And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:

DEUTERONOMY 16:10KJV
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Deuteronomy 16:10 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 16:10 mean?

Deuteronomy 16:10 instructs the Israelites to celebrate the Feast of Weeks (also known as Shavuot) by giving a voluntary offering to the LORD their God, with the amount or kind of offering reflecting how much God has blessed them. The verse emphasizes that this offering should be given freely, out of gratitude, and in proportion to the blessings received.

In this verse, Moses is speaking to the people of Israel as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. He is explaining how they are to observe one of the major annual festivals, the Feast of Weeks, which comes after the grain harvest. The focus is on responding to God’s generosity with a willing and thoughtful gift, rather than a fixed or compulsory amount.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 16:10

  • "Feast" (חַג, ḥag): This word refers to a festival or celebration, highlighting that this is a joyful, communal event rather than a private or somber ritual.
  • "Weeks" (שָׁבוּעַ, shavuʿa): This term points to the timing of the festival, which occurs seven weeks after Passover, marking the end of the grain harvest.
  • "Tribute" (מִסָּה, missah): This word can mean a portion or contribution, but in this context, it stresses the idea of bringing something as a gift or offering.
  • "Freewill offering" (נְדָבָה, nedavah): This word means a voluntary or spontaneous gift, not something required or forced. The offering is meant to come from the heart, reflecting personal gratitude.
  • "Blessed" (בָּרַךְ, barakh): This word means to bestow favor or abundance. The verse connects the amount or nature of the offering directly to how much God has provided for each person.

Why Deuteronomy 16:10 matters

  • Deuteronomy 16:10 clarifies that the offering for the Feast of Weeks is not a fixed tax or obligation, but a personal, voluntary response to God’s generosity.
  • The verse highlights the connection between worship and gratitude, teaching that giving should match the blessings received rather than being a mere formality.
  • This command fits into a larger section where Moses is teaching the Israelites how to remember God’s care and provision as they settle into a new land, shaping their community life around thankfulness and generosity.

Where else these words appear

“weeks” Hebrew H7620 · used in 17 verses

  • Genesis 29:27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
  • Deuteronomy 16:9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.
  • Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

“offering” Hebrew H5071 · used in 25 verses

  • Exodus 35:29 The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.
  • Numbers 29:39 These things ye shall do unto the LORD in your set feasts, beside your vows, and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your meat offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.
  • Ezra 8:28 And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the LORD; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the LORD God of your fathers.

“feast” Hebrew H2282 · used in 55 verses

  • Exodus 10:9 And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD.
  • Deuteronomy 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, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:
  • Psalms 81:3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.