Deuteronomy 18:4

18:4 You must give them the best of your ¹  grain, new wine, and olive oil, as well as the best of your wool when you shear your flocks.

Deuteronomy 33:21

33:21 He has selected the best part for himself,

for the portion of the ruler ²  is set aside ³  there;

he came with the leaders ⁴  of the people,

he obeyed the righteous laws of the Lord

and his ordinances with Israel.

Deuteronomy 21:17

21:17 Rather, he must acknowledge the son of the less loved ⁵  wife as firstborn and give him the double portion ⁶  of all he has, for that son is the beginning of his father’s procreative power ⁷  – to him should go the right of the firstborn.

Deuteronomy 26:10

26:10 So now, look! I have brought the first of the ground’s produce that you, Lord, have given me.” Then you must set it down before the Lord your God and worship before him. ⁸ 

¹ tn Heb “the firstfruits of your…” (so NIV).

² tn The Hebrew term מְחֹקֵק (mÿkhoqeq; Poel participle of חָקַק, khaqaq, “to inscribe”) reflects the idea that the recorder of allotments (the “ruler”) is able to set aside for himself the largest and best. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy (NAC), 444-45.

³ tn Heb “covered in” (if from the root סָפַן, safan; cf. HALOT 764-65 s.v. ספן qal).

⁴ tn Heb “heads” (in the sense of chieftains).

³ tn See note on the word “other” in v. 15.

⁴ tn Heb “measure of two.” The Hebrew expression פִּי שְׁנַיִם (piy shÿnayim) suggests a two-thirds split; that is, the elder gets two parts and the younger one part. Cf. 2 Kgs 2:9; Zech 13:8. The practice is implicit in Isaac’s blessing of Jacob (Gen 25:31-34) and Jacob’s blessing of Ephraim (Gen 48:8-22).

⁵ tn Heb “his generative power” (אוֹן, ’on; cf. HALOT 22 s.v.). Cf. NAB “the first fruits of his manhood”; NRSV “the first issue of his virility.”

⁴ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 26:2.