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:
Original Language Analysis
וְעָנִ֨יתָ
And thou shalt speak
H6030
וְעָנִ֨יתָ
And thou shalt speak
Strong's:
H6030
Word #:
1 of 20
properly, to eye or (generally) to heed, i.e., pay attention; by implication, to respond; by extension to begin to speak; specifically to sing, shout,
לִפְנֵ֣י׀
before
H6440
לִפְנֵ֣י׀
before
Strong's:
H6440
Word #:
3 of 20
the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposi
יְהוָ֣ה
the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֣ה
the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
4 of 20
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ
thy God
H430
אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ
thy God
Strong's:
H430
Word #:
5 of 20
gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme god; occasionally applied by way of
אֹבֵ֣ד
ready to perish
H6
אֹבֵ֣ד
ready to perish
Strong's:
H6
Word #:
7 of 20
properly, to wander away, i.e., lose oneself; by implication to perish (causative, destroy)
אָבִ֔י
was my father
H1
אָבִ֔י
was my father
Strong's:
H1
Word #:
8 of 20
father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application
וַיֵּ֣רֶד
and he went down
H3381
וַיֵּ֣רֶד
and he went down
Strong's:
H3381
Word #:
9 of 20
to descend (literally, to go downwards; or conventionally to a lower region, as the shore, a boundary, the enemy, etc.; or figuratively, to fall); cau
וַיָּ֥גָר
and sojourned
H1481
וַיָּ֥גָר
and sojourned
Strong's:
H1481
Word #:
11 of 20
properly, to turn aside from the road (for a lodging or any other purpose), i.e., sojourn (as a guest); also to shrink, fear (as in a strange place);
שָׁ֖ם
H8033
בִּמְתֵ֣י
there with
H4962
בִּמְתֵ֣י
there with
Strong's:
H4962
Word #:
13 of 20
properly, an adult (as of full length); by implication, a man (only in the plural)
וַֽיְהִי
H1961
וַֽיְהִי
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
15 of 20
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
שָׁ֕ם
H8033
לְג֥וֹי
and became there a nation
H1471
לְג֥וֹי
and became there a nation
Strong's:
H1471
Word #:
17 of 20
a foreign nation; hence, a gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
Cross References
Genesis 46:27And 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 10:22Thy 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 31:20And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled.Genesis 45:11And 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 43:12And 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 45:7And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.Genesis 31:24And 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.Acts 7:15So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,Genesis 25:20And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.Genesis 24:4But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
Historical Context
The 'Syrian ready to perish' likely refers to Jacob, who fled to Paddan Aram (Syria/Aram) to escape Esau and later fled famine by going to Egypt. The 'few' (70 persons, Exodus 1:5) becoming 'great, mighty, and populous' (perhaps 2 million at the Exodus) demonstrates God's fulfillment of Abrahamic promises. This confession functioned as catechism, teaching covenant history to each generation. The liturgical context (firstfruits offering) connected present blessing to past deliverance, fostering gratitude.
Questions for Reflection
- How does rehearsing God's past faithfulness in your history strengthen present faith and gratitude?
- What role should corporate memory of God's acts play in worship and discipleship?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
The firstfruits confession begins: '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.' This credal statement rehearses Israel's history from Abraham/Jacob ('Syrian'—referring to Paddan Aram origin) through Egyptian sojourn to nationhood. The phrase 'ready to perish' emphasizes vulnerability and God's gracious preservation. This confession, recited at firstfruits offering, grounds gratitude in historical memory—Israel's existence is miraculous, depending entirely on divine intervention.