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
Nehemiah 8:1-18
Context8:1 all the people gathered together 87 in the plaza which was in front of the Water Gate. They asked 88 Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had commanded Israel. 8:2 So Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly which included men and women and all those able to understand what they heard. (This happened on the first day of the seventh month.) 8:3 So he read it before the plaza in front of the Water Gate from dawn till noon 89 before the men and women and those children who could understand. 90 All the people were eager to hear 91 the book of the law.
8:4 Ezra the scribe stood on a towering wooden platform 92 constructed for this purpose. Standing near him on his right were Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Masseiah. On his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 8:5 Ezra opened the book in plain view 93 of all the people, for he was elevated above all the people. When he opened the book, 94 all the people stood up. 8:6 Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people replied “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
8:7 Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah – all of whom were Levites 95 – were teaching the people the law, as the people remained standing. 8:8 They read from the book of God’s law, explaining it 96 and imparting insight. Thus the people 97 gained understanding from what was read.
8:9 Then Nehemiah the governor, 98 Ezra the priestly scribe, 99 and the Levites who were imparting understanding to the people said to all of them, 100 “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. 8:10 He said to them, “Go and eat delicacies and drink sweet drinks and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy to our Lord. 101 Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
8:11 Then the Levites quieted all the people saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy. Do not grieve.” 8:12 So all the people departed to eat and drink and to share their food 102 with others 103 and to enjoy tremendous joy, 104 for they had gained insight in the matters that had been made known to them.
8:13 On the second day of the month the family leaders 105 met with 106 Ezra the scribe, together with all the people, the priests, and the Levites, to consider the words of the law. 8:14 They discovered written in the law that the LORD had commanded through 107 Moses that the Israelites should live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month, 8:15 and that they should make a proclamation and disseminate this message 108 in all their cities and in Jerusalem: 109 “Go to the hill country and bring back olive branches and branches of wild olive trees, myrtle trees, date palms, and other leafy trees to construct temporary shelters, as it is written.”
8:16 So the people went out and brought these things 110 back and constructed temporary shelters for themselves, each on his roof and in his courtyard and in the courtyards of the temple 111 of God and in the plaza of the Water Gate and the plaza of the Ephraim Gate. 8:17 So all the assembly which had returned from the exile constructed temporary shelters and lived in them. The Israelites had not done so from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day. Everyone experienced very great joy. 112 8:18 Ezra 113 read in the book of the law of God day by day, from the first day to the last. 114 They observed the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly 115 as was required. 116
[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.
[8:1] 87 tn Heb “like one man.”
[8:3] 89 tn Heb “from the light till the noon of the day.”
[8:3] 90 tn Heb “all who could hear with understanding.” The word “children” is understood to be implied here by a number of English versions (e.g., NAB, TEV, NLT).
[8:3] 91 tn Heb “the ears of all the people were toward.”
[8:4] 92 tn Heb “a tower of wood.”
[8:5] 93 tn Heb “to the eyes.”
[8:5] 94 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the book) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:7] 95 tc The MT reads “and the Levites.” The conjunction (“and”) should be deleted, following the LXX, Aquila, and the Vulgate. That the vav (ו) of the MT is the vav explicativum (“even the Levites”) is unlikely here.
[8:8] 96 tn The exact meaning of the pual participle מְפֹרָשׁ (mÿforash) in this verse is uncertain. The basic sense of the Hebrew word seems to be “to make distinct.” The word may also have the sense of “to divide in parts,” “to interpret,” or “to translate.” The context of Neh 8:8 does not decisively clarify how the participle is to be understood here. It probably refers to the role of the Levites as those who explained or interpreted the portions of biblical text that had been publicly read on this occasion. A different option, however, is suggested by the translation distincte (“distinctly”) of the Vulgate (cf. KJV, ASV). If the Hebrew word means “distinctly” here, it would imply that the readers paid particular attention to such things as word-grouping and pronunciation so as to be sure that the listeners had every opportunity to understand the message that was being read. Yet another view is found in the Talmud, which understands translation of the Hebrew text into Aramaic to be what is in view here. The following explanation of Neh 8:8 is found in b. Megillah 3a: “‘And they read in the book, in the law of God’: this indicates the [Hebrew] text; ‘with an interpretation’: this indicates the targum; ‘and they gave the sense’: this indicates the verse stops; ‘and caused them to understand the reading’: this indicates the accentuation, or, according to another version, the Masoretic notes.” However, this ancient rabbinic view that the origins of the Targum are found in Neh 8:8 is debatable. It is not clear that the practice of paraphrasing the Hebrew biblical text into Aramaic in order to accommodate the needs of those Jews who were not at home in the Hebrew language developed this early. The translation of מְפֹרָשׁ adopted above (i.e., “explaining it”) understands the word to have in mind an explanatory function (cf. NAB, NCV, TEV, NLT) rather than one of translation.
[8:8] 97 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:9] 98 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] 99 tn Heb “the priest, the scribe.”
[8:9] 100 tn Heb “the people.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
[8:10] 101 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[8:12] 102 tn Heb “to send portions.”
[8:12] 103 tn The Hebrew text does not include the phrase “with others” but it has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[8:12] 104 tn Heb “to make great joy.”
[8:13] 105 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”
[8:13] 106 tn Heb “were gathered to”; NAB, NIV “gathered around”; NRSV “came together to.”
[8:14] 107 tn Heb “by the hand of.”
[8:15] 109 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[8:16] 110 tn The words “these things” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[8:16] 111 tn Heb “the house.”
[8:17] 112 tn Heb “And there was very great joy.”
[8:18] 113 tn Heb “He”; the referent (Ezra) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:18] 114 tn Heb “the last day.”
[8:18] 115 tn Heb “on the eighth day an assembly.” The words “they held” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
