Leviticus23
American Standard Version · Public Domain
1And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
2Speak 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.
3Six 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.
4These are the set feasts of Jehovah, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their appointed season.
5In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, is Jehovah’s passover.
6And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto Jehovah: seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread.
7In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work.
8But 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.
9And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
10Speak 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:
11and he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
12And 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.
13And 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.
14And 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.
15And 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:
16even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meal-offering unto Jehovah.
17Ye 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.
18And 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.
19And ye shall offer one he-goat for a sin-offering, and two he-lambs a year old for a sacrifice of peace-offerings.
20And 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.
21And 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.
22And 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.
23And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
24Speak 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.
25Ye shall do no servile work; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.
26And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
27Howbeit 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.
28And 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.
29For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day; he shall be cut off from his people.
30And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any manner of work in that same day, that soul will I destroy from among his people.
31Ye shall do no manner of work: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
32It 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.
33And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
34Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto Jehovah.
35On the first day shall be a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work.
36Seven 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.
37These 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;
38besides the sabbaths of Jehovah, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill-offerings, which ye give unto Jehovah.
39Howbeit 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.
40And 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.
41And 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.
42Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in booths;
43that 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.
44And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the set feasts of Jehovah.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Leviticus 23.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The feasts of the Lord, The Sabbath. (1–3). The Passover, The offering of first-fruits. (4–14). The feast of Pentecost. (15–22). The feast of Trumpets, The day of atonement. (23–32). The feast of Tabernacles. (33–44).
vv1-3
In this chapter we have the institution of holy times; many of which have been mentioned before. Though the yearly feasts were made more remarkable by general attendance at the sanctuary, yet these must not be observed more than the sabbath. On that day they must withdraw from all business of the world. It is a sabbath of rest, typifying spiritual rest from sin, and rest in God. God's sabbaths are to be religiously observed in every private house, by every family apart, as well as by families together, in holy assemblies. The sabbath of the Lord in our dwellings will be their beauty, strength, and safety; it will sanctify, build up, and glorify them.
vv4-14
The feast of the Passover was to continue seven days; not idle days, spent in sport, as many that are called Christians spend their holy-days. Offerings were made to the Lord at his altar; and the people were taught to employ their time in prayer, and praise, and godly meditation. The sheaf of first-fruits was typical of the Lord Jesus, who is risen from the dead as the First-fruits of them that slept. Our Lord Jesus rose from the dead on the very day that the first-fruits were offered. We are taught by this law to honour the Lord with our substance, and with the first-fruits of all our increase, Pr 3:9. They were not to eat of their new corn, till God's part was offered to him out of it; and we must always begin with God: begin every day with him, begin every meal with him, begin every affair and business with him; seek first the kingdom of God.
vv15-22
The feast of Weeks was held in remembrance of the giving of the law, fifty days after the departure from Egypt; and looked forward to the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, fifty days after Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. On that day the apostles presented the first-fruits of the Christian church to God. To the institution of the feast of Pentecost, is added a repetition of that law, by which they were required to leave the gleanings of their fields. Those who are truly sensible of the mercy they received from God, will show mercy to the poor without grudging.
Key Words
דָבַר: perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue
מֹשֶׁה: Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiver
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
מוֹעֵד: properly, an appointment, i.e. a fixed time or season; specifically, a festival; conventionally ayear; by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand)
קָרָא: to call out to (i.e. properly, address by name, but used in a wide variety of applications)
קֹדֶשׁ: a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity
מִקְרָא: something called out, i.e. a public meeting (the act, the persons, or the place); also a rehearsal
שֵׁשׁ: six (as an overplus beyond five or the fingers of the hand); as ord. sixth
Cross References
Leviticus 23The wave-sheaf of firstfruits directly typifies Christ risen from the dead as the firstfruits of believers.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Pentecost (fifty days after the sheaf offering) is fulfilled by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Gives the detailed sacrificial offerings prescribed for the Feast of Trumpets on the first of the seventh month.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Specifies the precise sacrificial offerings for the Day of Atonement alongside the self-affliction.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Direct historical fulfillment where post-exilic Israel restored this specific command to construct and dwell in booths.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Christ is our ultimate Passover sacrificed for us, fulfilling the redemption memorialized here.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallels the instruction on counting weeks from the time Israel begins to put the sickle to the corn.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Establishment of the tenth day of the seventh month for afflicting souls and resting.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
The post-exilic community discovers and acts upon the command to dwell in booths during this feast.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Details the joyful celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles after gathering the corn and wine.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Specifically lists the gathering of olive, pine, myrtle, and palm branches to make booths.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Typified the patriarchs living in temporary dwellings as strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallel Deuteronomic legislation concerning the observation of the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Supported by John Calvin
Spiritual fulfillment of eating unleavened bread, representing sincerity and truth.
Supported by JFB
Establishes the first and seventh days of Unleavened Bread as holy convocations with no servile work.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Exhorts honoring the Lord with the firstfruits of all increase before consuming the rest.
Supported by Matthew Henry
If the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; the wave-sheaf sanctified the harvest.
Supported by JFB
Expands the gleaning laws for the poor, stranger, fatherless, and widow.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Commandment to blow the trumpets over sacrifices and on the beginnings of months.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Prophetic requirement for all nations to worship God by keeping the Feast of Tabernacles.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Jesus stands and cries out on the eighth, 'that great day of the feast.'
Supported by Matthew Henry
Records the literal implementation of keeping the feast for seven days, following the Levitical mandate.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Mandated reading the Law at the Feast of Tabernacles so succeeding generations would learn to fear God.
Supported by JFB
Specifies the offerings and the prohibition of servile work on the first day of Unleavened Bread.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Details the preparation of the meat offering of firstfruits as green ears of corn dried.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Believers are begotten by the word of truth to be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Further sacrificial regulations for the day of the firstfruits at the Feast of Weeks.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Verbatim parallel command to not clean reap corners of fields or gather gleanings.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Exhortation to blow the trumpet in the new moon and at the solemn feast day.
Supported by JFB
Identifies the eighth day of the festival as a solemn assembly with no servile work.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Provides the specific sacrificial regulations for this seven-day feast of the seventh month.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Reinforces the obligation to teach future generations the historical saving acts of God.
Supported by JFB
Commandment to blow the trumpets over sacrifices and during solemn feasts and new moons.
Supported by Matthew Poole
New Testament instruction regarding the shadow of things to come, including sabbaths and holy days.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Connects the physical sabbaths of rest to the spiritual rest believers enter through faith.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Frames the conclusion of the chapter, echoing the opening charge to declare the feasts of the Lord.
Supported by Matthew Poole, Calvin