Discovery BoxLeviticus 23:1-44
Context23:1 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: 1
23:3 “‘Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest, 2 a holy assembly. You must not do any work; it is a Sabbath to the Lord in all the places where you live.
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, 3 is a Passover offering to the Lord. 23:6 Then on the fifteenth day of the same month 4 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. 5 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.’”
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, 6 then you must bring the sheaf of the first portion of your harvest 7 to the priest, 23:11 and he must wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted for your benefit 8 – on the day after the Sabbath the priest is to wave it. 9 23:12 On the day you wave the sheaf you must also offer 10 a flawless yearling lamb 11 for a burnt offering to the Lord, 23:13 along with its grain offering, two tenths of an ephah of 12 choice wheat flour 13 mixed with olive oil, as a gift to the Lord, a soothing aroma, 14 and its drink offering, one fourth of a hin of wine. 15 23:14 You must not eat bread, roasted grain, or fresh grain until this very day, 16 until you bring the offering of your God. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations 17 in all the places where you live.
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. 18 23:16 You must count fifty days – until the day after the seventh Sabbath – and then 19 you must present a new grain offering to the Lord. 23:17 From the places where you live you must bring two loaves of 20 bread for a wave offering; they must be made from two tenths of an ephah of fine wheat flour, baked with yeast, 21 as first fruits to the Lord. 23:18 Along with the loaves of bread, 22 you must also present seven flawless yearling lambs, 23 one young bull, 24 and two rams. 25 They are to be a burnt offering to the Lord along with their grain offering 26 and drink offerings, a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord. 27 23:19 You must also offer 28 one male goat 29 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 30 – 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. 31 You must not do any regular work. This is a perpetual statute in all the places where you live throughout your generations. 32 23:22 When you gather in the harvest 33 of your land, you must not completely harvest the corner of your field, 34 and you must not gather up the gleanings of your harvest. You must leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.’” 35
23:23 The Lord spoke to Moses: 23:24 “Tell the Israelites, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you must have a complete rest, a memorial announced by loud horn blasts, 36 a holy assembly. 23:25 You must not do any regular work, but 37 you must present a gift to the Lord.’”
23:26 The Lord spoke to Moses: 23:27 “The 38 tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. 39 It is to be a holy assembly for you, and you must humble yourselves 40 and present a gift to the Lord. 23:28 You must not do any work on this particular day, 41 because it is a day of atonement to make atonement for yourselves 42 before the Lord your God. 23:29 Indeed, 43 any person who does not behave with humility on this particular day will be cut off from his people. 44 23:30 As for any person 45 who does any work on this particular day, I will exterminate 46 that person from the midst of his people! 47 23:31 You must not do any work. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations 48 in all the places where you live. 23:32 It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must humble yourselves on the ninth day of the month in the evening, from evening until evening you must observe your Sabbath.” 49
23:33 The Lord spoke to Moses: 23:34 “Tell the Israelites, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Festival of Temporary Shelters 50 for seven days to the Lord. 23:35 On the first day is a holy assembly; you must do no regular work. 51 23:36 For seven days you must present a gift to the Lord. On the eighth day there is to be a holy assembly for you, and you must present a gift to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly day; 52 you must not do any regular work.
23:37 “‘These are the appointed times of the Lord that you must proclaim as holy assemblies to present a gift to the Lord – burnt offering, grain offering, sacrifice, and drink offerings, 53 each day according to its regulation, 54 23:38 besides 55 the Sabbaths of the Lord and all your gifts, votive offerings, and freewill offerings which you must give to the Lord.
23:39 “‘On 56 the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you gather in the produce of the land, you must celebrate a pilgrim festival of the Lord for seven days. On the first day is a complete rest and on the eighth day is complete rest. 23:40 On the first day you must take for yourselves branches from majestic trees 57 – palm branches, branches of leafy trees, and willows of the brook – and you must rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 23:41 You must celebrate it as a pilgrim festival to the Lord for seven days in the year. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations; 58 you must celebrate it in the seventh month. 23:42 You must live in temporary shelters 59 for seven days; every native citizen in Israel must live in temporary shelters, 23:43 so that your future generations may know that I made the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”
23:44 So Moses spoke to the Israelites about the appointed times of the Lord. 60
Numbers 28:1--29:40
Context28:1 61 The Lord spoke to Moses: 28:2 “Command the Israelites: 62 ‘With regard to my offering, 63 be sure to offer 64 my food for my offering made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to me at its appointed time.’ 65 28:3 You will say to them, ‘This is the offering made by fire which you must offer to the Lord: two unblemished lambs one year old each day for a continual 66 burnt offering. 28:4 The first lamb you must offer in the morning, and the second lamb you must offer in the late afternoon, 67 28:5 with one-tenth of an ephah 68 of finely ground flour as a grain offering mixed with one quarter of a hin 69 of pressed olive oil. 28:6 It is a continual burnt offering that was instituted on Mount Sinai as a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.
28:7 “‘And its drink offering must be one quarter of a hin for each lamb. 70 You must pour out the strong drink 71 as a drink offering to the Lord in the holy place. 28:8 And the second lamb you must offer in the late afternoon; just as you offered the grain offering and drink offering in the morning, 72 you must offer it as an offering made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
28:9 “‘On the Sabbath day, you must offer 73 two unblemished lambs a year old, and two-tenths of an ephah 74 of finely ground flour as a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, along with its drink offering. 28:10 This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, 75 besides the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.
28:11 “‘On the first day of each month 76 you must offer as a burnt offering to the Lord two young bulls, one ram, and seven unblemished lambs a year old, 28:12 with three-tenths of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for each bull, and two-tenths of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for the ram, 28:13 and one-tenth of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for each lamb, as a burnt offering for a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord. 28:14 For their drink offerings, include 77 half a hin of wine with each bull, one-third of a hin for the ram, and one-fourth of a hin for each lamb. This is the burnt offering for each month 78 throughout the months of the year. 28:15 And one male goat 79 must be offered to the Lord as a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.
28:16 “‘On the fourteenth day of the first month is the Lord’s Passover. 28:17 And on the fifteenth day of this month is the festival. For seven days bread made without yeast must be eaten. 28:18 And on the first day there is to be a holy assembly; you must do no ordinary work 80 on it.
28:19 “‘But you must offer to the Lord an offering made by fire, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs one year old; they must all be unblemished. 81 28:20 And their grain offering is to be of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil. For each bull you must offer three-tenths of an ephah, and two-tenths for the ram. 28:21 For each of the seven lambs you are to offer one-tenth of an ephah, 28:22 as well as one goat for a purification offering, to make atonement for you. 28:23 You must offer these in addition to the burnt offering in the morning which is for a continual burnt offering. 28:24 In this manner you must offer daily throughout the seven days the food of the sacrifice made by fire as a sweet aroma to the Lord. It is to be offered in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering. 28:25 On the seventh day you are to have a holy assembly, you must do no regular work.
28:26 “‘Also, on the day of the first fruits, when you bring a new grain offering to the Lord during your Feast of Weeks, you are to have a holy assembly. You must do no ordinary work. 28:27 But you must offer as the burnt offering, as a sweet aroma to the Lord, two young bulls, one ram, seven lambs one year old, 28:28 with their grain offering of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each bull, two-tenths for the one ram, 28:29 with one-tenth for each of the seven lambs, 28:30 as well as one male goat to make an atonement for you. 28:31 You are to offer them with their drink offerings in addition to the continual burnt offering and its grain offering – they must be unblemished.
29:1 “‘On the first day of the seventh month, you are to hold a holy assembly. You must not do your ordinary work, for it is a day of blowing trumpets for you. 29:2 You must offer a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the Lord: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs one year old without blemish.
29:3 “‘Their grain offering is to be of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil, three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths of an ephah for the ram, 29:4 and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs, 29:5 with one male goat for a purification offering to make an atonement for you; 29:6 this is in addition to the monthly burnt offering and its grain offering, and the daily burnt offering with its grain offering and their drink offerings as prescribed, as a sweet aroma, a sacrifice made by fire to the Lord.
29:7 “‘On the tenth day of this seventh month you are to have a holy assembly. You must humble yourselves; 82 you must not do any work on it. 29:8 But you must offer a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs one year old, all of them without blemish. 83 29:9 Their grain offering must be of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil, three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, 29:10 and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs, 29:11 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the purification offering for atonement and the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and their drink offerings.
29:12 “‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you are to have a holy assembly; you must do no ordinary work, and you must keep a festival to the Lord for seven days. 29:13 You must offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the Lord: thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs each one year old, all of them without blemish. 29:14 Their grain offering must be of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil, three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths of an ephah for each of the two rams, 29:15 and one-tenth for each of the fourteen lambs, 29:16 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
29:17 “‘On the second day you must offer twelve young bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, 29:18 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, 29:19 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and their drink offerings.
29:20 “‘On the third day you must offer 84 eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, 29:21 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, 29:22 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
29:23 “‘On the fourth day you must offer ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, 29:24 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, 29:25 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
29:26 “‘On the fifth day you must offer nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, 29:27 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, 29:28 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
29:29 “‘On the sixth day you must offer eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, 29:30 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, 29:31 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
29:32 “‘On the seventh day you must offer seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, 29:33 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, 29:34 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
29:35 “‘On the eighth day you are to have a holy assembly; you must do no ordinary work on it. 29:36 But you must offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, one bull, one ram, seven lambs one year old, all of them without blemish, 29:37 and with their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, 29:38 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
29:39 “‘These things you must present to the Lord at your appointed times, in addition to your vows and your freewill offerings, as your burnt offerings, your grain offerings, your drink offerings, and your peace offerings.’” 29:40 (30:1) 85 So Moses told the Israelites everything, just as the Lord had commanded him. 86
Deuteronomy 16:1-17
Context16:1 Observe the month Abib 87 and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in that month 88 he 89 brought you out of Egypt by night. 16:2 You must sacrifice the Passover animal 90 (from the flock or the herd) to the Lord your God in the place where he 91 chooses to locate his name. 16:3 You must not eat any yeast with it; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast, symbolic of affliction, for you came out of Egypt hurriedly. You must do this so you will remember for the rest of your life the day you came out of the land of Egypt. 16:4 There must not be a scrap of yeast within your land 92 for seven days, nor can any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until the next morning. 93 16:5 You may not sacrifice the Passover in just any of your villages 94 that the Lord your God is giving you, 16:6 but you must sacrifice it 95 in the evening in 96 the place where he 97 chooses to locate his name, at sunset, the time of day you came out of Egypt. 16:7 You must cook 98 and eat it in the place the Lord your God chooses; you may return the next morning to your tents. 16:8 You must eat bread made without yeast for six days. The seventh day you are to hold an assembly for the Lord your God; you must not do any work on that day. 99
16:9 You must count seven weeks; you must begin to count them 100 from the time you begin to harvest the standing grain. 16:10 Then you are to celebrate the Festival of Weeks 101 before the Lord your God with the voluntary offering 102 that you will bring, in proportion to how he 103 has blessed you. 16:11 You shall rejoice before him 104 – you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the Levites in your villages, 105 the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows among you – in the place where the Lord chooses to locate his name. 16:12 Furthermore, remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and so be careful to observe these statutes.
16:13 You must celebrate the Festival of Temporary Shelters 106 for seven days, at the time of the grain and grape harvest. 107 16:14 You are to rejoice in your festival, you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows who are in your villages. 108 16:15 You are to celebrate the festival seven days before the Lord your God in the place he 109 chooses, for he 110 will bless you in all your productivity and in whatever you do; 111 so you will indeed rejoice! 16:16 Three times a year all your males must appear before the Lord your God in the place he chooses for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Temporary Shelters; and they must not appear before him 112 empty-handed. 16:17 Every one of you must give as you are able, 113 according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.
Nehemiah 8:9
Context8:9 Then Nehemiah the governor, 114 Ezra the priestly scribe, 115 and the Levites who were imparting understanding to the people said to all of them, 116 “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping when they heard the words of the law.
Nehemiah 10:31
Context10:31 We will not buy 117 on the Sabbath or on a holy day from the neighboring peoples who bring their wares and all kinds of grain to sell on the Sabbath day. We will let the fields lie fallow every seventh year, and we will cancel every loan. 118
Psalms 42:4
Context42:4 I will remember and weep! 119
For I was once walking along with the great throng to the temple of God,
shouting and giving thanks along with the crowd as we celebrated the holy festival. 120
Romans 14:5-6
Context14:5 One person regards one day holier than other days, and another regards them all alike. 121 Each must be fully convinced in his own mind. 14:6 The one who observes the day does it for the Lord. The 122 one who eats, eats for the Lord because he gives thanks to God, and the one who abstains from eating abstains for the Lord, and he gives thanks to God.
[23:2] 1 tn Heb “these are them, my appointed times.”
[23:3] 2 tn This is a superlative expression, emphasizing the full and all inclusive rest of the Sabbath and certain festival times throughout the chapter (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 155). Cf. ASV “a sabbath of solemn rest.”
[23:5] 3 tn Heb “between the two evenings,” perhaps designating the time between the setting of the sun and the true darkness of night. Cf. KJV, ASV “at even”; NAB “at the evening twilight.”
[23:6] 4 tn Heb “to this month.”
[23:7] 5 tn Heb “work of service”; KJV “servile work”; NASB “laborious work”; TEV “daily work.”
[23:10] 6 tn Heb “and you harvest its harvest.”
[23:10] 7 tn Heb “the sheaf of the first of your harvest.”
[23:11] 8 tn Heb “for your acceptance.”
[23:11] 9 sn See Lev 7:30 for a note on the “waving” of a “wave offering.”
[23:12] 10 tn Heb “And you shall make in the day of your waving the sheaf.”
[23:12] 11 tn Heb “a flawless lamb, a son of its year”; KJV “of the first year”; NLT “a year-old male lamb.”
[23:13] 12 sn See the note on Lev 5:11.
[23:13] 13 sn See the note on Lev 2:1.
[23:13] 14 sn See the note on Lev 1:9.
[23:13] 15 tn Heb “wine, one fourth of the hin.” A pre-exilic hin is about 3.6 liters (= ca. 1 quart), so one fourth of a hin would be about one cup.
[23:14] 16 tn Heb “until the bone of this day.”
[23:14] 17 tn Heb “for your generations.”
[23:15] 18 tn Heb “seven Sabbaths, they shall be complete.” The disjunctive accent under “Sabbaths” precludes the translation “seven complete Sabbaths” (as NASB, NIV; cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT). The text is somewhat awkward, which may explain why the LXX tradition is confused here, either adding “you shall count” again at the end of the verse, or leaving out “they shall be,” or keeping “they shall be” and adding “to you.”
[23:16] 19 tn Heb “and.” In the translation “then” is supplied to clarify the sequence.
[23:17] 20 tc Smr, LXX, Syriac, Tg. Onq., and Tg. Ps.-J. insert the word חַלּוֹת (khallot, “loaves”; cf. Lev 2:4 and the note there). Even though “loaves” is not explicit in the MT, the number “two” suggests that these are discrete units, not just a measure of flour, so “loaves” should be assumed even in the MT.
[23:17] 21 tn Heb “with leaven.” The noun “leaven” is traditional in English versions (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV), but “yeast” is more commonly used today.
[23:18] 22 tn Heb “And you shall present on the bread.”
[23:18] 23 tn Heb “seven flawless lambs, sons of a year.”
[23:18] 24 tn Heb “and one bull, a son of a herd.”
[23:18] 25 tc Smr and LXX add “flawless.”
[23:18] 26 tn Heb “and their grain offering.”
[23:18] 27 sn See the note on Lev 1:9.
[23:19] 28 tn Heb “And you shall make.”
[23:19] 29 tn Heb “a he-goat of goats.”
[23:20] 30 tn Smr and LXX have the Hebrew article on “lambs.” The syntax of this verse is difficult. The object of the verb (two lambs) is far removed from the verb itself (shall wave) in the MT, and the preposition עַל (’al, “upon”), rendered “along with” in this verse, is also added to the far removed subject (literally, “upon [the] two lambs”; see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 159). It is clear, however, that the two lambs and the loaves (along with their associated grain and drink offerings) constituted the “wave offering,” which served as the prebend “for the priest.” Burnt and sin offerings (vv. 18-19a) were not included in this (see Lev 7:11-14, 28-36).
[23:21] 31 tn Heb “And you shall proclaim [an assembly] in the bone of this day; a holy assembly it shall be to you” (see the remarks in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 160, and the remarks on the LXX rendering in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 367).
[23:21] 32 tn Heb “for your generations.”
[23:22] 33 tn Heb “And when you harvest the harvest.”
[23:22] 34 tn Heb “you shall not complete the corner of your field in your harvest.”
[23:22] 35 sn Compare Lev 19:9-10.
[23:24] 36 tn Heb “a memorial of loud blasts.” Although the term for “horn” does not occur here, allowing for the possibility that vocal “shouts” of acclamation are envisioned (see P. J. Budd, Leviticus [NCBC], 325), the “blast” of the shofar (a trumpet made from a ram’s “horn”) is most likely what is intended. On this occasion, the loud blasts on the horn announced the coming of the new year on the first day of the seventh month (see the explanations in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 387, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 160).
[23:25] 37 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have adversative force here (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV).
[23:27] 38 tn Heb “Surely the tenth day” or perhaps “Precisely the tenth day.” The Hebrew adverbial particle אַךְ (’akh) is left untranslated by most recent English versions; cf. however NASB “On exactly the tenth day.”
[23:27] 39 sn See the description of this day and its regulations in Lev 16 and the notes there.
[23:27] 40 tn Heb “you shall humble your souls.” See the note on Lev 16:29 above.
[23:28] 41 tn Heb “in the bone of this day.”
[23:28] 42 tn Heb “on you [plural]”; cf. NASB, NRSV “on your behalf.”
[23:29] 43 tn The particular כִּי (ki) is taken in an asseverative sense here (“Indeed,” see the NJPS translation).
[23:29] 44 tn Heb “it [i.e., that person; literally “soul,” feminine] shall be cut off from its peoples [plural]”; NLT “from the community.”
[23:30] 45 tn Heb “And any person.”
[23:30] 46 tn See HALOT 3 s.v. I אבד hif. Cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “destroy”; CEV “wipe out.”
[23:30] 47 tn Heb “its people” (“its” is feminine to agree with “person,” literally “soul,” which is feminine in Hebrew; cf. v. 29).
[23:31] 48 tn Heb “for your generations.”
[23:32] 49 tn Heb “you shall rest your Sabbath.”
[23:34] 50 tn The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is probably better than the traditional “tabernacles” in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut, booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. The nature of the celebration during this feast (see the following verses) as a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt suggests that a translation like “temporary shelters” is more appropriate.
[23:35] 51 tn Heb “work of service”; KJV “servile work”; NASB “laborious work”; TEV “daily work.”
[23:36] 52 tn The Hebrew term עֲצֶרֶת (’atseret) “solemn assembly [day]” derives from a root associated with restraint or closure. It could refer either to the last day as “closing assembly” day of the festival (e.g., NIV) or a special day of restraint expressed in a “solemn assembly” (e.g., NRSV); cf. NLT “a solemn closing assembly.”
[23:37] 53 tn The LXX has “[their] burnt offerings, and their sacrifices, and their drink offerings.”
[23:37] 54 tn Heb “a matter of a day in its day”; NAB “as prescribed for each day”; NRSV, NLT “each on its proper day.”
[23:38] 55 tn Heb “from to separation.” See BDB 94 s.v. בַּד 1.e for an explanation of this phrase. This phrase is repeated in front of each of the four items in this verse in the Hebrew text, but these have not been translated into English for stylistic reasons. Cf. KJV, NASB “besides”; NRSV “apart from.”
[23:39] 56 tn Heb “Surely on the fifteenth day.” The Hebrew adverbial particle אַךְ (’akh) is left untranslated by most recent English versions; however, cf. NASB “On exactly the fifteenth day.”
[23:40] 57 tn Heb “fruit of majestic trees,” but the following terms and verses define what is meant by this expression. For extensive remarks on the celebration of this festival in history and tradition see B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 163; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 389-90; and P. J. Budd, Leviticus (NCBC), 328-29.
[23:41] 58 tn Heb “for your generations.”
[23:42] 59 tn Heb “in the huts” (again at the end of this verse and in v. 43), perhaps referring to temporary shelters (i.e., huts) made of the foliage referred to in v. 40 (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 389).
[23:44] 60 sn E. S. Gerstenberger (Leviticus [OTL], 352) takes v. 44 to be an introduction to another set of festival regulations, perhaps something like those found in Exod 23:14-17. For others this verse reemphasizes the Mosaic authority of the preceding festival regulations (e.g., J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 390).
[28:1] 61 sn For additional reading on these chapters, see G. B. Gray, Sacrifice in the Old Testament; A. F. Rainey, “The Order of Sacrifices in the Old Testament Ritual Texts,” Bib 51 (1970): 485-98; N. H. Snaith, The Jewish New Year Festival.
[28:2] 62 tn Heb “and say to them.” These words have not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[28:2] 63 tn Th sentence begins with the accusative “my offering.” It is suspended at the beginning as an independent accusative to itemize the subject matter. The second accusative is the formal object of the verb. It could also be taken in apposition to the first accusative.
[28:2] 64 tn The construction uses the imperfect tense expressing instruction, followed by the infinitive construct used to express the complement of direct object.
[28:2] 65 sn See L. R. Fisher, “New Ritual Calendar from Ugarit,” HTR 63 (1970): 485-501.
[28:3] 66 sn The sacrifice was to be kept burning, but each morning the priests would have to clean the grill and put a new offering on the altar. So the idea of a continual burnt offering is more that of a regular offering.
[28:4] 67 tn Heb “between the evenings” meaning between dusk and dark.
[28:5] 68 sn That is about two quarts.
[28:5] 69 sn That is about one quart.
[28:7] 70 tn Heb “the one lamb,” but it is meant to indicate for “each lamb.”
[28:7] 71 tn The word שֵׁכָר (shekhar) is often translated “strong drink.” It can mean “barley beer” in the Akkadian cognate, and also in the Hebrew Bible when joined with the word for wine. English versions here read “wine” (NAB, TEV, CEV); “strong wine” (KJV); “fermented drink” (NIV, NLT); “strong drink” (ASV, NASB, NRSV).
[28:8] 72 tn Heb “as the grain offering of the morning and as its drink offering.”
[28:9] 73 tn The words “you must offer” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied. They have been supplied in the translation to make a complete English sentence.
[28:9] 74 sn That is, about 4 quarts.
[28:10] 75 tn Heb “the burnt offering of the Sabbath by its Sabbath.”
[28:11] 76 tn Heb “of your months.”
[28:14] 77 tn The word “include” is not in the Hebrew text but is implied. It is supplied in the translation to make a complete English sentence.
[28:14] 78 tn Heb “a month in its month.”
[28:15] 79 tn Heb “one kid of the goats.”
[28:18] 80 tn Heb “any work [of] service”; this means any occupational work, that is, the ordinary service.
[28:19] 81 tn Heb “unblemished they will be to you.” So also in v. 31.
[29:7] 82 tn Heb “afflict yourselves”; NAB “mortify yourselves”; NIV, NRSV “deny yourselves.”
[29:8] 83 tn Heb “they shall be to you without blemish.”
[29:20] 84 tn The words “you must offer” are implied.
[29:40] 85 sn Beginning with 29:40, the verse numbers through 30:16 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 29:40 ET = 30:1 HT, 30:1 ET = 30:2 HT, etc., through 30:16 ET = 30:17 HT. With 31:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
[29:40] 86 tn Heb “Moses.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[16:1] 87 sn The month Abib, later called Nisan (Neh 2:1; Esth 3:7), corresponds to March-April in the modern calendar.
[16:1] 88 tn Heb “in the month Abib.” The demonstrative “that” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[16:1] 89 tn Heb “the
[16:2] 90 tn Heb “sacrifice the Passover” (so NASB). The word “animal” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[16:2] 91 tn Heb “the
[16:4] 92 tn Heb “leaven must not be seen among you in all your border.”
[16:4] 93 tn Heb “remain all night until the morning” (so KJV, ASV). This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[16:6] 95 tn Heb “the Passover.” The translation uses a pronoun to avoid redundancy in English.
[16:6] 96 tc The MT reading אֶל (’el, “unto”) before “the place” should, following Smr, Syriac, Targums, and Vulgate, be omitted in favor of ב (bet; בַּמָּקוֹם, bammaqom), “in the place.”
[16:6] 97 tn Heb “the
[16:7] 98 tn The rules that governed the Passover meal are found in Exod 12:1-51, and Deut 16:1-8. The word translated “cook” (בָּשַׁל, bashal) here is translated “boil” in other places (e.g. Exod 23:19, 1 Sam 2:13-15). This would seem to contradict Exod 12:9 where the Israelites are told not to eat the Passover sacrifice raw or boiled. However, 2 Chr 35:13 recounts the celebration of a Passover feast during the reign of Josiah, and explains that the people “cooked (בָּשַׁל, bashal) the Passover sacrifices over the open fire.” The use of בָּשַׁל (bashal) with “fire” (אֵשׁ, ’esh) suggests that the word could be used to speak of boiling or roasting.
[16:8] 99 tn The words “on that day” are not in the Hebrew text; they are supplied in the translation for clarification (cf. TEV, NLT).
[16:9] 100 tn Heb “the seven weeks.” The translation uses a pronoun to avoid redundancy in English.
[16:10] 101 tn The Hebrew phrase חַג שָׁבֻעוֹת (khag shavu’ot) is otherwise known in the OT (Exod 23:16) as קָצִיר (qatsir, “harvest”) and in the NT as πεντηχοστή (penthcosth, “Pentecost”).
[16:10] 102 tn Heb “the sufficiency of the offering of your hand.”
[16:10] 103 tn Heb “the
[16:11] 104 tn Heb “the
[16:13] 106 tn The Hebrew phrase חַג הַסֻּכֹּת (khag hassukot, “festival of huts” or “festival of shelters”) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is now preferable to the traditional “tabernacles” (KJV, ASV, NIV) in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut; booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. Clearer is the English term “shelters” (so NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT), but this does not reflect the temporary nature of the living arrangement. This feast was a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt, suggesting that a translation like “temporary shelters” is more appropriate.
[16:13] 107 tn Heb “when you gather in your threshing-floor and winepress.”
[16:14] 108 tn Heb “in your gates.”
[16:15] 109 tn Heb “the
[16:15] 110 tn Heb “the
[16:15] 111 tn Heb “in all the work of your hands” (so NASB, NIV); NAB, NRSV “in all your undertakings.”
[16:16] 112 tn Heb “the
[16:17] 113 tn Heb “a man must give according to the gift of his hand.” This has been translated as second person for stylistic reasons, in keeping with the second half of the verse, which is second person rather than third.
[8:9] 114 tc The unexpected reference to Nehemiah here has led some scholars to suspect that the phrase “Nehemiah the governor” is a later addition to the text and not original.
[8:9] 115 tn Heb “the priest, the scribe.”
[8:9] 116 tn Heb “the people.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
[10:31] 118 tn Heb “debt of every hand,” an idiom referring to the hand that holds legally binding contractual agreements.
[42:4] 119 tn Heb “These things I will remember and I will pour out upon myself my soul.” “These things” are identified in the second half of the verse as those times when the psalmist worshiped in the
[42:4] 120 tc Heb “for I was passing by with the throng [?], I was walking with [?] them to the house of God; with a voice of a ringing shout and thanksgiving a multitude was observing a festival.” The Hebrew phrase בַּסָּךְ אֶדַּדֵּם (bassakh ’eddaddem, “with the throng [?] I was walking with [?]”) is particularly problematic. The noun סָךְ (sakh) occurs only here. If it corresponds to הָמוֹן (hamon, “multitude”) then one can propose a meaning “throng.” The present translation assumes this reading (cf. NIV, NRSV). The form אֶדַּדֵּם (“I will walk with [?]”) is also very problematic. The form can be taken as a Hitpael from דָּדָה (dadah; this verb possibly appears in Isa 38:15), but the pronominal suffix is problematic. For this reason many emend the form to ם[י]אַדִּרִ (’adirim, “nobles”) or ם-רִ[י]אַדִ (’adirim, “great,” with enclitic mem [ם]). The present translation understands the latter and takes the adjective “great” as modifying “throng.” If one emends סָךְ (sakh, “throng [?]”) to סֹךְ (sokh, “shelter”; see the Qere of Ps 27:5), then ר[י]אַדִּ (’addir) could be taken as a divine epithet, “[in the shelter of] the majestic one,” a reading which may find support in the LXX and Syriac Peshitta.
[14:5] 121 tn Grk “For one judges day from day, and one judges all days.”
[14:6] 122 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
