Deuteronomy 16 Chapter Introduction

Structure and Formatting

This chapter continues Moses’ second speech, which began in chapter five.1. Instructions for the Festival of the Passover (1–8)2. Instructions for the Festival of the Harvest (9–12)3. Instructions for the Feast of Huts (13–17)4. Administration of justice (18–20)5. Asherah poles and pillars forbidden (21–22)

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Feasts

This chapter gives instructions for the feasts that Yahweh commanded the Israelites to celebrate. The Passover feast represents the time when the Israelites escaped from Egypt. There are several other important festivals described in this chapter. (See: passover)

Translation Issues in This Chapter

“you” and “your” singular and plural

Even though Moses is addressing all the Israelites, he uses the singular forms of “you” and “your.” If the singular forms of these pronouns would not be natural in your language, you could use the plural forms in your translation. (See: figs-youcrowd)

“the place that Yahweh will choose”

Moses uses phrases such as this to refer to the future place where the temple will be built. These phrases emphasize that Yahweh will be the one who decides where the Israelites will build his temple as well as how they will worship him. (See: temple)

“the place that Yahweh will choose to make his name stay”

In [16:2](../16/02.md), [16:6](../16/06.md) and [16:11](../16/11.md) the author uses God’s name to represent his reputation and presence. The phrase “the place that Yahweh will choose to make his name stay” indicates that God would choose a place and make his presence and reputation stay there. That place would be the future temple. (See: figs-metonymy)