Deuteronomy 26:3

to the priest who is serving at that time, and say to him, “I declare today to the LORD your God that I have entered the land that the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The speaker is the Israelite presenting the firstfruits basket at the central sanctuary. He addresses the priest currently serving, making his declaration at the exact moment of arrival before the offering is placed on the altar.

The words — The text employs וּ/בָאתָ֙ (u./va.Ta), literally "and you will go," to command the approach to the sanctuary, and וְ/אָמַרְתָּ֣ (ve./'a.mar.Ta), "and you will say," to introduce the spoken confession. These verbs bind the physical movement and the verbal declaration into a single required act.

The thread — The land grant recalls the patriarchal covenants in Genesis 17:8 and Genesis 26:3, while the requirement to stand before the priests in office at that time parallels the legal testimony procedure in Deuteronomy 19:17. This links the settlement ritual directly to earlier promises and contemporary judicial practice.

Why it lands — The text commands the presenter to verbally acknowledge God's oath to the ancestors before the priest. It requires the reader to treat land possession not as automatic entitlement but as a covenant obligation that demands public confession and ritual accountability.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

King James Version

And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the Lord thy God, that I am come unto the country which the Lord sware unto our fathers for to give us.

Cross-references

Genesis 17:8 And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”
Genesis 26:3 Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham.
Deuteronomy 19:17 both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time.
Psalms 105:9 the covenant He made with Abraham, and the oath He swore to Isaac.
Luke 1:72 to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,
Hebrews 6:16 Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and their oath serves as a confirmation to end all argument.
Hebrews 7:26 Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
Hebrews 10:21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name.
1 Peter 2:5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.