“And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments;”
My Notes
What Does Deuteronomy 26:18 Mean?
God "avouches" Israel as his peculiar people. The word "avouched" (amar — to say, to declare, to establish by speech) means God has spoken Israel into a special status. The declaration is verbal and binding: God has said that Israel is his peculiar people (am segullah — a treasured possession, a special acquisition, a prized treasure).
The reciprocity is established in the preceding verse (17): Israel has avouched the LORD as their God. Both parties have made declarations: Israel declared God as their God; God declared Israel as his treasure. The covenant is mutual — spoken commitments flowing in both directions. The relationship is defined by what both parties said about each other.
The condition — "as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments" — connects the special status to obedience. Being God's peculiar people isn't a status that exists independent of behavior. The treasure is maintained through the keeping.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does knowing you're God's 'treasure' (segullah — prized possession) change your self-understanding?
- 2.What does the mutual declaration (you said he's your God; he said you're his treasure) teach about covenant reciprocity?
- 3.Where does obedience function as a response to the declared status rather than a means of earning it?
- 4.How does 'peculiar people' (treasured, not weird) reframe an identity that might sound negative?
Devotional
God said you're his treasure. His peculiar people. His special acquisition. The declaration is verbal, binding, and mutual — you declared him as your God (verse 17), and he declared you as his treasure (verse 18).
The word "peculiar" (segullah) means prized possession — the kind of treasure a king keeps in his personal vault. Not the general wealth of the kingdom but the specific, hand-selected, especially valued items. God has lots of nations. Israel is his segullah — the treasure he keeps closest.
The mutuality matters: both parties make declarations. Israel says: the LORD is our God. God says: Israel is my treasure. The covenant isn't one-sided. It's a spoken exchange of commitment — two parties defining their relationship through public, binding declaration. You are mine; I am yours. The marriage analogy is inescapable because the structure is identical.
The condition ("that thou shouldest keep all his commandments") doesn't mean the treasure status is earned by obedience. It means the treasure status is maintained through obedience. God declared Israel his treasure first. The obedience that follows is the response to the declaration, not the cause of it. You keep the commandments because you're his treasure, not in order to become it.
This is covenant identity: your status is declared by God's voice, maintained by your obedience, and experienced in the mutual exchange of commitment. You are God's peculiar people — not because you're peculiar in the pejorative sense, but because you're treasured in the possessive sense. God chose you. Said so. And asked you to live like you believe it.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people,.... Affirmed and declared them to be his special…
A brief and earnest exhortation by way of conclusion to the second and longest discourse of the book. Deu 26:17 Thou…
Two things Moses here urges to enforce all these precepts: - 1. That they were the commands of God, Deu 26:16. They were…
and Jehovah hath caused thee to say this day that thou wilt be unto him a peculiar people … and wilt keep all his…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture