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
Then shalt thou cause the trumpet H7782 of the jubile H8643 to sound H5674 on the tenth H6218 day of the seventh H7637 month, H2320 in the day H3117 of atonement H3725 shall ye make the trumpet H7782 sound H5674 throughout all your land. H776
And if ye go H935 to war H4421 in your land H776 against H6862 the enemy that oppresseth H6887 you, then ye shall blow an alarm H7321 with the trumpets; H2689 and ye shall be remembered H2142 before H6440 the LORD H3068 your God, H430 and ye shall be saved H3467 from your enemies. H341 Also in the day H3117 of your gladness, H8057 and in your solemn days, H4150 and in the beginnings H7218 of your months, H2320 ye shall blow H8628 with the trumpets H2689 over your burnt offerings, H5930 and over the sacrifices H2077 of your peace offerings; H8002 that they may be to you for a memorial H2146 before H6440 your God: H430 I am the LORD H3068 your God. H430
And in the seventh H7637 month, H2320 on the first H259 day of the month, H2320 ye shall have an holy H6944 convocation; H4744 ye shall do H6213 no servile H5656 work: H4399 it is a day H3117 of blowing H8643 the trumpets unto you. And ye shall offer H6213 a burnt offering H5930 for a sweet H5207 savour H7381 unto the LORD; H3068 one H259 young H1241 bullock, H6499 one H259 ram, H352 and seven H7651 lambs H3532 of the first H1121 year H8141 without blemish: H8549 And their meat offering H4503 shall be of flour H5560 mingled H1101 with oil, H8081 three H7969 tenth deals H6241 for a bullock, H6499 and two H8147 tenth deals H6241 for a ram, H352 And one H259 tenth deal H6241 for one H259 lamb, H3532 throughout the seven H7651 lambs: H3532 And one H259 kid H8163 of the goats H5795 for a sin offering, H2403 to make an atonement H3722 for you: Beside the burnt offering H5930 of the month, H2320 and his meat offering, H4503 and the daily H8548 burnt offering, H5930 and his meat offering, H4503 and their drink offerings, H5262 according unto their manner, H4941 for a sweet H5207 savour, H7381 a sacrifice made by fire H801 unto the LORD. H3068
It came even to pass, as the trumpeters H2690 H2690 and singers H7891 were as one, H259 to make one H259 sound H6963 to be heard H8085 in praising H1984 and thanking H3034 the LORD; H3068 and when they lifted up H7311 their voice H6963 with the trumpets H2689 and cymbals H4700 and instruments H3627 of musick, H7892 and praised H1984 the LORD, H3068 saying, For he is good; H2896 for his mercy H2617 endureth for ever: H5769 that then the house H1004 was filled H4390 with a cloud, H6051 even the house H1004 of the LORD; H3068
[[To the chief Musician H5329 upon Gittith, H1665 A Psalm of Asaph.]] H623 Sing aloud H7442 unto God H430 our strength: H5797 make a joyful noise H7321 unto the God H430 of Jacob. H3290 Take H5375 a psalm, H2172 and bring H5414 hither the timbrel, H8596 the pleasant H5273 harp H3658 with the psaltery. H5035 Blow up H8628 the trumpet H7782 in the new moon, H2320 in the time appointed, H3677 on our solemn feast H2282 day. H3117 For this was a statute H2706 for Israel, H3478 and a law H4941 of the God H430 of Jacob. H3290
With trumpets H2689 and sound H6963 of cornet H7782 make a joyful noise H7321 before H6440 the LORD, H3068 the King. H4428
For G3754 the Lord G2962 himself G846 shall descend G2597 from G575 heaven G3772 with G1722 a shout, G2752 with G1722 the voice G5456 of the archangel, G743 and G2532 with G1722 the trump G4536 of God: G2316 and G2532 the dead G3498 in G1722 Christ G5547 shall rise G450 first: G4412
And it shall come to pass in that day, H3117 that the great H1419 trumpet H7782 shall be blown, H8628 and they shall come H935 which were ready to perish H6 in the land H776 of Assyria, H804 and the outcasts H5080 in the land H776 of Egypt, H4714 and shall worship H7812 the LORD H3068 in the holy H6944 mount H2022 at Jerusalem. H3389
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Leviticus 23
Commentary on Leviticus 23 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 23
Le 23:1-4. Of Sundry Feasts.
2. Speak unto the children of Israel, … concerning the feasts of the Lord—literally, "the times of assembling, or solemnities" (Isa 33:20); and this is a preferable rendering, applicable to all sacred seasons mentioned in this chapter, even the day of atonement, which was observed as a fast. They were appointed by the direct authority of God and announced by a public proclamation, which is called "the joyful sound" (Ps 89:15). Those "holy convocations" were evidences of divine wisdom, and eminently subservient to the maintenance and diffusion of religious knowledge and piety.
3. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest—(See on Ex 20:8). The Sabbath has the precedence given to it, and it was to be "a holy convocation," observed by families "in their dwellings"; where practicable, by the people repairing to the door of the tabernacle; at later periods, by meeting in the schools of the prophets, and in synagogues.
4. These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons—Their observance took place in the parts of the year corresponding to our March, May, and September. Divine wisdom was manifested in fixing them at those periods; in winter, when the days were short and the roads broken up, a long journey was impracticable; while in summer the harvest and vintage gave busy employment in the fields. Besides, another reason for the choice of those seasons probably was to counteract the influence of Egyptian associations and habits. And God appointed more sacred festivals for the Israelites in the month of September than the people of Egypt had in honor of their idols. These institutions, however, were for the most part prospective, the observance being not binding on the Israelites during their wanderings in the wilderness, while the regular celebration was not to commence till their settlement in Canaan.
Le 23:5-8. The Passover.
5. the Lord's passover—(See Ex 12:2, 14, 18). The institution of the passover was intended to be a perpetual memorial of the circumstances attending the redemption of the Israelites, while it had a typical reference to a greater redemption to be effected for God's spiritual people. On the first and last days of this feast, the people were forbidden to work [Le 23:7, 8]; but while on the Sabbath they were not to do any work, on feast days they were permitted to dress meat—and hence the prohibition is restricted to "no servile work." At the same time, those two days were devoted to "holy convocation"—special seasons of social devotion. In addition to the ordinary sacrifices of every day, there were to be "offerings by fire" on the altar (see Nu 28:19), while unleavened bread was to be eaten in families all the seven days (see 1Co 5:8).
Le 23:9-14. The Sheaf of First Fruits.
10. ye shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest—A sheaf, literally, an omer, of the first-fruits of the barley harvest. The barley being sooner ripe than the other grains, the reaping of it formed the commencement of the general harvest season. The offering described in this passage was made on the sixteenth of the first month, the day following the first Passover Sabbath, which was on the fifteenth (corresponding to the beginning of our April); but it was reaped after sunset on the previous evening by persons deputed to go with sickles and obtain samples from different fields. These, being laid together in a sheaf or loose bundle, were brought to the court of the temple, where the grain was winnowed, parched, and bruised in a mortar. Then, after some incense had been sprinkled on it, the priest waved the sheaf aloft before the Lord towards the four different points of the compass, took a part of it and threw it into the fire of the altar—all the rest being reserved to himself. It was a proper and beautiful act, expressive of dependence on the God of nature and providence—common among all people, but more especially becoming the Israelites, who owed their land itself as well as all it produced to the divine bounty. The offering of the wave-sheaf sanctified the whole harvest (Ro 11:16). At the same time, this feast had a typical character, and pre-intimated the resurrection of Christ (1Co 15:20), who rose from the dead on the very day the first-fruits were offered.
Le 23:15-22. Feast of Pentecost.
15. ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath—that is, after the first day of the passover week, which was observed as a Sabbath.
16. number fifty days—The forty-ninth day after the presentation of the first-fruits, or the fiftieth, including it, was the feast of Pentecost. (See also Ex 23:16; De 16:9).
17. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals, &c.—These loaves were made of "fine" or wheaten flour, the quantity contained in them being somewhat more than ten pounds in weight. As the wave-sheaf gave the signal for the commencement, the two loaves solemnized the termination of the harvest season. They were the first-fruits of that season, being offered unto the Lord by the priest in name of the whole nation. (See Ex 34:22). The loaves used at the Passover were unleavened; those presented at Pentecost were leavened—a difference which is thus accounted for, that the one was a memorial of the bread hastily prepared at their departure, while the other was a tribute of gratitude to God for their daily food, which was leavened.
21. ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein—Though it extended over a week, the first day only was held as a Sabbath, both for the national offering of first-fruits and a memorial of the giving of the law.
22. thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, &c.—(See on Le 19:9). The repetition of this law here probably arose from the priests reminding the people, at the presentation of the first-fruits, to unite piety to God with charity to the poor.
Le 23:23-25. Feast of Trumpets.
24. In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath—That was the first day of the ancient civil year.
a memorial of blowing of trumpets—Jewish writers say that the trumpets were sounded thirty successive times, and the reason for the institution was for the double purpose of announcing the commencement of the new year, which was (Le 23:25) to be religiously observed (see Nu 29:3), and of preparing the people for the approaching solemn feast.
27-32. there shall be a day of atonement … and ye shall afflict your souls—an unusual festival, at which the sins of the whole year were expiated. (See Le 16:29-34). It is here only stated that the severest penalty was incurred by the violation of this day.
34-44. the feast of tabernacles, for seven days unto the Lord—This festival, which was instituted in grateful commemoration of the Israelites having securely dwelt in booths or tabernacles in the wilderness, was the third of the three great annual festivals, and, like the other two, it lasted a week. It began on the fifteenth day of the month, corresponding to the end of our September and beginning of October, which was observed as a Sabbath; and it could be celebrated only at the place of the sanctuary, offerings being made on the altar every day of its continuance. The Jews were commanded during the whole period of the festival to dwell in booths, which were erected on the flat roofs of houses, in the streets or fields; and the trees made use of are by some stated to be the citron, the palm, the myrtle, and the willow, while others maintain the people were allowed to take any trees they could obtain that were distinguished for verdure and fragrance. While the solid branches were reserved for the construction of the booths, the lighter branches were carried by men, who marched in triumphal procession, singing psalms and crying "Hosanna!" which signifies, "Save, we beseech thee!" (Ps 118:15, 25, 26). It was a season of great rejoicing. But the ceremony of drawing water from the pool, which was done on the last day, seems to have been the introduction of a later period (Joh 7:37). That last day was the eighth, and, on account of the scene at Siloam, was called "the great day of the feast." The feast of ingathering, when the vintage was over, was celebrated also on that day [Ex 23:16; 34:22], and, as the conclusion of one of the great festivals, it was kept as a sabbath.