levites. Second, tithes for the journey, and for the oblations to be made three times a year in Jerusalem, in the temple. Third, there were tithes which were to be given to the poor, of which this passage treats; which because they were the last, therefore he says: "When thou shalt have made an end of tithing." Therefore, the two former tithes being paid, in the third year the fruits of individuals were to be tithed, and the third tithe was to be separated for the use of the poor. Hence this third year is called the year of tithes, because in it all these three tithes were paid; but in other years only the two former were paid. Thus Abulensis. THAT THEY MAY EAT WITHIN THY GATES. — Each one therefore fed the poor of his own cities with these third tithes. Let Christians imitate this. Note: Just as Christ commends almsgiving to Christians, Luke XII, 33, and elsewhere, so Moses commended it to the Jews both here, and chapter XIV, verse 24, and throughout chapter XV, and elsewhere, often earnestly on account of its illustrious fruits and prerogatives.
On Almsgiving: Its Fruits and Prerogatives For first, almsgiving, as Tobias says, cap. IV, vers. 11: "It delivers from all sin and from death, and does not suffer the soul to go into darkness." "Through the generosity of charity every sin is overcome, or turned aside," says St. Leo, serm. 2 On the Ascension. "Wherefore let those have mercy on the poor who wish to spare themselves Christ," says the same Leo, serm. 4 On the Collections. Almsgiving is as it were a second baptism, says St. Ambrose, serm. 32, and St. Leo, serm. 2 On the Collections, and Jerome in Psal. CXXXIII. This is what Christ says: "Give alms, and behold all things are clean unto you," Luke XI, 41. Almsgiving, says St. Chrysostom, homil. 33 to the People, stands at the tribunal of Christ not only as an advocate, but also as one persuading the judge to grant patronage to the accused and to pronounce sentence in his favor. Whence James II, 13, it is said: But mercy exalteth itself above judgment. Nothing is so proper to man as humanity: truly therefore is he a man who is humane toward others. Hence he received hands, eyes, ears, tongue, and other members, not that he should use them for himself alone, but also that he should benefit others. The Poet says: A royal thing it is, believe me, to succor the fallen. Hence the Emperor Leo compared merciful men to the sun, which imparts its light and heat to all. Almsgiving increases merit, and procures the blessing and grace of God. For, as St. Paul says: "He that soweth sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he that soweth in blessings shall also reap of blessings," II Corinth. IX, 6. It increases temporal goods. For it is written: "Give, and it shall be given unto you." Prov. XXVIII, 27: "He that giveth to the poor shall not want." Prov. XIX, 17: "He that hath mercy on the poor lendeth to the Lord, and He will repay him his good deed." "God," says St. Leo, serm. 6 On Fasting of the 10th month, "is the surety of the poor, the most generous repayer of usury." If therefore you wish to lend, lend to God. With good reason Chrysostom wrote homily 33 with this title: That Almsgiving is the Art of All Most Profitable Gain. Almsgiving affords great consolation to the dying. Tobias XII: "Almsgiving delivers from death, and it is that which causes mercy to be found." Psal. XL, 2: "Blessed is he that understandeth concerning the needy and the poor; the Lord will deliver him in the evil day." "The goods of a man are not those which he cannot carry with him: mercy alone is the companion of the dead," says St. Ambrose. Almsgiving builds eternal tabernacles in the heavens. St. Leo, serm. 6 On Fasting of the 10th month: "A temporal gift," he says, "passes into an eternal reward;" and Chrysostom, hom. 9 On Penance: "Your trade and business," he says, "is heaven; give bread, and receive paradise; give small things, and receive great things; give mortal things, and receive immortal things." For it is written: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Hence Peter Chrysologus, serm. 8 On Fasting and Almsgiving: "The hand of the poor," he says, "is the bosom of Abraham, where whatever the poor man receives is immediately laid up. The treasure of heaven is the hand of the poor. Give therefore, O man, to the poor the earth, that you may receive heaven; give a coin, that you may receive the kingdom; give a crumb, that you may receive the whole." It is more blessed to give than to receive, says Christ. Hence in giving all nature provides us with an example. The heavens give light and influence, fire gives heat, air gives the breeze by which we breathe, the earth gives so many fruits, the sea so many fish, animals give wool and flesh. The eternal Father gives His nature to the Son: the Father and the Son give the same to the Holy Spirit: the Son gave Himself to us in the manger and on the cross, and daily gives Himself in the Venerable Sacrament. It will therefore be most shameful if we, who receive so much daily from all creatures and from God, do not also learn to give generously to those who lack what we are able to give. Almsgiving is given to the poor, but Christ reckons it as given to Himself. "I was hungry," He says, "and you gave Me to eat," etc. Christ wished to be hungry in the poor, He who is rich in heaven: and do you hesitate, O man, to give to a man, when you know you are giving to Christ! Almsgiving brings aid to prayer. "Most efficacious is the petition for obtaining from God that which is supported by works of piety," says St. Leo, serm. 10 On Fasting of the 10th month. Tobias IV, 7: "Turn not thy face away from any poor man: so it shall come to pass that the face of the Lord shall not be turned away from thee." St. Augustine in Psal. XLII: "Do you wish," he says, "your prayer to fly to God? Give it two wings, fasting and almsgiving." Almsgiving is the proper virtue of illustrious Saints, and is a sign of God's predestination. "Put on," says Paul, Colossians III, 12, "as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the bowels of mercy." St. Francis was so liberal toward the poor that he was accused of prodigality by his father before the Bishop, and voluntarily stripped of his goods: and this was the first foundation of his sanctity. St. Catherine of Siena gave a silver cross to a poor beggar, when she had nothing else. Christ appearing to her at night, said He would publicly show that cross on the day of judgment, as a sign of her piety. St. Jerome to Nepotian: "Never," he says, "do I remember reading that one who willingly performed works of charity died a bad death. For he has many intercessors, and it is impossible that the prayers of many should not be heard." Finally, almsgiving is as it were a golden torque of noble Saints and children of God, says St. Chrysostom, nay rather Solomon, Proverbs III, 3, when he says: "Let mercy and truth never leave you: bind them about your neck, and you shall find grace and good discipline before God and men." Almsgiving is like a sacrifice pleasing to God, as St. Augustine says; and the Apostle, Hebrews XIII, 16: "Do not forget to do good and to impart your substance; for by such sacrifices God's favor is obtained." Almsgiving places wealth in safety, namely in heaven through the hands of the poor. "Where," says Chrysostom, "shall we deposit our wealth? They are fugitives (for they flee from one to another), how will they be held? Distributed they remain, guarded they flee." And St. Cyprian, in the tract On Works and Almsgiving: "Property," he says, "entrusted to God neither the treasury invades, nor any legal dispute overturns." Almsgiving makes man like unto God. For God is Himself goodness; but the nature of goodness is to communicate itself to others. "Be merciful, as your Father also is merciful," says Christ, Luke VI, 36.
26:13
13. I HAVE BROUGHT WHAT HAS BEEN SANCTIFIED. — For "brought," read with the Romans "taken away." For in Hebrew it is biarti, that is, I have taken up, removed. Thus the Septuagint, the Chaldean, Vatablus and others, as if to say: From my house I have taken up and brought forth, O Lord, these third tithes, which you commanded to be sanctified, that is, separated, and offered to you in the person of the poor. Whence it follows: "And I have given them to the Levite, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow."
26:14
14. I HAVE NOT EATEN OF THEM IN MY MOURNING (that is to say, in calamity, or poverty of mine, or my need, I have not eaten of these third tithes), NOR HAVE I SEPARATED THEM IN ANY UNCLEANNESS, nor have I used them for unclean things, so that namely I would give them to harlots, dogs, or beasts, as if to say: These tithes as holy, whole and untouched, I have separated and given to God, that is to the poor in His name.
26:15
15. LOOK DOWN FROM YOUR SANCTUARY. — In Hebrew, look down from the dwelling place of your holiness, from heaven itself.
26:19
19. MAY HE MAKE YOU HIGHER THAN ALL NATIONS WHICH HE HAS CREATED FOR HIS PRAISE AND NAME (that is, fame) AND GLORY. — For in so many and so various nations, and things created by Him, God shows His infinite wisdom in ordering, and His immense power in creating, and His immense love in communicating to them His being and His goods, so that justly from these all ought to rise up to the praise and glorification of God. Thus Abulensis.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
26:1
… it. The cultic tithe, alongside which there also existed a royal tithe (I Sam. 8, 15.17), represents an ancient institution (Gen. 14, 20; 28, 22) and is based on the concept of an offering directed to the deity as owner of the land (Lev. 25, 23; Deut. 26, 1 ff.).
… And they fixed the quantity of the offering, between 1/40 and 1/60 (St. Jerome, In Ezechielem, 45:13 f.; PL 25, 451). The offering at the Temple (Deut. 12:6 ff.) had its own rite (ibid., 26:1-11); the first fruits, arranged in a basket, were placed before Jahweh. …
… Palestinian Gēmārā'. m) Bikhārīm ("first-fruits": Ex. 23:19; 34:26; Deut. 18:4; 26:1 and following). …
26:3
… In the priests' court, a movement like a balance forward and back toward the altar symbolized the offering of the basket to Jahweh, while the prescribed formula was recited (Deut. 26:3-10).
26:5
… If one wished to make a hypothesis about the spoken language of the E. at that time, one could think of Aramaic (perhaps a hint in Deut. 26, 5 "a wandering Aramean was my ancestor": thus must the Israelite say when offering the firstfruits to the Lord; cf. also Gen. 31, 20. 24. 47) or of Amorite (an eastern Canaanite dialect, …
26:12
… proceeds one could procure everything needed for the agape near the sanctuary (Deut. 14, 22-27). In the course of time the tithe could be assigned to the Levites, strangers, widows and orphans in the place of the taxpayer's domicile (Deut. 14, 28 f.; 26, 12 f.). With the fall of the Temple the institution of the tithes fell as well.
Among the Hebrews, widowhood was a state of desolation and entailed particular prohibitions (cf. Gen. 38, 14, 19; Judg. 10, 2; 16, 9; II Sam. 20, 3; Lev. 21, 14). Thus the widow is a being who commends herself by her very condition to pity (cf. Ex. 22, 22; Deut. 24, 17; 19, 21; 14, 29; 26, 12-13; 16, 11, 14; 10, 18; 27, 19; 22, 24); very often, having no close relatives to defend her, she is at the mercy of the violent (cf. Job 22, 9; 34, 3, 21; Ps. 95, 6; Wis. 4, 10; …
26:14
… There are traces of it in the prohibition of certain funeral rites (Lev. 30, 27 ff.; Deut. 14, 1), in the prohibition of necromancy (Deut. 18, 11; 26, 14); cf. especially I Sam. 28, 8-20 on the evocation of Samuel, where, besides the spread of necromancy in popular religion, there emerges the explicit belief in life beyond the grave, …
26:18
… the name of Yahweh upon the sons of Israel" by blessing them with the threefold wish of divine custody, grace, salvation-peace (Num. 6:23-27). "Set apart" by God from the people of Israel, "set apart" from all peoples (Lev. 20:24. 26; Deut. 14:2; 26:18 ff.), they were the mediators of "holiness." To them, and through them to all Israel, is addressed the divine command that echoes in the "Law of Holiness" (Lev. 17-26): "Be holy, for I am holy,
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.