Verse 5
And as soon as the commandment came abroad ,.... Not only was published in the city of Jerusalem, but the report of it, or rather that itself, was spread throughout the cities of Judah:
the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey ; the three first of these are expressed in the law, Deuteronomy 18:4 but not honey; wherefore the Targum here, and the Jewish writers in general, interpret it of the "dubsa" of the palm tree, as they call it, the fruit and liquor of that, which is of a sweet taste, and which the Scenite Arabs called "dabusa", as Pliny F23 Nat. Hist. l. 13. c. 4. from Juba relates; for so it should be read, and not "dabulan" or "dablan", as in some copies: but though honey was forbid to be used in sacrifice, it was not forbidden to be eaten; and as the land of Judea abounded with honey, properly so called, the priests might have the firstfruits of that as of other liquors; See Gill on Deuteronomy 8:8 ,
and of all the increase of the field ; of the trees of it, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, &c.; as Kimchi:
and the tithe of all things ; even of herbs, as the same writer, and so the Talmud F24 T. Bab. Nedarim, fol. 55. 1. , which were free from tithes by the law, see Matthew 23:23 ,
brought they in abundantly ; even of all that their vineyards, oliveyards, and fields produced.
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