Leviticus 23 - Introduction
_OF THE SABBATH AND THE GREAT ANNUAL FESTIVALS; THE PASSOVER, PENTECOST, FEAST OF TRUMPETS, DAY OF ATONEMENT, AND FEAST OF TABERNACLES._ _Before Christ 1490._... [ Continue Reading ]
_OF THE SABBATH AND THE GREAT ANNUAL FESTIVALS; THE PASSOVER, PENTECOST, FEAST OF TRUMPETS, DAY OF ATONEMENT, AND FEAST OF TABERNACLES._ _Before Christ 1490._... [ Continue Reading ]
CONCERNING THE FEASTS OF THE LORD, &C.— These words might be rendered more unexceptionably thus: _the solemnities of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim, with holy proclamations, are these my solemnities: i.e._ stripped of the Hebrew idiom, _these are the holy solemnities of the Lord, to be publicly p... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SABBATH OF THE LORD IN ALL YOUR DWELLINGS— The _Sabbath_ is first briefly mentioned, as being the first and chief of these solemn meetings; at all times and in all places religiously to be observed, _in all their dwellings._ REFLECTIONS.—The sabbath was a weekly feast, and still is such, to ever... [ Continue Reading ]
FOURTEENTH DAY OF THE FIRST MONTH— Concerning the passover, see Exodus 12 and Numbers 19:22 for the directions respecting the sacrifices mentioned Leviticus 23:8.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN YE BE COME INTO THE LAND— See Deuteronomy 12:10; Deuteronomy 12:32. This precept could not take place till they came into the land of Canaan, as they neither sowed nor reaped in the wilderness_:—and shall reap,_ might be rendered, more consistently with the context, _shall begin,_ or _be about... [ Continue Reading ]
ON THE MORROW AFTER THE SABBATH— By the _sabbath_ here, is to be understood, not the weekly sabbath, but the _first day_ of unleavened bread, spoken of Leviticus 23:7 which is called the _sabbath,_ or _rest,_ because it was a festival, whereon they were to rest from all servile labour, as was usual... [ Continue Reading ]
YE SHALL EAT NEITHER BREAD, NOR PARCHED CORN, &C.— That is, no bread or corn of this year's produce; a reasonable testimony of their respect and gratitude to God, the giver of all good gifts. Pliny tells us, that the Romans offered the first-fruits of their corn and wine to the gods, before they tas... [ Continue Reading ]
YE SHALL COUNT UNTO YOU FROM THE MORROW AFTER THE SABBATH— From the second day of unleavened bread, Leviticus 23:7; Leviticus 23:11 that is, from the 16th day of the first month, they were to reckon _seven sabbaths, i.e._ seven weeks _complete;_ and the next day after the seventh sabbath or week, ma... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY SHALL BE BAKEN WITH LEAVEN— No _leaven_ was to be burnt upon the altar; see ch. Leviticus 2:11. Accordingly, these _loaves_ were to be _waved before the Lord,_ not burnt upon the altar; see Leviticus 23:20. It is most probable that these _wave-loaves_ are enjoined to be made with leaven, (that... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ONE BULLOCK— In Numbers 28:27 there are two bullocks, and one ram; and here is one bullock, and two rams; those are an addition in respect of the feast day, and these are a further addition in respect of the two _loaves;_ and therefore to be offered _with them,_ as is here said: so that this day... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN YE REAP THE HARVEST OF YOUR LAND— See what has been advanced respecting this benevolent injunction, on chap. Leviticus 19:9. The reader cannot but observe with what great propriety it is repeated here, where the people, called to thankfulness to their God for the blessings of harvest, could sca... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE SEVENTH MONTH— This was the first month of the civil year, answering to our September, and was the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year. _A memorial of blowing of trumpets,_ some render _a festival for commemorating, or praising God, with the sound of the trumpet;_ see Psalms 150:3. This... [ Continue Reading ]
_LEVITICUS 23:27_. ALSO _ON THE TENTH DAY_— See the notes on ch. 16: REFLECTIONS.—The day of atonement was to be observed as a day of sacred rest, to be spent wholly in reflection upon and humiliation for the sins of the preceding year. A day of fasting: the body, as well as soul, must be afflicted,... [ Continue Reading ]
SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, SAYING, THE FIFTEENTH DAY, &C.— The next solemn meeting was called the _feast of tabernacles,_ upon which they dwelt for _seven days_ in _booths_ or _tabernacles,_ to commemorate their having dwelt for forty years in _tabernacles_ in the wilderness, Leviticus 23:42... [ Continue Reading ]
SEVEN DAYS YE SHALL OFFER— See Numbers 29:13; Numbers 29:40 for an account of the sacrifices offered upon this festival. The word rendered _solemn assembly,_ at the close of this verse, signifies properly, as in the margin of our English Bibles, _a day of restraint,_ or _detention; i.e._ from labour... [ Continue Reading ]
ALSO IN THE FIFTEENTH DAY, &C.— There being no connection of this verse with the former, אךֶ _ak,_ rendered _also,_ would be better rendered _moreover._... [ Continue Reading ]
YE SHALL TAKE YOU ON THE FIRST DAY THE BOUGHS, &C.— What we render _boughs of goodly trees,_ is, in the Hebrew, _the fruit of the beautiful tree;_ which the Targum explains _of the citron-tree;_ the _fruit_ of which the Jews still make use of at the feast of tabernacles; see Univ. Hist. book. 1 Chro... [ Continue Reading ]
YE SHALL KEEP IT A FEAST UNTO THE LORD SEVEN DAYS IN THE YEAR— These days were spent in great festivity and joy; the highest part of which consisted in the drawing and pouring out of water: the Talmudists say of this, that he who never saw the rejoicing of drawing of water, knows not what rejoicing... [ Continue Reading ]