Worthy.Bible » Parallel » Leviticus » Chapter 23 » Verse 1-44

Leviticus 23:1-44 King James Version (KJV)

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.

4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's passover.

6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.

7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:

11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.

13 And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savor: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.

14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:

16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.

17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals; they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.

18 And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savor unto the LORD.

19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.

20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.

21 And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

22 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.

23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

26 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.

29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.

31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.

33 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.

35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.

37 These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:

38 Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD.

39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.

40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.

41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:

43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

44 And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.


Leviticus 23:1-44 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

1 And the LORD H3068 spake H1696 unto Moses, H4872 saying, H559

2 Speak H1696 unto the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 and say H559 unto them, Concerning the feasts H4150 of the LORD, H3068 which ye shall proclaim H7121 to be holy H6944 convocations, H4744 even these are my feasts. H4150

3 Six H8337 days H3117 shall work H4399 be done: H6213 but the seventh H7637 day H3117 is the sabbath H7676 of rest, H7677 an holy H6944 convocation; H4744 ye shall do H6213 no work H4399 therein: it is the sabbath H7676 of the LORD H3068 in all your dwellings. H4186

4 These are the feasts H4150 of the LORD, H3068 even holy H6944 convocations, H4744 which ye shall proclaim H7121 in their seasons. H4150

5 In the fourteenth H702 H6240 day of the first H7223 month H2320 at even H6153 is the LORD'S H3068 passover. H6453

6 And on the fifteenth H2568 H6240 day H3117 of the same month H2320 is the feast H2282 of unleavened bread H4682 unto the LORD: H3068 seven H7651 days H3117 ye must eat H398 unleavened bread. H4682

7 In the first H7223 day H3117 ye shall have an holy H6944 convocation: H4744 ye shall do H6213 no servile H5656 work H4399 therein.

8 But ye shall offer H7126 an offering made by fire H801 unto the LORD H3068 seven H7651 days: H3117 in the seventh H7637 day H3117 is an holy H6944 convocation: H4744 ye shall do H6213 no servile H5656 work H4399 therein.

9 And the LORD H3068 spake H1696 unto Moses, H4872 saying, H559

10 Speak H1696 unto the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 and say H559 unto them, When ye be come H935 into the land H776 which I give H5414 unto you, and shall reap H7114 the harvest H7105 thereof, then ye shall bring H935 a sheaf H6016 of the firstfruits H7225 of your harvest H7105 unto the priest: H3548

11 And he shall wave H5130 the sheaf H6016 before H6440 the LORD, H3068 to be accepted H7522 for you: on the morrow H4283 after the sabbath H7676 the priest H3548 shall wave H5130 it.

12 And ye shall offer H6213 that day H3117 when ye wave H5130 the sheaf H6016 an he lamb H3532 without blemish H8549 of the first H1121 year H8141 for a burnt offering H5930 unto the LORD. H3068

13 And the meat offering H4503 thereof shall be two H8147 tenth deals H6241 of fine flour H5560 mingled H1101 with oil, H8081 an offering made by fire H801 unto the LORD H3068 for a sweet H5207 savour: H7381 and the drink offering H5262 thereof shall be of wine, H3196 the fourth H7243 part of an hin. H1969

14 And ye shall eat H398 neither bread, H3899 nor parched corn, H7039 nor green ears, H3759 until the selfsame H6106 H2088 day H3117 that H5704 ye have brought H935 an offering H7133 unto your God: H430 it shall be a statute H2708 for ever H5769 throughout your generations H1755 in all your dwellings. H4186

15 And ye shall count H5608 unto you from the morrow H4283 after the sabbath, H7676 from the day H3117 that ye brought H935 the sheaf H6016 of the wave offering; H8573 seven H7651 sabbaths H7676 shall be H1961 complete: H8549

16 Even unto H5704 the morrow H4283 after the seventh H7637 sabbath H7676 shall ye number H5608 fifty H2572 days; H3117 and ye shall offer H7126 a new H2319 meat offering H4503 unto the LORD. H3068

17 Ye shall bring out H935 of your habitations H4186 two H8147 wave H8573 loaves H3899 of two H8147 tenth deals: H6241 they shall be of fine flour; H5560 they shall be baken H644 with leaven; H2557 they are the firstfruits H1061 unto the LORD. H3068

18 And ye shall offer H7126 with the bread H3899 seven H7651 lambs H3532 without blemish H8549 of the first H1121 year, H8141 and one H259 young H1241 H1121 bullock, H6499 and two H8147 rams: H352 they shall be for a burnt offering H5930 unto the LORD, H3068 with their meat offering, H4503 and their drink offerings, H5262 even an offering made by fire, H801 of sweet H5207 savour H7381 unto the LORD. H3068

19 Then ye shall sacrifice H6213 one H259 kid H8163 of the goats H5795 for a sin offering, H2403 and two H8147 lambs H3532 of the first H1121 year H8141 for a sacrifice H2077 of peace offerings. H8002

20 And the priest H3548 shall wave H5130 them with the bread H3899 of the firstfruits H1061 for a wave offering H8573 before H6440 the LORD, H3068 with the two H8147 lambs: H3532 they shall be holy H6944 to the LORD H3068 for the priest. H3548

21 And ye shall proclaim H7121 on the selfsame H6106 day, H3117 that it may be an holy H6944 convocation H4744 unto you: ye shall do H6213 no servile H5656 work H4399 therein: it shall be a statute H2708 for ever H5769 in all your dwellings H4186 throughout your generations. H1755

22 And when ye reap H7114 the harvest H7105 of your land, H776 thou shalt not make clean riddance H3615 of the corners H6285 of thy field H7704 when thou reapest, H7114 neither shalt thou gather H3950 any gleaning H3951 of thy harvest: H7105 thou shalt leave H5800 them unto the poor, H6041 and to the stranger: H1616 I am the LORD H3068 your God. H430

23 And the LORD H3068 spake H1696 unto Moses, H4872 saying, H559

24 Speak H1696 unto the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 saying, H559 In the seventh H7637 month, H2320 in the first H259 day of the month, H2320 shall ye have a sabbath, H7677 a memorial H2146 of blowing H8643 of trumpets, an holy H6944 convocation. H4744

25 Ye shall do H6213 no servile H5656 work H4399 therein: but ye shall offer H7126 an offering made by fire H801 unto the LORD. H3068

26 And the LORD H3068 spake H1696 unto Moses, H4872 saying, H559

27 Also H389 on the tenth H6218 day of this seventh H7637 month H2320 there shall be a day H3117 of atonement: H3725 it shall be an holy H6944 convocation H4744 unto you; and ye shall afflict H6031 your souls, H5315 and offer H7126 an offering made by fire H801 unto the LORD. H3068

28 And ye shall do H6213 no work H4399 in that same H6106 day: H3117 for it is a day H3117 of atonement, H3725 to make an atonement H3722 for you before H6440 the LORD H3068 your God. H430

29 For whatsoever soul H5315 it be that shall not be afflicted H6031 in that same H6106 day, H3117 he shall be cut off H3772 from among his people. H5971

30 And whatsoever soul H5315 it be that doeth H6213 any work H4399 in that same H6106 day, H3117 the same soul H5315 will I destroy H6 from among H7130 his people. H5971

31 Ye shall do H6213 no manner of work: H4399 it shall be a statute H2708 for ever H5769 throughout your generations H1755 in all your dwellings. H4186

32 It shall be unto you a sabbath H7676 of rest, H7677 and ye shall afflict H6031 your souls: H5315 in the ninth H8672 day of the month H2320 at even, H6153 from even H6153 unto even, H6153 shall ye celebrate H7673 your sabbath. H7676

33 And the LORD H3068 spake H1696 unto Moses, H4872 saying, H559

34 Speak H1696 unto the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 saying, H559 The fifteenth H2568 H6240 day H3117 of this seventh H7637 month H2320 shall be the feast H2282 of tabernacles H5521 for seven H7651 days H3117 unto the LORD. H3068

35 On the first H7223 day H3117 shall be an holy H6944 convocation: H4744 ye shall do H6213 no servile H5656 work H4399 therein.

36 Seven H7651 days H3117 ye shall offer H7126 an offering made by fire H801 unto the LORD: H3068 on the eighth H8066 day H3117 shall be an holy H6944 convocation H4744 unto you; and ye shall offer H7126 an offering made by fire H801 unto the LORD: H3068 it is a solemn assembly; H6116 and ye shall do H6213 no servile H5656 work H4399 therein.

37 These are the feasts H4150 of the LORD, H3068 which ye shall proclaim H7121 to be holy H6944 convocations, H4744 to offer H7126 an offering made by fire H801 unto the LORD, H3068 a burnt offering, H5930 and a meat offering, H4503 a sacrifice, H2077 and drink offerings, H5262 every thing H1697 upon his H3117 day: H3117

38 Beside the sabbaths H7676 of the LORD, H3068 and beside your gifts, H4979 and beside all your vows, H5088 and beside all your freewill offerings, H5071 which ye give H5414 unto the LORD. H3068

39 Also in the fifteenth H2568 H6240 day H3117 of the seventh H7637 month, H2320 when ye have gathered H622 in the fruit H8393 of the land, H776 ye shall keep H2287 a feast H2282 unto the LORD H3068 seven H7651 days: H3117 on the first H7223 day H3117 shall be a sabbath, H7677 and on the eighth H8066 day H3117 shall be a sabbath. H7677

40 And ye shall take H3947 you on the first H7223 day H3117 the boughs H6529 of goodly H1926 trees, H6086 branches H3709 of palm H8558 trees, and the boughs H6057 of thick H5687 trees, H6086 and willows H6155 of the brook; H5158 and ye shall rejoice H8055 before H6440 the LORD H3068 your God H430 seven H7651 days. H3117

41 And ye shall keep H2287 it a feast H2282 unto the LORD H3068 seven H7651 days H3117 in the year. H8141 It shall be a statute H2708 for ever H5769 in your generations: H1755 ye shall celebrate H2287 it in the seventh H7637 month. H2320

42 Ye shall dwell H3427 in booths H5521 seven H7651 days; H3117 all that are Israelites H3478 born H249 shall dwell H3427 in booths: H5521

43 That your generations H1755 may know H3045 that I made the children H1121 of Israel H3478 to dwell H3427 in booths, H5521 when I brought them out H3318 of the land H776 of Egypt: H4714 I am the LORD H3068 your God. H430

44 And Moses H4872 declared H1696 unto the children H1121 of Israel H3478 the feasts H4150 of the LORD. H3068


Leviticus 23:1-44 American Standard (ASV)

1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, The set feasts of Jehovah, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my set feasts.

3 Six days shall work be done: but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of work: it is a sabbath unto Jehovah in all your dwellings.

4 These are the set feasts of Jehovah, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their appointed season.

5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, is Jehovah's passover.

6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto Jehovah: seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread.

7 In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work.

8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah seven days: in the seventh day is a holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work.

9 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring the sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest:

11 and he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

12 And in the day when ye wave the sheaf, ye shall offer a he-lamb without blemish a year old for a burnt-offering unto Jehovah.

13 And the meal-offering thereof shall be two tenth parts `of an ephah' of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto Jehovah for a sweet savor; and the drink-offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin.

14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched grain, nor fresh ears, until this selfsame day, until ye have brought the oblation of your God: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering; seven sabbaths shall there be complete:

16 even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meal-offering unto Jehovah.

17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave-loaves of two tenth parts `of an ephah': they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baken with leaven, for first-fruits unto Jehovah.

18 And ye shall present with the bread seven lambs without blemish a year old, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be a burnt-offering unto Jehovah, with their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings, even an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.

19 And ye shall offer one he-goat for a sin-offering, and two he-lambs a year old for a sacrifice of peace-offerings.

20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first-fruits for a wave-offering before Jehovah, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to Jehovah for the priest.

21 And ye shall make proclamation on the selfsame day; there shall be a holy convocation unto you; ye shall do no servile work: it is a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

22 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them for the poor, and for the sojourner: I am Jehovah your God.

23 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest unto you, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.

25 Ye shall do no servile work; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.

26 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

27 Howbeit on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement: it shall be a holy convocation unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.

28 And ye shall do no manner of work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before Jehovah your God.

29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day; he shall be cut off from his people.

30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any manner of work in that same day, that soul will I destroy from among his people.

31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of solemn rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye keep your sabbath.

33 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto Jehovah.

35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work.

36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah: on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah: it is a solemn assembly; ye shall do no servile work.

37 These are the set feasts of Jehovah, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah, a burnt-offering, and a meal-offering, a sacrifice, and drink-offerings, each on its own day;

38 besides the sabbaths o Jehovah, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill-offerings, which ye give unto Jehovah.

39 Howbeit on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruits of the land, ye shall keep the feast of Jehovah seven days: on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.

40 And ye shall take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before Jehovah your God seven days.

41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto Jehovah seven days in the year: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations; ye shall keep it in the seventh month.

42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in booths;

43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am Jehovah your God.

44 And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the set feasts of Jehovah.


Leviticus 23:1-44 Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

2 `Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, Appointed seasons of Jehovah, which ye proclaim, holy convocations, `are' these: they `are' My appointed seasons:

3 six days is work done, and in the seventh day `is' a sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; ye do no work; it `is' a sabbath to Jehovah in all your dwellings.

4 `These `are' appointed seasons of Jehovah, holy convocations, which ye proclaim in their appointed seasons:

5 in the first month, on the fourteenth of the month, between the evenings, `is' the passover to Jehovah;

6 and on the fifteenth day of this month `is' the feast of unleavened things to Jehovah; seven days unleavened things ye do eat;

7 on the first day ye have a holy convocation, ye do no servile work;

8 and ye have brought near a fire-offering to Jehovah seven days; in the seventh day `is' a holy convocation; ye do no servile work.'

9 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

10 `Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, When ye come in unto the land which I am giving to you, and have reaped its harvest, and have brought in the sheaf, the beginning of your harvest unto the priest,

11 then he hath waved the sheaf before Jehovah for your acceptance; on the morrow of the sabbath doth the priest wave it.

12 `And ye have prepared in the day of your waving the sheaf a lamb, a perfect one, a son of a year, for a burnt-offering to Jehovah,

13 and its present two tenth deals of flour mixed with oil, a fire-offering to Jehovah, a sweet fragrance, and its drink-offering, wine, a fourth of the hin.

14 `And bread and roasted corn and full ears ye do not eat until this self-same day, until your bringing in the offering of your God -- a statute age-during to your generations, in all your dwellings.

15 `And ye have numbered to you from the morrow of the sabbath, from the day of your bringing in the sheaf of the wave-offering: they are seven perfect sabbaths;

16 unto the morrow of the seventh sabbath ye do number fifty days, and ye have brought near a new present to Jehovah;

17 out of your dwellings ye bring in bread of a wave-offering, two `loaves', of two tenth deals of flour they are, `with' yeast they are baken, first-`fruits' to Jehovah.

18 `And ye have brought near, besides the bread, seven lambs, perfect ones, sons of a year, and one bullock, a son of the herd, and two rams; they are a burnt-offering to Jehovah, with their present and their libations, a fire-offering of sweet fragrance to Jehovah.

19 `And ye have prepared one kid of the goats for a sin-offering, and two lambs, sons of a year, for a sacrifice of peace-offerings,

20 and the priest hath waved them, besides the bread of the first-`fruits' -- a wave-offering before Jehovah, besides the two lambs; they are holy to Jehovah for the priest;

21 and ye have proclaimed on this self-same day: a holy convocation is to you, ye do no servile work -- a statute age-during in all your dwellings, to your generations.

22 `And in your reaping the harvest of your land thou dost not complete the corner of thy field in thy reaping, and the gleaning of thy harvest thou dost not gather, to the poor and to the sojourner thou dost leave them; I Jehovah `am' your God.'

23 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

24 `Speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first of the month, ye have a sabbath, a memorial of shouting, a holy convocation;

25 ye do no servile work, and ye have brought near a fire-offering to Jehovah.'

26 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

27 `Only -- on the tenth of this seventh month is a day of atonements; ye have a holy convocation, and ye have humbled yourselves, and have brought near a fire-offering to Jehovah;

28 and ye do no work in this self-same day, for it is a day of atonements, to make atonement for you, before Jehovah your God.

29 `For any person who is not humbled in this self-same day hath even been cut off from his people;

30 and any person who doth any work in this self-same day I have even destroyed that person from the midst of his people;

31 ye do no work -- a statute age-during to your generations in all your dwellings.

32 It `is' a sabbath of rest to you, and ye have humbled yourselves in the ninth of the month at even; from evening till evening ye do keep your sabbath.'

33 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

34 `Speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, In the fifteenth day of this seventh month `is' a feast of booths seven days to Jehovah;

35 on the first day `is' a holy convocation, ye do no servile work,

36 seven days ye bring near a fire-offering to Jehovah, on the eighth day ye have a holy convocation, and ye have brought near a fire-offering to Jehovah; it `is' a restraint, ye do no servile work.

37 `These `are' appointed seasons of Jehovah, which ye proclaim holy convocations, to bring near a fire-offering to Jehovah, a burnt-offering, and a present, a sacrifice, and libations, a thing of a day in its day,

38 apart from the sabbaths of Jehovah, and apart from your gifts, and apart from all your vows, and apart from all your willing-offerings, which ye give to Jehovah.

39 `Only -- in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, in your gathering the increase of the land, ye do keep the feast of Jehovah seven days; on the first day `is' a sabbath, and on the eighth day a sabbath;

40 and ye have taken to yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palms, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of a brook, and have rejoiced before Jehovah your God seven days.

41 `And ye have kept it a feast to Jehovah, seven days in a year -- a statute age-during to your generations; in the seventh month ye keep it a feast.

42 `In booths ye dwell seven days; all who are natives in Israel dwell in booths,

43 so that your generations do know that in booths I caused the sons of Israel to dwell; in my bringing them out of the land of Egypt; I, Jehovah, `am' your God.'

44 And Moses speaketh `concerning' the appointed seasons of Jehovah unto the sons of Israel.


Leviticus 23:1-44 Darby English Bible (DARBY)

1 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, [Concerning] the set feasts of Jehovah, which ye shall proclaim as holy convocations -- these are my set feasts.

3 Six days shall work be done; but on the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; no manner of work shall ye do: it is the sabbath to Jehovah in all your dwellings.

4 These are the set feasts of Jehovah, holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons:

5 In the first month, on the fourteenth of the month, between the two evenings, is the passover to Jehovah.

6 And on the fifteenth day of this month is the feast of unleavened bread to Jehovah; seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread.

7 On the first day ye shall have a holy convocation: no manner of servile work shall ye do.

8 And ye shall present to Jehovah an offering by fire seven days; on the seventh day is a holy convocation: no manner of servile work shall ye do.

9 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

10 Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them, When ye come into the land that I give unto you, and ye reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest.

11 And he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah, to be accepted for you; on the next day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf, a he-lamb without blemish, a yearling, for a burnt-offering to Jehovah;

13 and the oblation thereof: two tenths of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering by fire to Jehovah for a sweet odour; and the drink-offering thereof, of wine, a fourth part of a hin.

14 And ye shall not eat bread, or roast corn, or green ears, until the same day that ye have brought the offering of your God: [it is] an everlasting statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

15 And ye shall count from the morning after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering, seven weeks; they shall be complete;

16 even unto the morning after the seventh sabbath shall ye count fifty days; and ye shall present a new oblation to Jehovah.

17 Out of your dwellings shall ye bring two wave-loaves, of two tenths of fine flour; with leaven shall they be baken; [as] first-fruits to Jehovah.

18 And ye shall present with the bread seven he-lambs without blemish, yearlings, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be a burnt-offering to Jehovah with their oblation, and their drink-offerings, an offering by fire of a sweet odour to Jehovah.

19 And ye shall sacrifice one buck of the goats for a sin-offering, and two he-lambs, yearlings, for a sacrifice of peace-offering.

20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first-fruits as a wave-offering before Jehovah, with the two he-lambs; they shall be holy to Jehovah, for the priest.

21 And ye shall make proclamation on that same day -- a holy convocation shall it be unto you: no manner of servile work shall ye do: [it is] an everlasting statute in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

22 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not in thy harvest entirely reap the corners of thy field, and the gleaning of thy harvest shalt thou not gather: thou shalt leave them unto the poor and to the stranger: I am Jehovah your God.

23 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first of the month, shall ye have a rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.

25 No manner of servile work shall ye do; and ye shall present an offering by fire to Jehovah.

26 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

27 Also on the tenth of this seventh month is the day of the atonement: a holy convocation shall it be unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and present an offering by fire to Jehovah.

28 And ye shall do no manner of work on that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before Jehovah your God.

29 For every soul that is not afflicted on that same day, shall be cut off from among his peoples.

30 And every soul that doeth any manner of work on that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.

31 No manner of work shall ye do: [it is] an everlasting statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

32 A sabbath of rest shall it be unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls. On the ninth of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.

33 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of booths seven days to Jehovah.

35 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation: no manner of servile work shall ye do.

36 Seven days ye shall present an offering by fire to Jehovah; on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall present an offering by fire to Jehovah: it is a solemn assembly; no manner of servile work shall ye do.

37 These are the set feasts of Jehovah, which ye shall proclaim as holy convocations, to present an offering by fire to Jehovah, a burnt-offering, and an oblation, a sacrifice, and drink-offerings, everything upon its day;

38 besides the sabbaths of Jehovah, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your voluntary offerings, which ye give to Jehovah.

39 But on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the produce of the land, ye shall celebrate the feast of Jehovah seven days: on the first day there shall be rest, and on the eighth day there shall be rest.

40 And ye shall take on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, palm branches and the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before Jehovah your God seven days.

41 And ye shall celebrate it as a feast to Jehovah seven days in the year: [it is] an everlasting statute throughout your generations; in the seventh month shall ye celebrate it.

42 In booths shall ye dwell seven days; all born in Israel shall dwell in booths;

43 that your generations may know that I caused the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am Jehovah your God.

44 And Moses declared the set feasts of Jehovah to the children of Israel.


Leviticus 23:1-44 World English Bible (WEB)

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

2 "Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, 'The set feasts of Yahweh, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my set feasts.

3 "'Six days shall work be done: but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no manner of work. It is a Sabbath to Yahweh in all your dwellings.

4 "'These are the set feasts of Yahweh, even holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their appointed season.

5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, is Yahweh's Passover.

6 On the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread to Yahweh. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.

7 In the first day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work.

8 But you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh seven days. In the seventh day is a holy convocation: you shall do no regular work.'"

9 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

10 "Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, 'When you have come into the land which I give to you, and shall reap its the harvest, then you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest:

11 and he shall wave the sheaf before Yahweh, to be accepted for you. On the next day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

12 On the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb without blemish a year old for a burnt offering to Yahweh.

13 The meal offering with it shall be two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire to Yahweh for a sweet savor; and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin.

14 You shall eat neither bread, nor roasted grain, nor fresh grain, until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God. This is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

15 "'You shall count from the next day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be completed:

16 even to the next day after the seventh Sabbath you shall number fifty days; and you shall offer a new meal offering to Yahweh.

17 You shall bring out of your habitations two wave-loaves of two tenth parts of an ephah: they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baked with yeast, for first fruits to Yahweh.

18 You shall present with the bread seven lambs without blemish a year old, one young bull, and two rams. Yhey shall be a burnt offering to Yahweh, with their meal offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of a sweet aroma to Yahweh.

19 You shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings.

20 The priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering before Yahweh, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to Yahweh for the priest.

21 You shall make proclamation on the same day: there shall be a holy convocation to you; you shall do no regular work. This is a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

22 "'When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap into the corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest: you shall leave them for the poor, and for the foreigner. I am Yahweh your God.'"

23 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

24 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest to you, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.

25 You shall do no regular work; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh.'"

26 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

27 "However on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement: it shall be a holy convocation to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh.

28 You shall do no manner of work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before Yahweh your God.

29 For whoever it is who shall not deny himself in that same day; shall be cut off from his people.

30 Whoever it is who does any manner of work in that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people.

31 You shall do no manner of work: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

32 It shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall deny yourselves. In the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall keep your Sabbath."

33 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

34 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say, 'On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of tents for seven days to Yahweh.

35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation: you shall do no regular work.

36 Seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh. On the eighth day shall be a holy convocation to you; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh. It is a solemn assembly; you shall do no regular work.

37 "'These are the appointed feasts of Yahweh, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh, a burnt offering, and a meal offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, each on its own day;

38 besides the Sabbaths of Yahweh, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to Yahweh.

39 "'So on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruits of the land, you shall keep the feast of Yahweh seven days: on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.

40 You shall take on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before Yahweh your God seven days.

41 You shall keep it a feast to Yahweh seven days in the year: it is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall keep it in the seventh month.

42 You shall dwell in booths seven days. All who are native-born in Israel shall dwell in booths,

43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.'"

44 Moses declared to the children of Israel the appointed feasts of Yahweh.


Leviticus 23:1-44 Bible in Basic English (BBE)

1 And the Lord said to Moses,

2 Say to the children of Israel, These are the fixed feasts of the Lord, which you will keep for holy meetings: these are my feasts.

3 On six days work may be done; but the seventh day is a special day of rest, a time for worship; you may do no sort of work: it is a Sabbath to the Lord wherever you may be living.

4 These are the fixed feasts of the Lord, the holy days of worship which you will keep at their regular times.

5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at nightfall, is the Lord's Passover;

6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread; for seven days let your food be unleavened bread.

7 On the first day you will have a holy meeting; you may do no sort of field-work.

8 And every day for seven days you will give a burned offering to the Lord; and on the seventh day there will be a holy meeting; you may do no field-work.

9 And the Lord said to Moses,

10 Say to the children of Israel, When you have come to the land which I will give you, and have got in the grain from its fields, take some of the first-fruits of the grain to the priest;

11 And let the grain be waved before the Lord, so that you may be pleasing to him; on the day after the Sabbath let it be waved by the priest.

12 And on the day of the waving of the grain, you are to give a male lamb of the first year, without any mark, for a burned offering to the Lord.

13 And let the meal offering with it be two tenth parts of an ephah of the best meal mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the Lord for a sweet smell; and the drink offering with it is to be of wine, the fourth part of a hin.

14 And you may take no bread or dry grain or new grain for food till the very day on which you have given the offering for your God: this is a rule for ever through all your generations wherever you are living.

15 And let seven full weeks be numbered from the day after the Sabbath, the day when you give the grain for the wave offering;

16 Let fifty days be numbered, to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you are to give a new meal offering to the Lord.

17 Take from your houses two cakes of bread, made of a fifth part of an ephah of the best meal, cooked with leaven, to be waved for first-fruits to the Lord.

18 And with the bread, take seven lambs of the first year, without any marks, and one ox and two male sheep, to be a burned offering to the Lord, with their meal offering and their drink offerings, an offering of a sweet smell made by fire to the Lord.

19 And you are to give one male goat for a sin-offering and two male lambs of the first year for peace-offerings.

20 And these will be waved by the priest, with the bread of the first-fruits, for a wave offering to the Lord, with the two lambs: they will be holy to the Lord for the priest.

21 And on the same day, let it be given out that there will be a holy meeting for you: you may do no field-work on that day: it is a rule for ever through all your generations wherever you are living.

22 And when you get in the grain from your land, do not let all the grain at the edges of the field be cut, and do not take up the grain which has been dropped in the field; let that be for the poor, and for the man from another country: I am the Lord your God.

23 And the Lord said to Moses,

24 Say to the children of Israel, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, let there be a special day of rest for you, a day of memory, marked by the blowing of horns, a meeting for worship.

25 Do no field-work and give to the Lord an offering made by fire.

26 And the Lord said to Moses,

27 The tenth day of this seventh month is the day for the taking away of sin; let it be a holy day of worship; you are to keep from pleasure, and give to the Lord an offering made by fire.

28 And on that day you may do no sort of work, for it is a day of taking away sin, to make you clean before the Lord your God.

29 For any person, whoever he may be, who takes his pleasure on that day will be cut off from his people.

30 And if any person, whoever he may be, on that day does any sort of work, I will send destruction on him from among his people.

31 You may not do any sort of work: this is an order for ever through all your generations wherever you may be living.

32 Let this be a Sabbath of special rest to you, and keep yourselves from all pleasure; on the ninth day of the month at nightfall from evening to evening, let this Sabbath be kept.

33 And the Lord said to Moses,

34 Say to the children of Israel, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month let the feast of tents be kept to the Lord for seven days.

35 On the first day there will be a holy meeting: do no field-work.

36 Every day for seven days give an offering made by fire to the Lord; and on the eighth day there is to be a holy meeting, when you are to give an offering made by fire to the Lord; this is a special holy day: you may do no field-work on that day.

37 These are the fixed feasts of the Lord, to be kept by you as holy days of worship, for making an offering by fire to the Lord; a burned offering, a meal offering, an offering of beasts, and drink offerings; every one on its special day;

38 In addition to the Sabbaths of the Lord, and in addition to the things you give and the oaths you make and the free offerings to the Lord.

39 But on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have got in all the fruits of the land, you will keep the feast of the Lord for seven days: the first day will be a Sabbath, and the eighth day the same.

40 On the first day, take the fruit of fair trees, branches of palm-trees, and branches of thick trees and trees from the riverside, and be glad before the Lord for seven days.

41 And let this feast be kept before the Lord for seven days in the year: it is a rule for ever from generation to generation; in the seventh month let it be kept.

42 For seven days you will be living in tents; all those who are Israelites by birth are to make tents their living-places:

43 So that future generations may keep in mind how I gave the children of Israel tents as their living-places when I took them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

44 And Moses made clear to the children of Israel the orders about the fixed feasts of the Lord.

Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Leviticus 23

Commentary on Leviticus 23 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary


Verse 1-2

This chapter does not contain a “calendar of feasts,” or a summary and completion of the directions previously given in a scattered form concerning the festal times of Israel, but simply a list of those festal days and periods of the year at which holy meetings were to be held. This is most clearly stated in the heading (Leviticus 23:2): “ the festal times of Jehovah, which ye shall call out as holy meetings, these are they, My feasts, ” i.e., those which are to be regarded as My feasts, sanctified to Me. The festal seasons and days were called “feasts of Jehovah,” times appointed and fixed by Jehovah (see Genesis 1:14), not because the feasts belonged to fixed times regulated by the course of the moon ( Knobel ), but because Jehovah had appointed them as days, or times, which were to be sanctified to Him. Hence the expression is not only used with reference to the Sabbath, the new moon, and the other yearly feasts; but in Numbers 28:2 and Numbers 29:39 it is extended so as to include the times of the daily morning and evening sacrifice. (On the “holy convocation” see Exodus 12:16.)


Verse 3

At the head of these moadim stood the Sabbath , as the day which God had already sanctified as a day of rest for His people, by His own rest on the seventh creation-day (Genesis 2:3, cf. Exodus 20:8-11). On שׁבּתון שׁבּת , see at Exodus 31:15 and Exodus 16:33. As a weekly returning day of rest, the observance of which had its foundation in the creative work of God, the Sabbath was distinguished from the yearly feasts, in which Israel commemorated the facts connected with its elevation into a people of God, and which were generally called “feasts of Jehovah” in the stricter sense, and as such were distinguished from the Sabbath (Leviticus 23:37, Leviticus 23:38; Isaiah 1:13-14; 1 Chronicles 23:31; 2 Chronicles 31:3; Nehemiah 10:34). This distinction is pointed out in the heading, “ these are the feasts of Jehovah ” (Leviticus 23:4).

(Note: Partly on account of his repetition, and partly because of the supposed discrepancy observable in the fact, that holy meetings are not prescribed for the Sabbath in the list of festal sacrifices in Num 28 and 29, Hupfield and Knobel maintain that the words of Leviticus 23:2 and Leviticus 23:3, from יהוה to מושׁבתיכם , notwithstanding their Elohistic expression, were not written by the Elohist, but are an interpolation of the later editor. The repetition of the heading, however, cannot prove anything at all with the constant repetitions that occur in the so-called Elohistic groundwork, especially as it can be fully explained by the reason mentioned in the text. And the pretended discrepancy rests upon the perfectly arbitrary assumption, that Num 28 and 29 contain a complete codex of all the laws relating to all the feasts. How totally this assumption is at variance with the calendar of feasts, is clear enough from the fact, that no rule is laid down there for the observance of the Sabbath, with the exception of the sacrifices to be offered upon it, and that even rest from labour is not commanded. Moreover Knobel is wrong in identifying the “holy convocation” with a journey to the sanctuary, whereas appearance at the tabernacle to hold the holy convocations (for worship) was not regarded as necessary either in the law itself or according to the later orthodox custom, but, on the contrary, holy meetings for edification were held on the Sabbath in every place in the land, and it was out of this that the synagogues arose.)

In Numbers 28:11 the feast of new moon follows the Sabbath; but this is passed over here, because the new moon was not to be observed either with sabbatical rest or a holy meeting.


Verses 4-14

Leviticus 23:4 contains the special heading for the yearly feasts. בּמועדם at their appointed time.

Leviticus 23:5-14

The leading directions for the Passover and feast of Mazzoth are repeated from Exodus 12:6, Exodus 12:11, Exodus 12:15-20. עבדה מלאכת , occupation of a work, signifies labour at some definite occupation, e.g., the building of the tabernacle, Exodus 35:24; Exodus 36:1, Exodus 36:3; hence occupation in connection with trade or one's social calling, such as agriculture, handicraft, and so forth; whilst מלאכה is the performance of any kind of work, e.g., kindling fire for cooking food (Exodus 35:2-3). On the Sabbath and the day of atonement every kind of civil work was prohibited, even to the kindling of fire for the purpose of cooking (Leviticus 23:3, Leviticus 23:30, Leviticus 23:31, cf. Exodus 20:10; Exodus 31:14; Exodus 35:2-3; Deuteronomy 5:14 and Leviticus 16:29; Numbers 29:7); on the other feast-days with a holy convocation, only servile work (Leviticus 23:7, Leviticus 23:8, Leviticus 23:21, Leviticus 23:25, Leviticus 23:35, Leviticus 23:36, cf. Exodus 12:16, and the explanation on Leviticus 12:1-8 :15ff., and Numbers 28:18, Numbers 28:25-26; Numbers 29:1, Numbers 29:12, Numbers 29:35). To this there is appended a fresh regulation in Leviticus 23:9-14, with the repetition of the introductory clause, “ And the Lord spake, ” etc. When the Israelites had come into the land to be given them by the Lord, and had reaped the harvest, they were to bring a sheaf as first-fruits of their harvest to the priest, that he might wave it before Jehovah on the day after the Sabbath, i.e., after the first day of Mazzoth . According to Josephus and Philo , it was a sheaf of barley; but this is not expressly commanded, because it would be taken for granted in Canaan, where the harvest began with the barley. In the warmer parts of Palestine the barley ripens about the middle of April, and is reaped in April or the beginning of May, whereas the wheat ripens two or three weeks later ( Seetzen; Robinson 's Pal. ii. 263, 278). The priest was to wave the sheaf before Jehovah, i.e., to present it symbolically to Jehovah by the ceremony of waving, without burning any of it upon the altar. The rabbinical rule, viz., to dry a portion of the ears by the fire, and then, after rubbing them out, to burn them on the altar, was an ordinance of the later scribes, who knew not the law, and was based upon Leviticus 2:14. For the law in Leviticus 2:14 refers to the offerings of first-fruits made by private persons, which are treated of in Numbers 18:12-13, and Deuteronomy 26:2. The sheaf of first-fruits, on the other hand, which was to be offered before Jehovah as a wave-offering in the name of the congregation, corresponded to the two wave-loaves which were leavened and then baked, and were to be presented to the Lord as first-fruits (Leviticus 23:17). As no portion of these wave-loaves was burned upon the altar, because nothing leavened was to be placed upon it (Leviticus 2:11), but they were assigned entirely to the priests, we have only to assume that the same application was intended by the law in the case of the sheaf of first-fruits, since the text only prescribes the waving, and does not contain a word about roasting, rubbing, or burning the grains upon the altar. השּׁבּת מחרת (the morrow after the Sabbath) signifies the next day after the first day of the feast of Mazzoth, i.e., the 16th Abib ( Nisan ), not the day of the Sabbath which fell in the seven days' feast of Mazzoth, as the Baethoseans supposed, still less the 22nd of Nisan, or the day after the conclusion of the seven days' feast, which always closed with a Sabbath, as Hitzig imagines.

(Note: The view advocated by the Baethoseans, which has been lately supported by W. Schultz , is refuted not only by Joshua 5:11, but by the definite article used, השּׁבּת , which points back to one of the feast-days already mentioned, and still more decisively by the circumstance, that according to Leviticus 23:15 the seven weeks, at the close of which the feast of Pentecost was to be kept, were to be reckoned from this Sabbath; and if the Sabbath was not fixed, but might fall upon any day of the seven days' feast of Mazzoth, and therefore as much as give or six days after the Passover, the feast of Passover itself would be forced out of the fundamental position which it occupied in the series of annual festivals (cf. Ranke , Pentateuch ii. 108). Hitzig's hypothesis has been revived by Hupfeld and Knobel , without any notice of the conclusive refutation given to it by Bδhr and Wieseler ; only Knobel makes “the Sabbath” not the concluding but the opening Sabbath of the feast of Passover, on the ground that “otherwise the festal sheaf would not have been offered till the 22nd of the month, and therefore would have come post festum .” But this hypothesis, which renders it necessary that the commencement of the ecclesiastical year should always be assigned to a Saturday (Sabbath), in order to gain weekly Sabbaths for the 14th and 21st of the month, as the opening and close of the feast of Passover, gives such a form to the Jewish year as would involve its invariably closing with a broken week; a hypothesis which is not only incapable of demonstration, but, from the holiness attached to the Jewish division of weeks, is a priori improbable, and in fact inconceivable. The Mosaic law, which gave such sanctity to the division of time into weeks, as founded upon the history of creation, by the institution of the observance of the Sabbath, that it raised the Sabbath into the groundwork of a magnificent festal cycle, could not possibly have made such an arrangement with regard to the time for the observance of the Passover, as would involve almost invariably the mutilation of the last week of the year, and an interruption of the old and sacred weekly cycle with the Sabbath festival at its close. The arguments by which so forced a hypothesis is defended, must be very conclusive indeed, to meet with any acceptance. But neither Hitzig nor his followers have been able to adduce any such arguments as these. Besides the word “Sabbath” and Joshua 5:11, which prove nothing at all, the only other argument adduced by Knobel is, that “it is impossible to see why precisely the second day of the azyma , when the people went about their ordinary duties, and there was no meeting at the sanctuary, should have been distinguished by the sacrificial gift which was the peculiar characteristic of the feast,” - an argument based upon the fallacious principle, that anything for which I can see no reason, cannot possibly have occurred.)

The “Sabbath” does not mean the seventh day of the week, but the day of rest, although the weekly Sabbath was always the seventh or last day of the week; hence not only the seventh day of the week (Exodus 31:15, etc.), but the day of atonement (the tenth of the seventh month), is called “ Sabbath ,” and “ Shabbath shabbathon ” (Leviticus 23:32; Leviticus 16:31). As a day of rest, on which no laborious work was to be performed (Leviticus 23:8), the first day of the feast of Mazzoth is called “ Sabbath ,” irrespectively of the day of the week upon which it fell; and “ the morrow after the Sabbath ” is equivalent to “the morrow after the Passover” mentioned in Joshua 5:11, where “Passover” signifies the day at the beginning of which the paschal meal was held, i.e., the first day of unleavened bread, which commenced on the evening of the 14th, in other words, the 15th Abib. By offering the sheaf of first-fruits of the harvest, the Israelites were to consecrate their daily bread to the Lord their God, and practically to acknowledge that they owed the blessing of the harvest to the grace of God. They were not to eat any bread or roasted grains of the new corn till they had presented the offering of their God (Leviticus 23:14). This offering was fixed for the second day of the feast of the Passover, that the connection between the harvest and the Passover might be kept in subordination to the leading idea of the Passover itself (see at Exodus 12:15.). But as the sheaf was not burned upon the altar, but only presented symbolically to the Lord by waving, and then handed over to the priests, an altar-gift had to be connected with it, - namely, a yearling sheep as a burnt-offering, a meat-offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, and a drink-offering of a quarter of a hin of wine, - to give expression to the obligation and willingness of the congregation not only to enjoy their earthly food, but to strengthen all the members of their body for growth in holiness and diligence in good works. The burnt-offering, for which a yearling lamb was prescribed, as in fact for all the regular festal sacrifices, was of course in addition to the burnt-offerings prescribed in Numbers 28:19-20, for every feast-day. The meat-offering, however, was not to consist of one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour, as on other occasions (Exodus 29:40; Numbers 28:9, Numbers 28:13, etc.), but of two-tenths, that the offering of corn at the harvest-feast might be a more plentiful one than usual.


Verses 15-17

The law for the special observance of the feast of Harvest (Exodus 23:16) is added here without any fresh introductory formula, to show at the very outset the close connection between the two feasts. Seven whole weeks, or fifty days, were to be reckoned from the day of the offering of the sheaf, and then the day of first-fruits (Numbers 28:26) or feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10) was to be celebrated. From this reckoning the feast received the name of Pentecost ( ἡ πεντηκοστή , Acts 2:1). That שׁבּתות (Leviticus 23:15) signifies weeks, like שׁבעות in Deuteronomy 16:9, and τὰ σάββατα in the Gospels (e.g., Matthew 28:1), is evident from the predicate תּמימת , “complete,” which would be quite unsuitable if Sabbath-days were intended, as a long period might be reckoned by half weeks instead of whole, but certainly not by half Sabbath-days. Consequently “the morrow after the seventh Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:16) is the day after the seventh week, not after the seventh Sabbath. On this day, i.e., fifty days after the first day of Mazzoth , Israel was to offer a new meat-offering to the Lord, i.e., made of the fruit of the new harvest (Leviticus 26:10), “wave-loaves” from its dwellings, two of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour baked leavened, like the bread which served for their daily food, “as first-fruits unto the Lord,” and of the wheat-harvest (Exodus 34:22), which fell in the second half of May and the first weeks of June (Robinson , Palestine ), and therefore was finished as a whole by the feast of Weeks. The loaves differed from all the other meat-offerings, being made of leavened dough, because in them their daily bread was offered to the Lord, who had blessed the harvest, as a thank-offering for His blessing. They were therefore only given to the Lord symbolically by waving, and were then to belong to the priests (Leviticus 23:20). The injunction “out of your habitations” is not to be understood, as Calvin and others suppose, as signifying that every householder was to present two such loaves; it simply expresses the idea, that they were to be loaves made for the daily food of a household, and not prepared expressly for holy purposes.


Verse 18-19

In addition to the loaves, they were to offer seven yearling lambs, one young bullock, and two rams, as burnt-offerings, together with their (the appropriate) meat and drink-offerings, one he-goat as a sin-offering, and two yearling lambs as peace-offerings.


Verse 20

The priest shall wave them (the two lambs of the peace-offerings), together with the loaves of the first-fruits, as a wave-offering before Jehovah; with the two lambs (the two just mentioned), they (the loaves) shall be holy to Jehovah for the priest .” In the case of the peace-offerings of private individuals, the flesh belonged for the most part to the offerer; but here, in the case of a thank-offering presented by the congregation, it was set apart for the priest. The circumstance, that not only was a much more bountiful burnt-offering prescribed than in the offerings of the dedicatory sheaf at the commencement of harvest (Leviticus 23:12), but a sin-offering and peace-offering also, is to be attributed to the meaning of the festival itself, as a feast of thanksgiving for the rich blessing of God that had just been gathered in. The sin-offering was to excite the feeling and consciousness of sin on the part of the congregation of Israel, that whilst eating their daily leavened bread they might not serve the leaven of their old nature, but seek and implore from the Lord their God the forgiveness and cleansing away of their sin. Through the increased burnt-offering they were to give practical expression to their gratitude for the blessing of harvest, by a strengthened consecration and sanctification of all the members of the whole man to the service of the Lord; whilst through the peace-offering they entered into that fellowship of peace with the Lord to which they were called, and which they were eventually to enjoy through His blessing in their promised inheritance. In this way the whole of the year's harvest was placed under the gracious blessing of the Lord by the sanctification of its commencement and its close; and the enjoyment of their daily food was also sanctified thereby. For the sake of this inward connection, the laws concerning the wave-sheaf and wave-loaves are bound together into one whole; and by this connection, which was established by reckoning the time for the feast of Weeks from the day of the dedication of the sheaf, the two feasts were linked together into an internal unity. The Jews recognised this unity from the very earliest times, and called the feast of Pentecost Azqereth (Greek, Ἀσαρθά ), because it was the close of the seven weeks (see at Leviticus 23:36; Josephus, Ant. iii. 10).

(Note: A connection between the feast of Pentecost and the giving of the law, which Maimonides (a.d. † 1205) was the first to discover, is not only foreign to the Mosaic law, but to the whole of the Jewish antiquity; and even Abarbanel expressly denies it.)


Verse 21-22

On this day a holy meeting was to be held, and laborious work to be suspended, just as on the first and seventh days of Mazzoth . This was to be maintained as a statute for ever (see Leviticus 23:14). It was not sufficient, however, to thank the Lord for the blessing of harvest by a feast of thanksgiving to the Lord, but they were not to forget the poor and distressed when gathering in their harvest. To indicate this, the law laid down in Leviticus 19:9-10 is repeated in Leviticus 23:22.


Verses 23-25

On the first day of the seventh month there was to be shabbathon , rest, i.e., a day of rest (see Exodus 16:23), a memorial of blowing of trumpets , a holy convocation, the suspension of laborious work, and the offering of a firing for Jehovah, which are still more minutely described in the calendar of festal sacrifices in Numbers 29:2-6. תּרוּעה , a joyful noise, from רוּע to make a noise, is used in Leviticus 23:24 for שׁופר תּרוּעה , a blast of trumpets. On this day the shophar was to be blown, a blast of trumpets to be appointed for a memorial before Jehovah (Numbers 10:10), i.e., to call the congregation into remembrance before Jehovah, that He might turn towards it His favour and grace (see at Exodus 28:12, Exodus 28:29; Exodus 30:16); and from this the feast-day is called the day of the trumpet-blast (Numbers 19:1). Shophar , a trumpet, was a large horn which produced a dull, far-reaching tone. Buccina pastoralis est et cornu recurvo efficitur, unde et proprie hebraice sophar, graece κερατίνη appellatur ( Jerome on Hos. Leviticus 5:8).

(Note: The word תּרוּעה is also used in Numbers 10:5-6 to denote the blowing with the silver trumpets; but there seems to be no ground for supposing these trumpets to be intended here, not only because of the analogy between the seventh day of the new moon as a jubilee day and the jubilee year (Leviticus 25:9-10), but also because the silver trumpets are assigned to a different purpose in Numbers 10:2-10, and their use is restricted to the blowing at the offering of the burnt-offerings on the feast-days and new moons. To this we have to add the Jewish tradition, which favours with perfect unanimity the practice of blowing with horns (the horns of animals).)

The seventh month of the year, like the seventh day of the week, was consecrated as a Sabbath or sabbatical month, by a holy convocation and the suspension of labour, which were to distinguish the first day of the seventh month from the beginning of the other months or the other new moon days throughout the year. For the whole month was sanctified in the first day, as the beginning or head of the month; and by the sabbatical observance of the commencement, the whole course of the month was raised to a Sabbath. This was enjoined, not merely because it was the seventh month, but because the seventh month was to secure to the congregation the complete atonement for all its sins, and the wiping away of all the uncleannesses which separated it from its God, viz., on the day of atonement, which fell within this month, and to bring it a foretaste of the blessedness of life in fellowship with the Lord, viz., in the feast of Tabernacles, which commenced five days afterwards. This significant character of the seventh month was indicated by the trumpet-blast, by which the congregation presented the memorial of itself loudly and strongly before Jehovah on the first day of the month, that He might bestow upon them the promised blessings of His grace, for the realization of His covenant. The trumpet-blast on this day was a prelude of the trumpet-blast with which the commencement of the year of jubilee was proclaimed to the whole nation, on the day of atonement of every seventh sabbatical year, that great year of grace under the old covenant (Leviticus 25:9); just as the seventh month in general formed the link between the weekly Sabbath and the sabbatical and jubilee years, and corresponded as a Sabbath month to the year of jubilee rather than the sabbatical year, which had its prelude in the weekly Sabbath-day.


Verses 26-31

On the tenth day of the seventh month the day of atonement was to be observed by a holy meeting, by fasting from the evening of the ninth till the evening of the tenth, by resting from all work on pain of death, and with sacrifices, of which the great expiatory sacrifice peculiar to this day had already been appointed in ch. 16, and the general festal sacrifices are described in Numbers 29:8-11. (For fuller particulars, see at ch. 16.) By the restrictive אך , the observance of the day of atonement is represented a priori as a peculiar one. The אך refers less to “the tenth day,” than to the leading directions respecting this feast: “only on the tenth of this seventh month...there shall be a holy meeting to you, and ye shall afflict your souls,” etc.


Verse 32

“Ye shall rest your rest,” i.e., observe the rest that is binding upon you from all laborious work.


Verses 33-37

On the fifteenth of the same month the feast of Tabernacles was to be kept to the Lord for seven days: on the first day with a holy meeting and rest from all laborious work, and for seven days with sacrifices, as appointed for every day in Num 29:13-33. Moreover, on the eighth day, i.e., the 22nd of the month, the closing feast was to be observed in the same manner as on the first day (Leviticus 23:34-36). The name, “feast of Tabernacles” (booths), is to be explained from the fact, that the Israelites were to dwell in booths made of boughs for the seven days that this festival lasted (Leviticus 23:42). עצרת , which is used in Leviticus 23:36 and Numbers 29:35 for the eighth day, which terminated the feast of Tabernacles, and in Deuteronomy 16:8 for the seventh day of the feast of Mazzoth , signifies the solemn close of a feast of several days, clausula festi , from עצר to shut in, or close (Genesis 16:2; Deuteronomy 11:17, etc.), not a coagendo, congregando populo ad festum , nor a cohibitione laboris, ab interdicto opere , because the word is only applied to the last day of the feasts of Mazzoth and Tabernacles, and not to the first, although this was also kept with a national assembly and suspension of work. But as these clausaulae festi were holidays with a holy convocation and suspension of work, it was very natural that the word should be transferred at a later period to feasts generally, on which the people suspended work and met for worship and edification (Joel 1:14; Isaiah 1:13; 2 Kings 10:20). The azareth , as the eighth day, did not strictly belong to the feast of Tabernacles, which was only to last seven days; and it was distinguished, moreover, from these seven days by a smaller number of offerings (Numbers 29:35.). The eighth day was rather the solemn close of the whole circle of yearly feasts, and therefore was appended to the close of the last of these feasts as the eighth day of the feast itself (see at Num 28 seq.). - With Leviticus 23:36 the enumeration of all the yearly feasts on which holy meetings were to be convened is brought to an end. This is stated in the concluding formula (Leviticus 23:37, Leviticus 23:38), which answers to the heading in Leviticus 23:4, in which the Sabbaths are excepted, as they simply belonged to the moadim in the more general sense of the word. In this concluding formula, therefore, there is no indication that Leviticus 23:2 and Leviticus 23:3 and Leviticus 23:39-43 are later additions to the original list of feasts which were to be kept with a meeting for worship. וגו להקריב (to offer, etc.) is not dependent upon “holy convocations,” but upon the main idea, “feasts of Jehovah.” Jehovah had appointed moadim , fixed periods in the year, for His congregation to offer sacrifices; not as if no sacrifices could be or were to be offered except at these feasts, but to remind His people, through these fixed days, of their duty to approach the Lord with sacrifices. אשּׁה is defined by the enumeration of four principal kinds of sacrifice-burnt-offerings, meat-offerings, slain (i.e., peace-) offerings, and drink-offerings. בּ יום דּבר : “ every day those appointed for it, ” as in Exodus 5:13.


Verses 38-43

Beside the Sabbaths: ” i.e., the Sabbath sacrifices (see Numbers 28:9-10), and the gifts and offerings, which formed no integral part of the keeping of the feasts and Sabbaths, but might be offered on those days. מתּנות , gifts, include all the dedicatory offerings, which were presented to the Lord without being intended to be burned upon the altar; such, for example, as the dedicatory gifts of the tribe-princes (Num 7), the firstlings and tithes, and other so-called heave-offerings (Numbers 18:11, Numbers 18:29). By the “ vows ” and נדבות , “ freewill-offerings, ” we are to understand not only the votive and freewill slain or peace-offerings, but burnt-offerings also, and meat-offerings, which were offered in consequence of a vow, or from spontaneous impulse (see Judges 11:31, where Jephthah vows a burnt-offering). - In Leviticus 23:39. there follows a fuller description of the observance of the last feast of the year, for which the title, “feast of Tabernacles” (Leviticus 23:34), had prepared the way, as the feast had already been mentioned briefly in Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22 as “feast of Ingathering,” though hitherto no rule had been laid down concerning the peculiar manner in which it was to be observed. In connection with this epithet in Exodus, it is described again in Leviticus 23:39, as in Leviticus 23:35, Leviticus 23:36, as a seven days' feast, with sabbatical rest on the first and eighth day; and in Leviticus 23:40. the following rule is given for its observance: “Take to you fruit of ornamental trees, palm-branches, and boughs of trees with thick foliage, and willows of the brook, and rejoice before the Lord your God seven days, every native in Israel.” If we observe that there are only three kinds of boughs that are connected together by the copula ( vav ) in Leviticus 23:40, and that it is wanting before תם כּפּת , there can hardly be any doubt that הדר עץ פּרי is the generic term, and that the three names which follow specify the particular kinds of boughs. By “the fruits,” therefore, we understand the shoots and branches of the trees, as well as the blossom and fruit that grew out of them. הדר עץ , “ trees of ornament: ” we are not to understand by these only such trees as the orange and citron, which were placed in gardens for ornament rather than use, as the Chald . and Syr . indicate, although these trees grow in the gardens of Palestine ( Rob ., Pal. i. 327, iii. 420). The expression is a more general one, and includes myrtles, which were great favourites with the ancients, on account of their beauty and the fragrant odour which they diffused, olive-trees, palms, and other trees, which were used as booths in Ezra's time (Nehemiah 8:15). In the words, “Take fruit of ornamental trees,” it is not expressly stated, it is true, that this fruit was to be used, like the palm-branches, for constructing booths; but this is certainly implied in the context: “ Take...and rejoice...and keep a feast...in the booths shall he dwell .” בּסּכּת with the article is equivalent to “in the booths which ye have constructed from the branches mentioned” (cf. Ges. §109, 3). It was in this sense that the law was understood and carried out in the time of Ezra (Nehemiah 8:15.).

(Note: Even in the time of the Maccabees, on the other hand (cf. 2 Macc. 10:6, 7), the feast of the Purification of the Temple was celebrated by the Jews after the manner of the Tabernacles ( κατὰ σκηνωμάτων τρόπον ); so that they offered songs of praise, holding ( ἔχοντες , carrying?) leafy poles ( θύρσους , not branches of ivy, cf. Grimm. ad l.c. ) and beautiful branches, also palms; in the time of Christ it was the custom to have sticks or poles (staves) of palm-trees and citron-trees ( θύρσους ἐκ φοινίκων καὶ κιτρέων : Josephus, Ant. xiii. 13, 5), or to carry in the hand a branch of myrtle and willow bound round with wool, with palms at the top and an apple of the περσέα (peach or pomegranate?) upon it ( εἰρεσιώνην μυρσίνης καὶ ἰτέας σὺν κράδῃ φοίνικος πεποιημένην τοῦ μήλου τοῦ τῆς Περσέας προσόντος ). This custom, which was still further developed in the Talmud, where a bunch made of palm, myrtle, and willow boughs is ordered to be carried in the right hand, and a citron or orange in the left, has no foundation in the law: it sprang rather out of an imitation of the Greek harvest-feast of the Pyanepsia and Bacchus festivals, from which the words θύρσοι and εἰρεσιώνη were borrowed by Josephus, and had been tacked on by the scribes to the text of the Bible (v. 40) in the best way they could. See Bδhr, Symbol . ii. p. 625, and the innumerable trivial laws in Mishna Succa and Succa Codex talm. babyl. sive de tabernaculorum festo ed. Dachs. Utr. 1726, 4.)

The leading character of the feast of Tabernacles, which is indicated at the outset by the emphatic אך (Leviticus 23:39, see at Leviticus 23:27), was to consist in “joy before the Lord.” As a “feast,” i.e., a feast of joy ( חג , from חגג = חוּג , denoting the circular motion of the dance, 1 Samuel 30:16), it was to be kept for seven days; so that Israel “should be only rejoicing,” and give itself up entirely to joy (Deuteronomy 16:15). Now, although the motive assigned in Deut. is this: “for God will bless thee (Israel) in all thine increase, and in all the work of thine hands;” and although the feast, as a “feast of ingathering,” was a feast of thanksgiving for the gathering in of the produce of the land, “the produce of the floor and wine-press;” and the blessing they had received in the harvested fruits, the oil and wine, which contributed even more to the enjoyment of life than the bread that was needed for daily food, furnished in a very high degree the occasion and stimulus to the utterance of grateful joy: the origin and true signification of the feast of Tabernacles are not to be sought for in this natural allusion to the blessing of the harvest, but the dwelling in booths was the principal point in the feast; and this was instituted as a law for all future time (Leviticus 23:41), that succeeding generations might know that Jehovah had caused the children of Israel to dwell in booths when He led them out of Egypt (Leviticus 23:43). סכּה , a booth or hut, is not to be confounded with אחל a tent, but comes from סכך texuit , and signifies casa, umbraculum ex frondibus ramisque consertum ( Ges. thes. s. v.), serving as a defence both against the heat of the sun, and also against wind and rain (Psalms 31:21; Isaiah 4:6; Jonah 4:5). Their dwelling in booths was by no means intended, as Bähr supposes, to bring before the minds of the people the unsettled wandering life of the desert, and remind them of the trouble endured there, for the recollection of privation and want can never be an occasion of joy; but it was to place vividly before the eyes of the future generations of Israel a memorial of the grace, care, and protection which God afforded to His people in the great and terrible wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:15). Whether the Israelites, in their journey through the wilderness, not only used the tents which they had taken with them (cf. Leviticus 14:8; Exodus 16:1; Exodus 18:7; Exodus 33:8.; Numbers 16:26., Leviticus 24:5, etc.), but erected booths of branches and bushes in those places of encampment where they remained for a considerable time, as the Bedouins still do sometimes in the peninsula of Sinai ( Burckhardt, Syrien, p. 858), or not; at all events, the shielding and protecting presence of the Lord in the pillar of cloud and fire was, in the words of the prophet, “a booth (tabernacle) for a shadow in the day-time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain” (Isaiah 4:6) in the barren wilderness, to those who had just been redeemed out of Egypt. Moreover, the booths used at this feast were not made of miserable shrubs of the desert, but of branches of fruit-trees, palms and thickly covered trees, the produce of the good and glorious land into which God had brought them (Deuteronomy 8:7.); and in this respect they presented a living picture of the plenteous fulness of blessing with which the Lord had enriched His people. This fulness of blessing was to be called to mind by their dwelling in booths; in order that, in the land “wherein they ate bread without scarceness and lacked nothing, where they built goodly houses and dwelt therein; where their herds and flocks, their silver and their gold, and all that they had, multiplied” (Deuteronomy 8:9, Deuteronomy 8:12-13), they might not say in their hearts, “My power, and the might of mine hand, hath gotten me this wealth,” but might remember that Jehovah was their God, who gave them power to get wealth (Leviticus 23:17, Leviticus 23:18), that so their heart might not “be lifted up and forget Jehovah their God, who had led them out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage.” If, therefore, the foliage of the booths pointed to the glorious possessions of the inheritance, which the Lord had prepared for His redeemed people in Canaan, yet the natural allusion of the feast, which was superadded to the historical, and subordinate to it, - viz., to the plentiful harvest of rich and beautiful fruits, which they had gathered in from this inheritance, and could now enjoy in peace after the toil of cultivating the land was over, - would necessarily raise their hearts to still higher joy through their gratitude to the Lord and Giver of all, and make this feats a striking figure of the blessedness of the people of God when resting from their labours.


Verse 44

Communication of these laws to the people.