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Texts -- Leviticus 23:1-21 (NET)

Context
Regulations for Israel’s Appointed Times
23:1 The Lord spoke to Moses : 23:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘These are the Lord’s appointed times which you must proclaim as holy assemblies – my appointed times :
The Weekly Sabbath
23:3 “‘Six days work may be done , but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest , a holy assembly . You must not do any work ; it is a Sabbath to the Lord in all the places where you live .
The Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread
23:4 “‘These are the Lord’s appointed times , holy assemblies , which you must proclaim at their appointed time . 23:5 In the first month , on the fourteenth day of the month , at twilight , is a Passover offering to the Lord . 23:6 Then on the fifteenth day of the same month will be the festival of unleavened bread to the Lord ; seven days you must eat unleavened bread . 23:7 On the first day there will be a holy assembly for you; you must not do any regular work . 23:8 You must present a gift to the Lord for seven days , and the seventh day is a holy assembly ; you must not do any regular work .’”
The Presentation of First Fruits
23:9 The Lord spoke to Moses : 23:10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land that I am about to give to you and you gather in its harvest , then you must bring the sheaf of the first portion of your harvest to the priest , 23:11 and he must wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted for your benefit– on the day after the Sabbath the priest is to wave it. 23:12 On the day you wave the sheaf you must also offer a flawless yearling lamb for a burnt offering to the Lord , 23:13 along with its grain offering , two tenths of an ephah of choice wheat flour mixed with olive oil , as a gift to the Lord , a soothing aroma , and its drink offering , one fourth of a hin of wine . 23:14 You must not eat bread , roasted grain , or fresh grain until this very day , until you bring the offering of your God . This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all the places where you live .
The Festival of Weeks
23:15 “‘You must count for yourselves seven weeks from the day after the Sabbath , from the day you bring the wave offering sheaf ; they must be complete weeks . 23:16 You must count fifty days – until the day after the seventh Sabbath – and then you must present a new grain offering to the Lord . 23:17 From the places where you live you must bring two loaves of bread for a wave offering ; they must be made from two tenths of an ephah of fine wheat flour , baked with yeast , as first fruits to the Lord . 23:18 Along with the loaves of bread , you must also present seven flawless yearling lambs , one young bull , and two rams . They are to be a burnt offering to the Lord along with their grain offering and drink offerings , a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord . 23:19 You must also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two yearling lambs for a peace offering sacrifice , 23:20 and the priest is to wave them– the two lambs – along with the bread of the first fruits , as a wave offering before the Lord ; they will be holy to the Lord for the priest . 23:21 “‘On this very day you must proclaim an assembly; it is to be a holy assembly for you. You must not do any regular work . This is a perpetual statute in all the places where you live throughout your generations .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Passover

    [ebd] the name given to the chief of the three great historical annual festivals of the Jews. It was kept in remembrance of the Lord's passing over the houses of the Israelites (Ex. 12:13) when the first born of all the Egyptians ...
    [isbe] PASSOVER - pas'-o-ver (pecach, from pacach, "to pass" or "spring over" or "to spare" (Ex 12:13,23,17; compare Isa 31:5]. Other conjectures connect the word with the "passing over" into a new year, with assyr pasahu, meaning ...
    [smith] the first of the three great annual festivals of the Israelites celebrated in the month Nisan (March-April, from the 14th to the 21st. (Strictly speaking the Passover only applied to the paschal supper and the feast of unleav...
    [nave] PASSOVER Institution of, Ex. 12:3-49; 23:15-18; 34:18; Lev. 23:4-8; Num. 9:2-5, 13, 14; 28:16-25; Deut. 16:1-8, 16; Psa. 81:3, 5. Design of, Ex. 12:21-28. Special passover, for those who were unclean, or on journey, to be ...

  • Convocation

    [ebd] a meeting of a religious character as distinguished from congregation, which was more general, dealing with political and legal matters. Hence it is called an "holy convocation." Such convocations were the Sabbaths (Lev. 23:...
    [nave] CONVOCATION, Holy Three held aually by the Israelites, Lev. 23. See: Feasts.

  • Sabbath

    [ebd] (Heb. verb shabbath, meaning "to rest from labour"), the day of rest. It is first mentioned as having been instituted in Paradise, when man was in innocence (Gen. 2:2). "The sabbath was made for man," as a day of rest and re...
    [isbe] SABBATH - sab'-ath (shabbath, shabbathon; sabbaton, ta sabbata; the root shabhath in Hebrew means "to desist," "cease," "rest"): I. ORIGIN OF THE SABBATH 1. The Biblical Account 2. Critical Theories II. HISTORY OF THE SABBAT...
    [smith] (shabbath), "a day of rest," from shabath "to cease to do to," "to rest"). The name is applied to divers great festivals, but principally and usually to the seventh day of the week, the strict observance of which is enforced ...
    [nave] SABBATH Signifying a rest period, Gen. 2:2, 3; Lev. 23; 25; 26:34, 35. Preparations for, Ex. 16:22; Matt. 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:31. Religious usages on, Gen. 2:3; Mark 6:2; Luke 4:16, 31; 6:6; 13:10; Acts ...

  • Pentecost

    [ebd] i.e., "fiftieth", found only in the New Testament (Acts 2:1; 20:16; 1 Cor. 16:8). The festival so named is first spoken of in Ex. 23:16 as "the feast of harvest," and again in Ex. 34:22 as "the day of the firstfruits" (Num. ...
    [isbe] PENTECOST - pen'-te-kost: 1. In the Old Testament: As the name indicates (pentekoste), this second of the great Jewish national festivals was observed on the 50th day, or 7 weeks, from the Paschal Feast, and therefore in the...
    [smith] that is, the fiftieth day (from a Greek word meaning fiftieth), or Harvest Feast, or Feast of Weeks, may be regarded as a supplement to the Passover. It lasted for but one day. From the sixteenth of Nisan seven weeks were rec...
    [nave] PENTECOST Called Feast of Weeks, Ex. 34:22; Deut. 16:10; Feast of Harvest, Ex. 23:16; Day of Firstfruits, Num. 28:26; Day of Pentecost, Acts 2:1; 20:16; 1 Cor. 16:8. Institution of, Ex. 23:16; 34:22; Lev. 23:15-21; Num. 28:...

  • LAW IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

    [isbe] LAW IN THE OLD TESTAMENT - || I. TERMS USED 1. Torah ("Law") 2. Synonyms of Torah (1) Mitswah ("Command") (2) `Edhah ("Witness," "Testimony") (3) MishpaTim ("Judgments") (4) Chuqqim ("Statutes") (5) Piqqudhim ("Precepts") II...

  • TRUMPETS, FEAST OF

    [isbe] TRUMPETS, FEAST OF - 1. Description: In Lev 23:23-25 the first day (new moon) of the seventh month is set apart as a solemn rest, "a memorial of blowing of trumpets" (the Hebrew leaves "of trumpets" to be understood), signal...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • CRITICISM

    [isbe] CRITICISM - (The Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis) I. PRELIMINARY 1. Thesis 2. Historical Perspective 3. Inspiration and Criticism II. THE LEGISLATION 1. Groups 2. Covenant Code 3. The Sanctuary 4. Kinds of Sacrifice 5. Sacrifice ...

  • FEASTS AND FASTS

    [isbe] FEASTS AND FASTS - fests (mo`edh, "an appointed day" or "an assembling," chagh, from chaghagh, "to dance" or possibly "to make a pilgrimage"; tsom, "fast," ta`anith, "a day of affliction"): I. PRE-EXILIC A) Annual 1. Passove...

  • LEVITICUS, 1

    [isbe] LEVITICUS, 1 - le-vit'-i-kus: I. GENERAL DATA 1. Name 2. Character of Book 3. Unity of Book: Law of Holiness Examination of Critical Theory II. STRUCTURE 1. Modern Analyses (1) Theories of Disintegration (2) Reasons for Dism...

  • Festivals, Religious

    [ebd] There were daily (Lev. 23), weekly, monthly, and yearly festivals, and great stress was laid on the regular observance of them in every particular (Num. 28:1-8; Ex. 29:38-42; Lev. 6:8-23; Ex. 30:7-9; 27:20). (1.) The septena...

  • TABERNACLE, B

    [isbe] TABERNACLE, B - B. IN CRITICISM I. CONSERVATIVE AND CRITICAL VIEWS II. ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT OF THE CRITICAL THEORY EXAMINED 1. Not Stated, That the Temple Was Constructed after the Pattern of the Tabernacle 2. No Trace of th...

  • SACRIFICE

    [ebd] The offering up of sacrifices is to be regarded as a divine institution. It did not originate with man. God himself appointed it as the mode in which acceptable worship was to be offered to him by guilty man. The language an...
    [smith] The peculiar features of each kind of sacrifice are referred to under their respective heads. I. (A) ORIGIN OF SACRIFICE. --The universal prevalence of sacrifice shows it to have been primeval, and deeply rooted in the instin...

  • Firstfruits

    [smith] The law ordered in general that the first of all ripe fruits and of liquors, or, as it is twice expressed, the first of first-fruits, should be offered in God?s house. (Exodus 22:29; 23:19; 34:27) It was an act of allegiance...
    [nave] FIRSTFRUITS First ripe of fruits, grain, oil, wine, and first of fleece, required as an offering, Ex. 22:29; Lev. 2:12-16; Num. 18:12; Deut. 18:4; 2 Chr. 31:5; Neh. 10:35, 37, 39; Prov. 3:9; Jer. 2:3; Rom. 11:16. Offerings ...

  • Harvest

    [ebd] the season for gathering grain or fruit. On the 16th day of Abib (or April) a handful of ripe ears of corn was offered as a first-fruit before the Lord, and immediately after this the harvest commenced (Lev. 23:9-14; 2 Sam. ...
    [isbe] HARVEST - har'-vest (qatsir; therismos): To many of us, harvest time is of little concern, because in our complex life we are far removed from the actual production of our food supplies, but for the Hebrew people, as for tho...
    [nave] HARVEST Sabbath to be observed in, Ex. 34:21. Sabbath desecrated in, Neh. 13:15-22. Of wheat at Pentecost, in Palestine, Ex. 34:22; Lev. 23:15-17; and before vintage, Lev. 26:5. Of barley, before wheat, Ex. 9:31, 32. Cel...

  • SACRIFICE, IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, 2

    [isbe] SACRIFICE, IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, 2 - V. The Mosaic Sacrificial System. 1. The Covenant Sacrifice: The fundamental function of Moses' work was to establish the covenant between Israel and God. This important transaction took ...

  • FIRST-FRUITS

    [ebd] The first-fruits of the ground were offered unto God just as the first-born of man and animals. The law required, (1.) That on the morrow after the Passover Sabbath a sheaf of new corn should be waved by the priest before th...
    [isbe] FIRST-FRUITS - furst'-froots (re'shith, bikkurim; aparche. Septuagint translates re'shith by aparche, but for bikkurim it uses the word protogennemata; compare Philo 22 33): In acknowledgment of the fact that the land and al...

  • Abib

    [ebd] an ear of corn, the month of newly-ripened grain (Ex. 13:4; 23:15); the first of the Jewish ecclesiastical year, and the seventh of the civil year. It began about the time of the vernal equinox, on 21st March. It was called ...

  • Offerings

    [nave] OFFERINGS Offered at the door of the tabernacle, Lev. 1:3; 3:2; 17:4, 8, 9; of the temple, 2 Chr. 7:12; 1 Kin. 8:62; 12:27. All animal sacrifices must be eight days old or over, Lev. 22:27. Must be salted, Lev. 2:13; Ezek....

  • Sanitation

    [nave] SANITATION. Carcasses Lev. 5:2; Lev. 10:4, 5; Lev. 11:24-28, 31-40; Lev. 22:4, 6; Num. 9:6, 10; Num. 19:11-16; Num. 31:19; Deut. 21:22, 23 Childbirth Lev. 12:3; Ezek. 16:4 Circumcision See: Circumcision. Contagion Le...
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Arts

Hymns

(Note: In "active" or "on" condition, the hymns music will be played automatically when mouse hover on a hymns title)
  • Inilah Hari Kelima Puluh [KJ.241]
  • [Lev 23:3] Holy Sabbath
  • [Lev 23:3] Lord, This Day Thy Children Meet
  • [Lev 23:3] Opening Hymn

Questions

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Moses revealed God's purpose for giving the Mosaic Covenant in this chapter.19:1-6 The Israelites arrived at the base of the mountain where God gave them the law about three months after they had left Egypt, in May-June (v. 1...
  • The Hebrews derived the title of this book from the first word in it, wayyiqra', translated "And He [the Lord] called"(1:1). "And"or "then"is a conjunction that shows that what follows in Leviticus is a continuation of the na...
  • "At first sight the book of Leviticus might appear to be a haphazard, even repetitious arrangement of enactments involving the future life in Canaan of the Israelite people. Closer examination will reveal, however, that quite...
  • Leviticus continues revelation concerning the second of three elements necessary for any nation to exist, namely, a people (Gen. 12:10--Exod. 19), their law (Exod. 20--Num. 10:10), and their land (Num. 10:11--Josh. 24).Leviti...
  • The peace (fellowship, NIV) offering was the third sacrifice of worship. It represented the fellowship between God and man that resulted from the relationship that God had established with the redeemed individual. Peace and f...
  • The sacrifices and offerings that Moses described thus far in the law were not sufficient to cleanse all the defilement that the sins of the people created. Much sinfulness still needed covering. Therefore God appointed a yea...
  • The second major division of Leviticus deals with how the Israelites were to express their worship of Yahweh in their private lives."The first sixteen chapters of Leviticus are concerned primarily with establishment and maint...
  • We move from public regulations in chapter 16 to intimate regulations in chapter 18 with chapter 17 providing the transition. In contrast to the first sixteen chapters, chapter 17 says very little about the role of the priest...
  • God considered the Israelites (chs. 17-20), the priests, the holy gifts, and the sacrifices (chs. 21-22) as set apart to Him as holy. He regarded certain days and times of the year in the same way (ch. 23). This chapter conta...
  • The Sabbath (v. 3) was, of course, a weekly observance in contrast to the other feasts that occurred only once a year. Moses introduced the annual holidays in verse 4. God had prescribed Sabbath observance earlier (Exod. 20:8...
  • Verse 4 introduces the seven annual festivals.In one sense the Passover (Heb. Pesah, v. 5) was the most important feast (cf. Exod. 12:1-28). It commemorated God's deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery by a powerful supe...
  • The Feast of Firstfruits included the presentation of firstfruits of the spring barley harvest in the Promised Land. The Israelites also offered a lamb, flour, and wine, all representative of God's provisions of spiritual and...
  • This festival had several names: Harvest, Weeks, and Pentecost (Gr. pentekostos, meaning "fiftieth"). It fell at the end of the spring harvest 50 days after Passover, namely, the day after the end of the seventh week. Penteco...
  • During the seventh month of Israel's religious calendar three festivals took place. This reflects the importance that God attached to the number seven in the Mosaic economy. Not only was the seventh day special (v. 3) but so ...
  • Genesis reveals how people can have a relationship with God. This comes through trust in God and obedience to Him. Faith is the key word in Genesis. God proves Himself faithful in this book.Exodus reveals that God is also sov...
  • Another step in preparing to enter Canaan involved setting forth in an organized fashion all the sacrifices that God required the priests to offer for the whole nation during a year. These offerings maintained fellowship with...
  • The point of connection of this section with what precedes is the sacrificial meals. Moses repeated here the instructions regarding those important feasts that included sacrificial meals that the people would eat at the taber...
  • God eventually withdrew the famine from Judah (v. 6) probably in response to His people's calling out to Him for deliverance (cf. Judg. 3:9, 15; 4:3; 6:6; 10:10; 16:28). This verse sounds one of the major themes of the story:...
  • Compared with the dedication of the first temple this one was very modest. Solomon had offered more than 200 times as many animals.96The Jews offered one sin offering, which involved slaying a goat, for each of the 12 tribes ...
  • Note that the spiritually revived people had an insatiable appetite to learn more about God's Word. This is a normal outcome of true revival.Apparently part of what Ezra and his associates read to the people, or at least to t...
  • 2:1-2a The Lord spoke to Jeremiah and instructed him to proclaim a message to the people of Jerusalem, a message from Yahweh.2:2b The Lord recalled how His people used to love (Heb. hesed) Him devotedly when they were followi...
  • There were three aspects to Judah's failure: the people's perversity (vv. 20-25), their injustice (vv. 26-29), and their leaders (vv. 30-31).143"Jeremiah rebukes the Judeans as a whole for their utter stupidity and lack of mo...
  • 45:18-20 On the first new year's day of each year the people should offer a young bull without blemish to cleanse the accumulated sinful defilement of the sanctuary. The priest in charge was to apply some of the blood of a si...
  • Joel called on four different entities to mourn the results of the locust invasion: drunkards (vv. 5-7), the land (vv. 8-10), farmers (vv. 11-12), and priests (v. 13). In each section there is a call to mourn followed by reas...
  • This parable stresses the extensive ultimate consequences of the kingdom that would be out of all proportion to its insignificant beginnings."Whereas the parable of the mustard seed answers the question of whether the phase o...
  • 27:51a The inner veil of the temple is undoubtedly in view here, the one separating the holy place from the holy of holies (cf. Heb. 4:16; 6:19-20; 9:11-28; 10:19-22). The tearing happened at 3:00 p.m., the time of the evenin...
  • John omitted the earthquake, the angel rolling away the stone that covered the tomb entrance, and his sitting on the stone (Matt. 28:2-3). He also did not include the appearance of two angels to the women who visited the tomb...
  • Paul began by reaffirming their commonly held belief: Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. In this section the apostle stressed the objective reality of both Jesus Christ's death and resurrection.15:1 The Corinthians and al...
  • Paul turned next to show that the resurrection of Christ makes the resurrection of believers both necessary and inevitable. The consequences of this fact are as glorious as the effects of His not being raised are dismal. Thos...
  • As the preceding verse revealed, Paul's plans were tentative to some extent. He wanted the Corinthians to know that he anticipated a return to Corinth and hopefully a stay of several months. Timothy and Apollos might return t...
  • 2:26 The "these things"in view probably refer to what John had just written (vv. 18-25)."The author concludes his attack on the false teachers with a warning and a word of encouragement for his followers."992:27 The "anointin...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • Lev. 23:33-44And 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 s...
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