You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool sheared from your flock.
Parallel translations
- WEB The first fruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.
- KJV The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.
- NKJV The firstfruits of your grain and your new wine and your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.
- NASB You shall give him the first fruits of your grain, your new wine, and your oil, and the first fleece of your sheep.
- NLT You must also give to the priests the first share of the grain, the new wine, the olive oil, and the wool at shearing time.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The firstfruits of grain, wine, oil, and the first wool of the flock belong to the priest. The best and first of the produce was devoted to God's servants.
Overview
Israel honored God by giving the first and finest portions of harvest and flock to support the priesthood. Offering the firstfruits expressed trust that God, who gives the first, would provide the rest. The principle of giving God the first and best of what we have remains an enduring mark of faithful worship.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Neh 12:44–47And on that same day men were appointed over the rooms that housed the supplies, contributions, firstfruits, and tithes. The portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites were gathered into these storerooms from the fields of the villages, because Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who were serving.
- Exod 22:29You must not hold back offerings from your granaries or vats. You are to give Me the firstborn of your sons.
- Exod 23:19Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
- Lev 23:17Bring two loaves of bread from your dwellings as a wave offering, each made from two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with leaven, as the firstfruits to the LORD.
- Num 18:12–24I give you all the freshest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain that the Israelites give to the LORD as their firstfruits.
- Lev 23:10“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you are to bring to the priest a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest.
- 2 Chr 31:4–10Moreover, he commanded the people living in Jerusalem to make a contribution for the priests and Levites so that they could devote themselves to the Law of the LORD.
- Deut 26:9–10And He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
- Job 21:20Let his eyes see his own destruction; let him drink for himself the wrath of the Almighty.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 18:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.