Deuteronomy 26:5

“And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God, etc.] Speak with a loud voice, lifting up the voice, as Jarchi interprets it; or “answer” f471 , to the question the priest will ask, saying, what is this thou hast brought? as Aben Ezra remarks; and this being said in the tabernacle, and before the priest of the Lord, and as in the presence of the Lord, is represented as said before him, which is as follows: a Syrian ready to perish [was] my father; meaning Jacob, who though born in Canaan, his mother was a Syrian, and his grandfather Abraham was of Chaldea, a part of Syria; and Jacob married two wives in Syria, and all his children were born there but Benjamin, and where he lived twenty…”

“thou shalt say . . . A Syrian ready to perish was my father--rather, "a wandering Syrian." The ancestors of the Hebrews were nomad shepherds, either Syrians by birth as Abraham, or by long residence as Jacob. When they were established as a nation in the possession of the promised land, they were indebted to God's unmerited goodness for their distinguished privileges, and in token of gratitude they brought this basket of first-fruits.”

“A Syrian ready to perish was my father - The reference is shown by the context to be to Jacob, as the ancestor in whom particularly the family of Abraham began to develop into a nation (compare Isaiah 43:22, Isaiah 43:28, etc.). Jacob is called a Syrian (literally, Aramaean), not only because of his own long residence in Syria with Laban Gen. 29–31, as our Lord was called a Nazarene because of his residence at Nazareth Matthew 2:23, but because he there married and had his children (compare Hosea 12:12); and might be said accordingly to belong to that more than to any other land. return to 'Top of Page'”

“A Syrian - So Jacob was, partly by his original, as being born of Syrian parents, as were Abraham and Rebecca, both of Chaldea or Mesopotamia, which was a part of Syria largely so called, partly by his education and conversation; and partly by his relations, his wives being such, and his children too by their mother's. Ready to perish - Either through want and poverty; (See Gen 28:11, Gen 28:20, Gen 32:10,) or through the rage of his brother Esau, and the treachery of his father - in - law Laban. Deuteronomy 26:10”

“26:5 Jacob’s mother (Rebekah) was an Aramean (Gen 24:10; 25:20, 26), and Jacob also lived in Aram for many years (Gen 31:41-42). His lifestyle was seminomadic (wandering). • few in number: Jacob and his family totaled only seventy when they went to Egypt (see Gen 46:27; Exod 1:5).”

“A Syrian: Jacob being called a Syrian from his long residence in Padan-aram. Gen 24:4, Gen 25:20, Gen 28:5, Gen 31:20, Gen 31:24; Hos 12:12 ready: Gen 27:41, Gen 31:40, Gen 43:1, Gen 43:2, Gen 43:12, Gen 45:7, Gen 45:11; Isa 51:1, Isa 51:2 he went down: Gen 46:1-7; Psa 105:23, Psa 105:24; Act 7:15 a few: Deu 7:7; Gen 46:27; Exo 1:5 became: Deu 10:22; Gen 47:27; Exo 1:7, Exo 1:12 Deuteronomy 26:6”