And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:
Thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God, х wª`aaniytaa (H6030)] - thou shalt answer and say. This is the literal translation, which is also the most proper; for it is followed by the response of the person who brings the offering to the priest's presentation, decribed in the preceding verses. The act of presentation was accompanied by a formal expression of devout acknowledgment.
A Syrian ready to perish was my father, х 'Aramiy (H761) 'obeed (H6)] - a wandering Syrian. Aram (Syria) was a very extensive region, which comprehended a great many smaller provinces-as Aram Damesk (2 Samuel 8:5), Aram Naharayim (i:e., Mesopotamia), and Padan-aram (plain of Syria); hence, Bethuel is called a Syrian (Genesis 25:20).
The ancestors of the Hebrews were nomad shepherds, either Syrians by birth, as Abraham, or by long residence, as Jacob; and when, out of deep degradation and prolonged persecution, they were led through a succession of marvelous experiences, until they were established as a nation in the possession of the promised land, it was to God's unmerited goodness they were indebted for their distinguished privileges; and in token of gratitude they brought this basket of first-fruits.