Leviticus23

Leviticus 23 details the LORD's appointed feasts and holy convocations for the children of Israel, outlining their annual cycle of sacred observances. It begins with the weekly Sabbath, then prescribes the spring feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Weeks. The chapter concludes with the autumn feasts: the Feast of Trumpets, the solemn Day of Atonement, and the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles, each with specific rituals and prohibitions on work.

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The Appointed Times of the LORD

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘These are My appointed feasts, the feasts of the LORD that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.

The Weekly Sabbath

For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a day of sacred assembly. You must not do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.

These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times.

Passover and Unleavened Bread

The Passover to the LORD begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.

On the fifteenth day of the same month begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread.

On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any regular work.

For seven days you are to present an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day there shall be a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work.’”

The Offering of Firstfruits

And the LORD said to Moses,

“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you are to bring to the priest a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest.

And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD so that it may be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.

On the day you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a year-old lamb without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD,

along with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil—an offering made by fire to the LORD, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter hin of wine.

You must not eat any bread or roasted or new grain until the very day you have brought this offering to your God. This is to be a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live.

The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost)

From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you are to count off seven full weeks.

You shall count off fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD.

Bring two loaves of bread from your dwellings as a wave offering, each made from two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with leaven, as the firstfruits to the LORD.

Along with the bread you are to present seven unblemished male lambs a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

You shall also prepare one male goat as a sin offering and two male lambs a year old as a peace offering.

The priest is to wave the lambs as a wave offering before the LORD, together with the bread of the firstfruits. The bread and the two lambs shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.

On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly, and you must not do any regular work. This is to be a permanent statute wherever you live for the generations to come.

When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap all the way to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident. I am the LORD your God.’”

The Feast of Trumpets

The LORD also said to Moses,

“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly announced by trumpet blasts.

You must not do any regular work, but you are to present an offering made by fire to the LORD.’”

The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

Again the LORD said to Moses,

“The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. You shall hold a sacred assembly and humble yourselves, and present an offering made by fire to the LORD.

On this day you are not to do any work, for it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God.

If anyone does not humble himself on this day, he must be cut off from his people.

I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on this day.

You are not to do any work at all. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live.

It will be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall humble yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to keep your Sabbath.”

The Feast of Tabernacles (Booths)

And the LORD said to Moses,

“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Feast of Tabernacles to the LORD begins, and it continues for seven days.

On the first day there shall be a sacred assembly. You must not do any regular work.

For seven days you are to present an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you must not do any regular work.

These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for presenting offerings by fire to the LORD—burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its designated day.

These offerings are in addition to the offerings for the LORD’s Sabbaths, and in addition to your gifts, to all your vow offerings, and to all the freewill offerings you give to the LORD.

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the produce of the land, you are to celebrate a feast to the LORD for seven days. There shall be complete rest on the first day and also on the eighth day.

On the first day you are to gather the fruit of majestic trees, the branches of palm trees, and the boughs of leafy trees and of willows of the brook. And you are to rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.

You are to celebrate this as a feast to the LORD for seven days each year. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come; you are to celebrate it in the seventh month.

You are to dwell in booths for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must dwell in booths,

so that your descendants may know that I made the Israelites dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’”

Conclusion

So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed feasts of the LORD.

Study Notes for Leviticus 23

Verse 2

These “feasts” (Hebrew: *mo’adim*) literally mean 'appointed times' or 'set seasons.' They are God's schedule for meeting with His people, emphasizing His sovereignty over time and life.

Verse 3

The weekly Sabbath is listed first, establishing the rhythm of rest and holiness that underlies all the annual festivals. It is the foundational holy convocation.

Verse 5

Passover commemorates the final plague and the Exodus from Egypt (Exod. 12). It marks the beginning of the religious calendar (Nisan/Abib) in the spring.

Verse 6

The Feast of Unleavened Bread immediately follows Passover, symbolizing the haste of the departure from Egypt and the necessity of removing sin (leaven) from the community.

Verse 10

This offering was conditional upon entering the Promised Land, linking Israel's worship directly to the bounty and ownership of the land given by God.

Verse 11

The wave offering dedicated the entire harvest to the LORD before consumption. The 'morrow after the sabbath' is usually understood as the day after the first day of Unleavened Bread, marking the beginning of the barley harvest.

Verse 15

This verse begins the counting of seven weeks (the Omer), connecting the initial Firstfruits offering (barley) with the later, major wheat harvest festival.

Verse 16

Fifty days after the Firstfruits offering, the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot in Hebrew, Pentecost in Greek) was celebrated, marking the full completion of the spring grain harvest.

Verse 17

Unlike other grain offerings, these two loaves were baked *with* leaven. This suggests they represent the daily, imperfect bread of human life, offered to God alongside sin and peace offerings.

Verse 22

This verse interrupts the liturgical instructions to reiterate a fundamental ethical requirement. The celebration of abundance must always be tempered by charity and justice for the poor and the resident alien.

Verse 24

The Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah, later Rosh Hashanah) marked the beginning of the seventh month. The blowing of the *shofar* served as a call to assembly, alarm, and preparation for the coming Day of Atonement.

Verse 27

This is the holiest and most solemn day of the year. To 'afflict your souls' means to fast completely, expressing deep repentance and humility before God.

Verse 28

This day was unique because the High Priest performed the critical rituals to expiate the sins of the entire community, ensuring their reconciliation with God (Lev. 16).

Verse 29

The severity of the punishment emphasizes the absolute necessity of participating in the communal repentance. Failure to fast was seen as rejecting the provision for atonement.

Verse 34

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) is the final annual festival. It marks the completion of the agricultural year ('ingathering') and commemorates God’s provision during the wilderness wandering.

Verse 36

The eighth day is a distinct 'solemn assembly' (*Atzeret*) following the seven days of the feast. It serves as a concluding holy day, emphasizing rest and reflection after the long period of celebration.

Verse 40

The 'four species' (boughs of various trees) were used to create temporary structures or held in procession, symbolizing rejoicing and the bounty of the harvest, reminding Israel of God's abundant creation.

Verse 42

Dwelling in temporary shelters (*sukkot*) was a visual, annual reminder that Israel's true security comes not from permanent structures but from God's protection during their journey.

Verse 43

This verse provides the historical rationale for the ritual, linking the present celebration back to the foundational act of redemption—God making Israel dwell in temporary booths after the Exodus.

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