Deuteronomy 26 · Verse 5

Deuteronomy 26:5

And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:
Deuteronomy 26:5, King James Version

Deuteronomy 26:5 in other translations

BSBand you are to declare before the LORD your God, “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt few in number and lived there and became a great nation, mighty and numerous.
WEBYou shall answer and say before the LORD your God, “My father was a Syrian ready to perish. He went down into Egypt, and lived there, few in number. There he became a great, mighty, and populous nation.
ASVAnd thou shalt answer and say before Jehovah thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father; and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous.
YLT‘And thou hast answered and said before Jehovah thy God, A perishing Aramaean is my father! and he goeth down to Egypt, and sojourneth there with few men, and becometh there a nation, great, mighty, and numerous;
DARBYAnd thou shalt speak and say before Jehovah thy God, A perishing Aramaean was my father, and he went down to Egypt with a few, and sojourned there, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous.
BBEAnd these are the words which you will say before the Lord your God: My father was a wandering Aramaean, and he went down with a small number of people into Egypt; there he became a great and strong nation:
WebsterAnd thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down to Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:

What does Deuteronomy 26:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. thou shalt say ... A Syrian ready to perish was my father--rather, "a wandering Syrian." The ancestors of the Hebrews were nomad shepherds, either Syrians by birth as Abraham, or by long residence as Jacob. When they were established as a nation in the possession of the promised land, they were indebted to God's unmerited goodness for their distinguished privileges, and in token of gratitude they brought this basket of first-fruits.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 A Syrian ready to perish was my father - This passage has been variously understood, both by the ancient versions and by modern commentators. The Vulgate renders it thus: Syrus persequebatur patrem meum, "A Syrian persecuted my father." The Septuagint thus: Συριαν απεβαλεν ὁ πατηρ μου, "My father abandoned Syria." The Targum thus: לבן ארמאה בעא לאובדא ית אבא Laban arammaah bea leobada yath abba, "Laban the Syrian endeavored to destroy my father." The Syriac: "My father was led out of Syria into Egypt." The Arabic: "Surely, Laban the Syrian had almost destroyed my father." The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel: "Our father Jacob went at first into Syria of Mesopotamia, and Laban sought to destroy him." Father Houbigant dissents from all, and renders the original thus: Fames urgebat patrem meum, qui in Aegyptum descendit, "Famine oppressed my father, who went down into Egypt." This interpretation Houbigant gives the text, by taking the י yod from the word ארמי arammi, which signifies an Aramite or Syrian, and joining it to יאבד yeabud, the future for the perfect, which is common enough in Hebrew, and which may signify constrained; and seeking for the meaning of ארם aram in the Arabic arama, which signifies famine, dearth, etc., he thus makes out his version, and this version he defends at large in his notes. It is pretty evident, from the text, that by a Syrian we are to understand Jacob, so called from his long residence in Syria with his father-in-law Laban. And his being ready to perish may signify the hard usage and severe labor he had in Laban's service, by which, as his health was much impaired, so his life might have often been in imminent danger.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Chapter Outline Confession in offering the first-fruits. (1-11) The prayer after disposal of the third year's tithe. (12-15) The covenant between God and the people. (16-19) Verses 1-11 When God has made good his promises to us, he expects we should own it to the honour of his faithfulness. And our creature comforts are doubly sweet, when we see them flowing from the fountain of the promise. The person who offered…

Read the full comment on Deuteronomy 26:1-11 →

Deuteronomy 26:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְעָנִ֨יתָve.'a.Ni.taand you will answerH6030
וְאָמַרְתָּ֜ve.'a.mar.Taand you will sayH559
לִפְנֵ֣י\׀lif.Nei<to> beforeH6440
יְהוָ֣הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ'e.lo.Hei.khaGod yourH430
אֲרַמִּי֙'a.ra.Mi[was] an ArameanH761
אֹבֵ֣ד'o.VedwanderingH6
אָבִ֔י'a.Viancestor myH1
וַיֵּ֣רֶדvai.Ye.redand he went downH3381
מִצְרַ֔יְמָהmitz.Ray.mahEgypt towardsH4714
וַיָּ֥גָרvai.Ya.gorand he sojournedH1481
שָׁ֖םshamthereH8033
בִּמְתֵ֣יbim.Tei<in> men ofH4962
מְעָ֑טme.'AtfewnessH4592
וַֽיְהִי\־vay.hi-and he becameH1961
שָׁ֕םshamthereH8033
לְג֥וֹיle.Goy<into> a nationH1471
גָּד֖וֹלga.DolgreatH1419
עָצ֥וּם'a.TzummightyH6099
וָרָֽב\׃va.Ravand numerousH7227

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Deuteronomy 26:5

  • Genesis 46:27

    And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.

  • Deuteronomy 10:22

    Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.

  • Genesis 31:20

    And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled.

  • Genesis 43:1-2

    And the famine was sore in the land. And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.

  • Genesis 31:24

    And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.

  • Genesis 43:12

    And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight:

  • Genesis 45:11

    And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

  • Genesis 45:7

    And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

  • Isaiah 51:1-2

    Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

  • Genesis 24:4

    But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

  • Psalms 105:23-24

    Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies.

  • Hosea 12:12

    And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
A Syrian.Jacob being called a Syrian from his long residence in Padan-aram.
Ge 24:4; 25:20; 28:5; 31:20,24; Ho 12:12
ready.
Ge 27:41; 31:40; 43:1,2,12; 45:7,11; Isa 51:1,2
he went down.
Ge 46:1-7; Ps 105:23,24; Ac 7:15
a few.
7:7; Ge 46:27; Ex 1:5
became.
10:22; Ge 47:27; Ex 1:7,12

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Deuteronomy 26:4

    And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the Lord thy God.

  • Deuteronomy 26:5

    And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:

  • Deuteronomy 26:6

    And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:

Read all of Deuteronomy 26

Deuteronomy 26:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Entonces hablarás y dirás delante de Jehová tu Dios: Un Siro á punto de perecer fué mi padre, el cual descendió á Egipto y peregrinó allá con pocos hombres, y allí creció en gente grande, fuerte y numerosa:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et tu prendras la parole, et tu diras devant l’ Éternel, ton Dieu: Mon père était un Araméen qui périssait, et il descendit en Égypte avec peu de gens, et il y séjourna, et y devint une nation grande, forte, et nombreuse.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und du sollst vor Jehova, deinem Gott, anheben und sprechen: Ein umherirrender Aramäer war mein Vater; und er zog nach Ägypten hinab und hielt sich daselbst auf als ein geringes Häuflein; und er wurde daselbst zu einer großen, starken und zahlreichen Nation.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		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.