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Deuteronomy 16

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1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.

2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there.

3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.

4 And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there anything of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning.

5 Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee:

6 But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.

7 And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents.

8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.

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.

10 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:

11 And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there.

12 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.

13 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine:

14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.

15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.

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:

17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.

18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.

19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.

22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 4262

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4262. 'And took from what came into his hand a gift for Esau his brother' means Divine things that were to be introduced into celestial-natural good. This is clear from the meaning of 'taking from what came into his hand' as from what had been provided and supplied and so what had been supplied by Divine Providence - and since the things attributable to Divine Providence are Divine, 'taking from what came into his hand' here means things that are Divine; from the meaning of 'a gift' as introduction, dealt with below; and from the representation of 'Esau' as the good of the Divine Natural, dealt with in 3302, 3322, 3504, 3599, which in this case is celestial good, because the Natural had not yet been made Divine.

[2] The reason 'a gift' means introduction is that it was made to initiate goodwill and favour. Indeed in former times the gifts which were made and offered had differing meanings, the gifts presented by people to kings or priests when they went to them having one meaning, those offered on the altar another. The former meant introduction but the latter meant worship, 349, for all sacrifices in general of every kind were called 'gifts' while the minchahs, which were offerings of bread and wine, that is, of cakes accompanied by a libation, were specifically called such; for in the original language 'minchah' means a gift.

[3] The fact that gifts were presented to kings or priests when people went to them is clear from many places in the Word. Saul did so when he went to consult Samuel, 1 Samuel 9:7-8, whereas the men who despised Saul did not bring him any gift, 1 Samuel 10:27. And the Queen of Sheba brought a gift when she came to Solomon, 1 Kings 10:2, like everyone else, of whom the following is said,

The whole earth sought Solomon's presence to hear his wisdom; and every one brought his gift, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and garments and armour, and spices, horses and mules. 1 Kings 10:24-25.

And as this was a customary and holy practice, meaning introduction, the wise men from the east who came to Jesus soon after His birth brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, Matthew 2:11. 'Gold' meant celestial love, 'frankincense' spiritual love, and 'myrrh' those loves as they exist within the natural.

[4] Indeed this customary practice was commanded, as is clear in Moses, Jehovah's face shall not be seen by the empty-handed. Exodus 23:15; Deuteronomy 16:16-17.

Also, when gifts were presented to priests or kings it was as though they were presented to Jehovah, as may be seen from other places in the Word. As regards gifts that were sent meaning introduction, this is evident from the gifts which the twelve princes of Israel sent when the altar was introduced or dedicated after it had been anointed, Numbers 7:1-end. In Verse 88 of that chapter their gifts are actually called 'the dedication (or introduction) offering'.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.