Exodus 12:14

12:14 This day will become ¹  a memorial ²  for you, and you will celebrate it as a festival ³  to the Lord – you will celebrate it perpetually as a lasting ordinance. ⁴ 

Exodus 12:42

12:42 It was a night of vigil for the Lord to bring them out from the land of Egypt, ⁵  and so ⁶  on this night all Israel is to keep the vigil ⁷  to the Lord for generations to come.

Exodus 16:25

16:25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the area. ⁸ 

Isaiah 58:5

58:5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want? ⁹ 

Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, ¹⁰ 

bowing their heads like a reed

and stretching out ¹¹  on sackcloth and ashes?

Is this really what you call a fast,

a day that is pleasing to the Lord?

Zechariah 7:5-6

7:5 “Speak to all the people and priests of the land as follows: ‘When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and seventh ¹²  months through all these seventy years, did you truly fast for me – for me, indeed? 7:6 And now when you eat and drink, are you not doing so for yourselves?’”

¹ tn Heb “and this day will be.”

² tn The expression “will be for a memorial” means “will become a memorial.”

³ tn The verb וְחַגֹּתֶם (vÿkhaggotem), a perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive to continue the instruction, is followed by the cognate accusative חַג (khag), for emphasis. As the wording implies and the later legislation required, this would involve a pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Yahweh.

⁴ tn Two expressions show that this celebration was to be kept perpetually: the line has “for your generations, [as] a statute forever.” “Generations” means successive generations (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 94). עוֹלָם (’olam) means “ever, forever, perpetual” – no end in sight.

⁵ tn There is some ambiguity in לֵיל שִׁמֻּרִים הוּא לַיהוָה (lel shimmurim hu’ la’adonay [layhveh]). It is likely that this first clause means that Yahweh was on watch for Israel to bring them out, as the next clause says. He was protecting his people (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 102). Then, the night of vigil will be transferred to Israel, who now must keep it “to” him.

⁶ tn “and so” has been supplied.

⁷ tn Heb “this night is for Yahweh a vigil for all Israelites for their generations.”

⁸ tn Heb “in the field” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV, NRSV); NAB, NIV, NLT “on the ground.”

⁹ tn Heb “choose” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB “wish.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “a day when man humbles himself.” The words “Do I want” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹¹ tn Or “making [their] bed.”

¹² tn The seventh month apparently refers to the anniversary of the assassination of Gedaliah, governor of Judah (Jer 40:13-14; 41:1), in approximately 581 b.c.