Reference: Feasts
American
God appointed several festivals, or days of rest and worship, among the Jews, to perpetuate the memory of great events wrought in favor of them: the Sabbath commemorated the creation of the world; the Passover, the departure out of Egypt; the Pentecost, the law given at Sinai, etc. At the three great feasts of the year, the Passover, Pentecost, and that of Tabernacles, all the males of the nation were required to visit the temple, Ex 23:14-17; De 16:16-17; and to protect their borders from invasion during their absence, the shield of a special providence was always interposed, Ex 34:23-24. The other festivals were the Feast of Trumpets, or New Moon, Purim, Dedication, the Sabbath year, and the year of Jubilee. These are described elsewhere. The observance of these sacred festivals was adapted not merely to freshen the remembrance of their early history as a nation, but to keep alive the influence of religion and the expectation of the Messiah, to deepen their joy in God, to dispel animosities and jealousies, and to form new associations between the different tribes and families. See also Day of EXPIATION.
In the Christian church, we have no festival that clearly appears to have been instituted by our Savior, or his apostles; but as we commemorate his death as often as we celebrate his supper, he has hereby seemed to institute a perpetual feast. Christians have always celebrated the memory of his resurrection by regarding the Sabbath, which we see, from Re 1:10, was in John's time commonly called "the Lord's day." Feasts of love, Jude 1:12, were public banquets of a frugal kind, instituted by the primitive Christians, and connected by them with the celebration of the Lord's supper. The provisions were contributed by the more wealthy, and were common to all Christians, whether rich or poor, who chose to partake. Portions were also sent to the sick and absent members. These love-feasts were intended as an exhibition of mutual Christian affection; but they became subject to abuses, and were afterwards generally discontinued, 1Co 11:17-34.
The Hebrews were a hospitable people, and were wont to welcome their guests with a feast, and dismiss them with another, Ge 19:3; 31:27; Jg 6:19; 2Sa 3:20; 2Ki 6:23. The returning prodigal was thus welcomed, Lu 15:23. Many joyful domestic events were observed with feasting: birthdays, etc., Ge 21:8; 40:20; Job 1:4; Mt 14:6; marriages, Ge 29:22; Jg 14:10; Joh 2:1-10; sheep shearing and harvesting, Jg 9:27; 1Sa 25:2,36; 2Sa 13:23. A feast was also provided at funerals, 2Sa 3:35; Jer 16:7. Those who brought sacrifices and offerings to the temple were wont to feast upon them there, with joy and praise to God, De 12:6-7; 1Sa 16:5; 2Sa 6:19. They were taught to invite all the needy to partake with them, De 16:11; and even to make special feasts for the poor, De 12:17-19; 14:28; 26:12-15; a custom which the Savior specially commended, Lu 14:12-14.
The manner of holding a feast was anciently marked with great simplicity. But at the time of Christ many Roman customs had been introduced. The feast or "supper" usually took place at five or six in the afternoon, and often continued to a late hour. The guests were invited some time in advance; and those who accepted the invitation were again notified by servants when the hour arrived, Mt 22:4-8; Lu 14:16-24. The door was guarded against uninvited persons; and was at length closed for the day by the hand of the master of the house, Mt 25:10; Lu 13:24. Sometimes very large numbers were present, Es 1:3,5; Lu 14:16-24; and on such occasions a "governor of the feast" was appointed, whose social qualities, tact, firmness, and temperance fitted him to preside, Joh 2:8. The guests were arranged with a careful regard to their claims to honor, Ge 43:33; 1Sa 9:22; Pr 25:6-7; Mt 23:6; Lu 14:7; in which matter the laws of etiquette are still jealously enforced in the East. Sometimes the host provided light, rich, loose robes for the company; and if so, the refusing to wear one was a gross insult, Ec 9:8; Mt 22:11; Re 3:4-5. The guests reclined around the tables; water and perfumes were served to them, Mr 7:2; Lu 7:44-46; and after eating, the hands were again washed, a servant pouring water over them. During the repast and after it various entertainments were provided; enigmas were proposed, Jg 14:12; eastern tales were told; music and hired dancers, and often excessive drinking, etc., occupied the time, Isa 5:12; 24:7-9; Am 6:5. See EATING, FOOD.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
But {he urged them strongly}, and they turned aside with him and came into his house. And he made a meal for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned.
So Laban gathered all the men of the place and prepared a feast.
Why did you hide [your intention] to flee and {trick me}, and did not tell me so that I would have sent you away with joy and song and tambourine and lyre?
And it happened [that] on the third day, [which was] Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for all his servants. And he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker in the midst of his servants.
And they were seated before him [from] the firstborn according to his birthright [to] the youngest according to his youth. And the men {looked at one another} amazed.
" 'Three times in the year you will hold a festival for me You will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you will eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you at [the] appointed time, the month of Abib, because in it you came out from Egypt, and {no one will} appear before me empty-handed. read more. And [you will keep] the Feast of Harvest, [with] the firstfruits of your work, what you sow in the field. And [you will keep] the Feast of Harvest Gathering when the year goes out, when you gather your work from the field. Three times in the year all your men will appear before the Lord Yahweh.
Three times in the year all your males will appear before the Lord, Yahweh, the God of Israel, because I will evict nations before you, and I will enlarge your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up to appear before Yahweh your God three times in the year.
And you shall bring there your burnt offerings and your sacrifices and your tithes and {your donations} and your votive gifts and your freewill offerings and the firstling of your herd and your flock. And you shall eat there {before} Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice {in all your endeavors}, you and your family [in] which Yahweh your God has blessed you.
You are not allowed to eat in your {towns} the tithe of your grain and your wine and your olive oil and the firstborn of your herd and your flock and all [of] your votive gifts that you vowed and your freewill offering and {your donations}. But only {before} Yahweh your God you shall eat it, at the place that Yahweh your God will choose, you and your son and your daughter and your slave and your slave woman and the Levite who [is] in your {towns}, and you must rejoice {before} your God {in all your undertakings}. read more. {Take care} so that you do not neglect the Levite all [of] your days on your land.
"At the end of three years you shall bring out all [of] the tithe of your yield for that year, and you shall store [it] in your {towns}.
And you shall rejoice before Yahweh your God, you and your son and your daughter and your slave and your slave woman and the Levite that [is] in your {towns} and the alien and the orphan and the widow who are in your midst in the place that Yahweh your God will choose to let his name dwell there.
Three times in the year all [of] your males shall appear {before } Yahweh your God at the place that he will choose, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear {before Yahweh} empty-handed. Each [person] {shall give as he is able}, [that is], according to the blessing of Yahweh your God that he has given to you.
"When you are finished {giving a tithe}, all of the tithe of your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, then you shall give to the Levite, to the alien, to the orphan, and to the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and they may be satisfied. And you shall say {before} Yahweh your God, 'I have removed the sacred portion from the house and, moreover, I have given it to the Levite and to the alien and to the orphan and to the widow according to all your commandment that you commanded me; I have not transgressed any of your commandments, and I have not forgotten [any of them]. read more. I have not eaten during my [time of] mourning, and I have not removed [anything] from it while [being] unclean, and I have not offered {any of it} to someone who [has] died. I have listened to the voice of Yahweh my God; I have done all that you commanded me [to do]. Look down from the dwelling place of your holiness, from heaven, and bless your people Israel, and the land that you have given to us, as you swore to our ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.'
And Gideon went and prepared {a young goat} and unleavened cakes [from] an ephah of flour; he put meat in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and he brought [them] to him under the oak and presented [them].
They went out [into] the field and harvested their vineyards and trod [them], and they {held a festival}. And they went [into] the temple of their god, and they ate and drank and cursed Abimelech.
His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared there a feast, as young men were accustomed to doing this.
And Samson said to them, "Let me tell you a riddle. If you can fully explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find [it out], I will give to you thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments.
Then all the people came to give David food. Still on that day, David swore, "{May God punish me} if I taste food or anything before the sun goes down."
he gave a banquet in the third year of his reign for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and officials of the provinces were in his presence
And when those days were completed, the king gave for all the people that were present at the citadel of Susa, both great and small, a banquet in the courtyard of the king's palace garden that lasted seven days.
And his sons used to go and hold a feast {at each other's house} on his day, and they would send, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
Do not promote yourself before the king, and in the place of the great ones do not stand. For [it is] better [that] he say to you, "Ascend here," than he humble you before a noble. What your eyes have seen,
Always be clothed in white garments, and never let your head lack oil!
And [there] will be lyre and harp, tambourine and flute, and wine [at] their feasts, but they do not look at the deeds of Yahweh, and they do not see the work of his hands.
[The] new wine dries up; [the] vine languishes. All [the] merry of heart sigh; [the] joy of [the] tambourine has stopped. The noise of [the] jubilant has ceased; [the] joy of [the] lyre has stopped. read more. They do not drink wine with song; strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
And they will not break bread for [the] mourning ceremony for them, to comfort him because of [the] dead. And they will not give drink to them, [the] cup of desolation, for their fathers, or for their mothers.
[Alas for those] who sing to the tune of the harp; like David they improvise on instruments of music.
But [when] Herod's birthday celebration took place, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst [of them] and pleased Herod.
Again he sent other slaves, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened [cattle] have been slaughtered, and everything [is] ready. Come to the wedding celebration!" ' But they paid no attention [and] went away--this one to his own field, that one to his business. read more. And the others, seizing his slaves, mistreated [them] and killed [them]. And the king was angry and sent his troops [and] destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding celebration is ready, but those who had been invited were not worthy.
But [when] the king came in to see the {dinner guests}, he saw a man there not dressed [in] wedding clothes.
And they love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues
But [while] they had gone away to buy [it] the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding celebration, and the door was shut.
And they saw that some of his disciples were eating their bread with unclean--that is, unwashed--hands.
And turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered into your house. You did not give me water for [my] feet, but she wet my feet with [her] tears and wiped [them] with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but from the time I entered, she has not stopped kissing my feet. read more. You did not anoint my head with olive oil, but she anointed my feet with perfumed oil.
"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able to,
Now he told a parable to those who had been invited [when he] noticed how they were choosing for themselves the places of honor, saying to them,
And he also said to the one who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or wealthy neighbors, lest they also invite you [in return], and repayment come to you. But whenever you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, read more. and you will be blessed, because they are not able to repay you. For it will be paid back to you at the resurrection of the righteous."
But he said to him, "A certain man was giving a large banquet and invited many.
But he said to him, "A certain man was giving a large banquet and invited many. And he sent his slave at the hour of the banquet to say to those who have been invited, 'Come, because now it is ready!'
And he sent his slave at the hour of the banquet to say to those who have been invited, 'Come, because now it is ready!' And they all {alike} began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, 'I have purchased a field, and {I must} go out to look at it. I ask you, consider me excused.'
And they all {alike} began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, 'I have purchased a field, and {I must} go out to look at it. I ask you, consider me excused.' And another said, 'I have purchased five yoke of oxen, and I am going to examine them. I ask you, consider me excused.'
And another said, 'I have purchased five yoke of oxen, and I am going to examine them. I ask you, consider me excused.' And another said, 'I have married a wife, and for this [reason] I am not able to come.'
And another said, 'I have married a wife, and for this [reason] I am not able to come.' And the slave came [and] reported these [things] to his master. Then the master of the house became angry [and] said to his slave, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame!'
And the slave came [and] reported these [things] to his master. Then the master of the house became angry [and] said to his slave, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame!' And the slave said, 'Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.'
And the slave said, 'Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.' And the master said to the slave, 'Go out into the highways and hedges and press [them] to come in, so that my house will be filled!
And the master said to the slave, 'Go out into the highways and hedges and press [them] to come in, so that my house will be filled! For I say to you that none of those persons who were invited will taste my banquet!'"
For I say to you that none of those persons who were invited will taste my banquet!'"
And bring the fattened calf--kill [it] and let us eat [and] celebrate,
And on the third day, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. And both Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding. read more. And [when the] wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine!" And Jesus said to her, "What {does your concern have to do with me}, woman? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever he says to you, do [it]!" Now six stone water jars were set there, in accordance with the ceremonial cleansing of the Jews, each holding two or three measures. Jesus said to them, "Fill the water jars with water." And they filled them to the brim. And he said to them, "Now draw [some] out and take [it] to the head steward. So they took [it].
And he said to them, "Now draw [some] out and take [it] to the head steward. So they took [it]. Now when the head steward tasted the water which had become wine and did not know where it was from--but the servants who had drawn the water knew--the head steward summoned the bridegroom read more. and said to him, "{Everyone} serves the good wine first, and whenever they are drunk, the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!"
But in giving this instruction I do not praise [you], because you come together not for the better but for the worse. For in the first place, [when you] come together as a church, I hear there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. read more. For indeed it is necessary that there be factions among you, in order that those who are approved may become evident among you. Therefore, [when] you come together in the same [place], it is not to eat the Lord's supper. For [when you] eat [it], each one of you goes ahead to take his own supper, and one is hungry and another is drunk. For do you not have houses for eating and drinking? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who do not have [anything]? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise [you]! For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and [after he] had given thanks, he broke [it] and said, "This is my body which [is] for you. Do this in remembrance of me." Likewise also the cup, after they had eaten, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink [it], in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a person examine himself, and in this way let him eat from the bread and let him drink from the cup. For the one who eats and drinks, [if he] does not recognize the body, eats and drinks judgment against himself. Because of this, many [are] weak and sick among you, and quite a few {have died}. But if we were evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged. But [if we] are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined, in order that we will not be condemned with the world. So then, my brothers, [when you] come together in order to eat [the Lord's supper], wait for one another. If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And I will give directions about the remaining [matters] whenever I come.
These are the ones feasting together without reverence, hidden reefs at your love feasts, caring for themselves, waterless clouds carried away by winds, late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted,
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a great sound like a trumpet
But you have a few {people} in Sardis who have not defiled their clothing, and they will walk with me in white, because they are worthy. The one who conquers in this way will be dressed in white clothing, and I will never erase his name from the book of life, and I will declare his name before my Father and before his angels.
Fausets
Hag (from a root, "to dance") is the Hebrew applied to the Passover, and still more to the feast of tabernacles, as both were celebrated with rejoicings and participation of food (Ex 12:14; Le 23:39; Nu 29:12; De 16:22). But moed is the general term for all sacred assemblies convoked on stated anniversaries; God's people by His appointment meeting before Him in brotherly fellowship for worship. Their communion was primarily with God, then with one another. These national feasts tended to join all in one brotherhood. Hence, arose Jeroboam's measures to counteract the effect on his people (1Ki 12:26-27). Hezekiah made the revival of the national Passover a primary step in his efforts for a reformation (2Ch 30:1). The Roman government felt the feast a time when especial danger of rebellion existed (Mt 26:5; Lu 13:1).
The "congregations," "calling of assemblies," "solemn meetings" (Isa 1:13; Ps 81:3), both on the convocation days of the three great feasts, passover, Pentecost, and tabernacles, and also on the sabbaths, imply assemblies for worship, the forerunners of the synagogue (compare 2Ki 4:23). The septenary number prevails in the great feasts. Pentecost was seven weeks (sevens) after Passover; passover and the feast of tabernacles lasted seven days each; the days of holy convocation were seven in the year, two at Passover, one at pentecost, one at the feast of trumpets, one on the day of atonement (the first day or new moon of the seventh month), and two at the feast of tabernacles. The last two solemn days were in the seventh month, and the cycle of feasts is seven months, from Nisan to Tisri. There was also the sabbatical year, and the year of Jubilee.
The continued observance of the three feasts commemorative of the great facts of Israelite history make it incredible that the belief of those facts could have been introduced at any period subsequent to the supposed time of their occurrence if they never took place. The day, the month, and every incident of Israel's deliverance out of Egypt are embalmed in the anniversary passover. On the three great feasts each Israelite was bound to "appear before the Lord," i.e., attend in the court of the tabernacle or temple and make his offering with gladness (Leviticus 23; De 27:7). Pious women often went up to the Passover: as Lu 2:41, Mary; 1Sa 1:7; 2:19, Hannah. Those men who might happen to be unable to attend at the proper time kept the feast the same day in the succeeding month (Nu 9:10-11). On the days of holy convocation all ordinary work was suspended (Le 23:21-35). The three great feasts had a threefold bearing.
I. They marked the three points of time as to the fruits of the earth.
II. They marked three epochs in Israel's past history.
III. They pointed prophetically to three grand antitypical events of the gospel kingdom.
I. They marked the three points of time as to the fruits of the earth.
(I.) At the Passover in spring, in the month Abib, the first green ears of barley were cut, and were a favorite food, prepared as parched grain, but first of all a handful of green ears was presented to the Lord.
(2) Fifty days (as Pentecost means) after Passover came the feast of weeks, i.e. a week of weeks after Passover. The now ripe wheat, before being cut, was sanctified by its firstfruits, namely two loaves of fine flour, being offered to Jehovah.
(3) At the feast of tabernacles, in the end of the common year and the seventh month of the religious year, there was a feast of ingathering when all the fruits of the field had been gathered in. There was no offering of consecration, for the offerings for sanctifying the whole had been presented long before. It was not a consecration of what was begun, but a joyful thanksgiving for what was completed. See for the spiritual lesson Pr 3:9; Ps 118:15.
II. They marked three epochs in Israel's past history. Each of the three marked a step in the HISTORICAL progress of Israel.
(1) The Passover commemorated the deliverance out of Egypt when Jehovah passed over Israel, protecting them from the destroying angel and sparing them, and so achieving for them the first step of independent national life as God's covenant people.
(2) Pentecost marked the giving of the law on Sinai, the second grand era in the history of the elect nation. God solemnly covenanted, "If ye will obey My voice indeed and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people, and ye shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex 19:5).
(3) All the nation now wanted was a home. The feast of tabernacles commemorates the establishment of God's people in the land of promise, their pleasant and peaceful home, after the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, living in shifting tents. They took boughs of palm and willows of the brook, and made temporary huts of branches and sat under the booths. So in their fixed home and land of rest their enjoyment was enhanced by the thankful and holy remembrance of past wanderings without a fixed dwelling. Joshua especially observed this feast after the settlement in Canaan (as incidentally comes out in Ne 8:17).
Solomon (appropriately to his name, which means king of peace) also did so, for his reign was preeminently the period of peaceful possession when every man dwelt under his own vine and figtree (1Ki 4:25); immediately after that the last relic of wilderness life was abolished by the ark being taken from under curtains and deposited in the magnificent temple of stone in the seventh month (2Ch 5:3), the feast of tabernacles was celebrated on the 15th day, and on the 23rd Solomon sent the great congregation away glad in heart for the goodness that the Lord had showed unto David, Solomon, and Israel His people.
The third celebration especially recorded was after the Babylonian captivity, when the Jews were re-established in their home under Ezra and Nehemiah, and all gathered themselves together as one man on the first day of the seventh month, the feast of trumpets. Then followed the reading of the law and renewal of the covenant. Then finding in the law directions as to the feast of tabernacles, they brought branches of olive, pine, myrtle, and palm, and thick trees, and made booths on their roofs and in their courts, and in the courts of God's house, and sat under them with "great gladness" (Nehemiah 8).
III. They pointed prophetically to three grand antitypical events of the gospel kingdom. Prophetically and typically.
(1) The Passover points to the Lord Jesus, the true paschal Lamb sacrificed for us, whose sacrifice brings to us a perpetual feast (1Co 5:7).
(2) Pentecost points to our Whitsuntide (Acts 2) when the Holy Spirit descending on Christ's disciples confirms Christ's covenant of grace in the heart more effectually than the law of Sinai written on stone (2Co 3:3-18).
(3) Two great steps have already been taken toward establishing the kingdom of God. Christ has risen from death as "the firstfruits of them that slept" (1Co 15:20), even as the green ears of barley were offered as firstfruits at Passover. Secondly, the Holy Spirit has not merely once descended but still abides in the church as His temple, giving us a perpetual Whitsun feast, One step more is needed; we have received redemption, also the Holy Spirit; we wait still for our inheritance and abiding home. The feast of tabernacles points on to the antitypical Canaan, the everlasting inheritance, of which the Holy Spirit is the "earnest" (Eph 1:13-14; Heb 4:8-9). The antitypical feast of tabernacles shall be under the antitypical Joshua, Jesus the Captain of our salvation, the antitypical Solomon, the Prince of peace (Isa 9:6; Re 7:9-17).
The zest of the heavenly joy of the palmbearing multitude (antitypical to the palmbearers at the feast of tabernacles), redeemed out of all nations, shall be the remembrance of their tribulations in this wilderness world forever past; for repose is sweetest after toil, and difficulties surmounted add to the delight of triumph. Salvation was the prominent topic at the feast. In later times they used to draw water from the pool of Siloam, repeating from Isaiah 12 "with joy shall ye draw water from the wells of salvation," r
See Verses Found in Dictionary
"And this day will become a memorial for you, and you will celebrate it as a religious feast for Yahweh throughout your generations; you will celebrate it as a lasting statute.
And now if you will carefully listen to my voice and keep my covenant, you will be a treasured possession for me out of all the peoples, {for all the earth is mine},
And {you shall make a proclamation} on {this very same day}; it shall be a holy assembly for you; you shall not do {any regular work}; [this is] a {lasting statute} in all your dwellings throughout your generations And when you reap the harvest of your land, you must not finish the edge of your field at your reaping, and you must not glean the remnants of your harvest--you shall leave them behind for the needy and for the alien; I [am] Yahweh your God.'" read more. Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the {Israelites}, saying, 'In the seventh month, on [the] first [day] of the month, {you must have} a rest period, a remembrance of [the trumpet] blast, a holy assembly. You must not do {any regular work}, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh.'" Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, "Surely the Day of Atonement [is] on the tenth [day] of the seventh month; it shall be a holy assembly for you, and you shall deny yourselves, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh. And you must not do {any regular work} on {this very same day}, because it [is] the Day of Atonement to make atonement for you {before} Yahweh your God. If [there is] any person who does not deny [himself] on {this very same day}, then he shall be cut off from his people. As for any person who does any work on {this very same day}, I will exterminate that person from the midst of his people. You must not do any work; [it is] a {lasting statute} throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It [is] {a Sabbath of complete rest} for you, and you shall deny yourselves on the ninth [day] of the month in the evening--from evening to evening you must observe your [extraordinary] Sabbath." Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the {Israelites}, saying, 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, this [shall be] the Feast of Booths [for] seven days for Yahweh. On the first day [there shall be] a holy assembly; you must not do any {regular work}.
" 'Surely on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, at your gathering the land's produce, you shall hold Yahweh's festival for seven days; on the first day [there shall be] a rest period and on the eighth day a rest period.
"Speak to the {Israelites}, saying, 'Each man that is unclean {by a dead person} or [is] on a far journey, you or your {descendants}, he will observe the Passover of Yahweh. On the second month on the fourteenth day {at twilight} they will observe it; they will eat it with unleavened bread and bitter plants.
" 'Then on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you will have a holy convocation; {you will not do any regular work}, and you will hold a religious feast for Yahweh for seven days.
And you shall not set up for yourselves a stone pillar, [a thing] that Yahweh your God hates.
And you shall sacrifice fellowship offerings, and you shall eat [them] there, and you shall rejoice {before} Yahweh your God.
And among these nations you shall not find rest, and [there] shall not be a resting place for the sole of your foot, and Yahweh shall give you there an anxious heart and a weakening of eyes and a languishing of [your] inner self.
And Caleb said, "Whoever attacks Kiriath Sepher and captures it, I will give to him Acsah my daughter as a wife."
And so he used to do year after year; {whenever} she went up to the house of Yahweh, she would provoke her so that she would weep and would not eat.
His mother used to make for him a small robe and take it to him {year by year} whenever she came up with her husband to offer the {annual sacrifice}.
Judah and Israel lived in security, each man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.
Then Jeroboam {said to himself}, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David if this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem. The heart of this people will return to their master Rehoboam the king of Judah, and they shall kill me and {return to him}."
And he said, "Why are you going to him today? [It is] neither the new moon nor the Sabbath!" And she said, "Peace."
And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast that [is in] the seventh month.
Then Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, to come to the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem to make a Passover feast to Yahweh the God of Israel.
And all of the assembly of those who returned from captivity made booths and lived in the booths because the {Israelites} had not done it from the days of Jeshua son of Nun until that day. And there was very great joy.
Blow [the] horn at new moon, at full moon, for our feast day,
[The] sound of rejoicing and salvation [is] in [the] tents of [the] righteous; the right hand of Yahweh [has] done valiantly.
[The] sound of rejoicing and salvation [is] in [the] tents of [the] righteous; the right hand of Yahweh [has] done valiantly.
O Yahweh, please save; O Yahweh, please grant success. Blessed [is] he who comes in the name of Yahweh. We bless you from the house of Yahweh.
Honor Yahweh from your substance, and from the firstfruits of all that will come to you,
You must not {continue} to bring offerings of futility, incense--it [is] an abomination to me; new moon and Sabbath, [the] calling of a convocation-- I cannot endure iniquity with [solemn] assembly.
For a child has been born for us; a son has been given to us. And the dominion will be on his shoulder, and his name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
And Yahweh will be king over all the earth; on that day Yahweh will be one and his name one.
{And then} every survivor from all those nations coming against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship [the] king, Yahweh of hosts, and celebrate the Feast of Booths.
For I tell you, you will never see me from now [on] until you say, 'Blessed [is] the one who comes in the name of the Lord!'"
But they were saying, "Not during the feast, so that there will not be an uproar among the people."
And his parents went every year to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.
Now at the same time some had come to tell him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
Now the feast of the Jews--the [feast of] Tabernacles--was near. So his brothers said to him, "Depart from here and go to Judea, so that your disciples also can see your works that you are doing. read more. For no one does anything in secret and [yet] he himself desires to be {publicly recognized}. If you are doing these [things], reveal yourself to the world!" (For not even his brothers believed in him.) So Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it, that its deeds are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, because my time is not yet completed. And [when he] had said these [things], he remained in Galilee. But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not openly, but (as it were) in secret. So the Jews were looking for him at the feast, and were saying, "Where is he?" And there was a lot of grumbling concerning him among the crowds; some were saying, "He is a good [man]," but others were saying, "No, but he deceives the crowd." However, no one was speaking openly about him for fear of the Jews. {Now when the feast was already half over}, Jesus went to the temple [courts] and began to teach. Then the Jews were astonished, saying, "How does this man {possess knowledge}, [because he] has not been taught?" So Jesus answered them and said, "My teaching is not mine, but [is] from the one who sent me. If anyone wants to do his will, he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or I am speaking from myself. The one who speaks from himself seeks his own glory. But the one who seeks the glory of the one who sent him--this one is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him. Has not Moses given you the law, and none of you carries out the law? Why do you seek to kill me?" The crowd replied, "You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?" Jesus answered and said to them, "I performed one work, and you are all astonished. Because of this Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses would not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a whole man well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to outward appearance, but judge according to righteous judgment!" Then some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem began to say, "Is this not [the one] whom they are seeking to kill? And behold, he is speaking openly and they are saying nothing to him! Can it be that the rulers truly know that this man is the Christ? Yet we know where this man is from, but the Christ, whenever he comes--no one knows where he is from!" Then Jesus cried out in the temple [courts], teaching and saying, "You both know me and you know where I am from! And I have not come from myself, but the one who sent me is true, whom you do not know. I know him, because I am from him and he sent me." So they were seeking to seize him, and no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. But from the crowd many believed in him and were saying, "Whenever the Christ comes, he will not perform more signs than this man has done, [will he]?" The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these [things] about him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers in order {to take him into custody }. Then Jesus said, "Yet a little time I am with you, and I am going to the one who sent me. You will seek me and will not find [me], and where I am, you cannot come." So the Jews said to one another, "Where [is] this one going to go, that we will not find him? He is not going to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, [is he]? What is this saying that he said, 'You will seek me and will not find [me], and where I am, you cannot come'?" Now on the last day of the feast--the great [day]--Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let him drink,
Now he said this concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. For the Spirit was not yet [given], because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)
And they began selling [their] possessions and property, and distributing these [things] to all, to the degree that anyone had need. And every day, devoting themselves [to meeting] with one purpose in the temple [courts] and breaking bread from house [to house], they were eating [their] food with joy and simplicity of heart,
and placing [them] at the feet of the apostles. And it was being distributed to each as anyone had need.
Now in these days, [as] the disciples were increasing [in number], a complaint arose by the {Greek-speaking Jews} against the {Hebraic Jews} because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution [of food].
Clean out the old leaven in order that you may be a new batch of dough, just as you are unleavened. For Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
revealing that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, inscribed not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets but on tablets of human hearts. Now we possess such confidence through Christ toward God. read more. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as from ourselves, but our adequacy [is] from God, who also makes us adequate [as] servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death in letters carved on stone came with glory, so that the sons of Israel were not able to look intently into the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, which was transitory, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be even more with glory? For if [there was] glory in the ministry of condemnation, by much more will the ministry of righteousness overflow with glory. For indeed what had been glorified has not been glorified in this case, on account of the glory that surpasses [it]. For if what was transitory [came] with glory, by much more what remains [is] with glory. Therefore, [because we] have such a hope, we use much boldness, and not as Moses used to place a veil over his face, in order that the sons of Israel would not stare at the end of what was transitory. But their minds were hardened. For until this very day, the same veil remains upon the reading of the old covenant, not being uncovered, because it is done away with in Christ. But until today, whenever Moses is read aloud, a veil lies upon their heart, but whenever one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord [is, there is] freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory into glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
in whom also you, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also when you believed you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.
For if Joshua had caused them to rest, he would not have spoken about another day after these [things]. Consequently a sabbath rest remains for the people of God.
thus also Christ, having been offered once in order to bear the sins of many, will appear for the second time without reference to sin to those who eagerly await him for salvation.
being harmed [as the] wages of unrighteousness. Considering reveling in the daytime a pleasure, [they are] stains and blemishes, carousing in their deceitful pleasures [when they] feast together with you,
After these [things] I looked, and behold, a great crowd that no one was able to number, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed [in] white robes and [with] palm branches in their hands. And they were crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!" read more. And all the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, "Amen! Praise and glory, and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honor and power and strength [be] to our God {forever and ever}. Amen!" And one of the elders answered, saying to me, "These who are dressed [in] the white robes--who are [they], and from where have they come?" And I said to him, "My lord, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Because of this, they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne {will shelter} them. They will not be hungry [any] longer or be thirsty [any] longer, nor will the sun ever beat down on them, nor any heat, because the Lamb [who is] in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and will lead them to springs of living waters, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Hastings
Introductory.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
because [in] six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that [is] in them, and on the seventh day he rested. Therefore Yahweh blessed the seventh day and consecrated it.
" 'Six days you will do your work, but on the seventh day you will stop so that your ox and your donkey will rest and the son of your slave woman and the alien will be refreshed.
" 'Three times in the year you will hold a festival for me
Three times in the year all your men will appear before the Lord Yahweh.
And you must keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you; defilers of it will surely be put to death, because anyone who does work on it--that person will be cut off from among his people. [On] six days work can be done, and on the seventh {is a Sabbath of complete rest}, {a holy day} for Yahweh; anyone doing work on the Sabbath day will surely be put to death.
It [is] a sign between me and the {Israelites} forever, because [in] six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh he ceased and recovered."
Three times in the year all your males will appear before the Lord, Yahweh, the God of Israel,
In the first month, on the fourteenth of the month at the evening [is] Yahweh's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of this month [is] Yahweh's Feast of Unleavened Bread; [for] seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
"And on the day of your joy and in your appointed times, at the beginning of your months, you will blow on the trumpets in addition to your burnt offerings and in addition to the sacrifices of your fellowship offerings. And they will be as a memorial for you {before} your God; I [am] Yahweh your God."
When the {Israelites} were in the desert, they found a man who was gathering wood on the day of the Sabbath. The ones who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and to all the community. read more. And they put him under watch because it was not made clear what should be done to him. And Yahweh said to Moses, "Surely the man must be put to death by stoning him; all the community [must stone him] with stones from outside the camp." So the entire community brought him out to a place outside the camp, and {they stoned him to death} just as Yahweh commanded Moses.
" 'And at the beginning of each of your months, you will present a burnt offering for Yahweh: two bulls and one ram, seven male lambs without defect {in their first year}; and three-tenths of finely milled flour mixed with oil [for] a grain offering, for each bull; and two-tenths of finely milled flour mixed with oil [for] a grain offering for the one ram; read more. and a tenth of finely milled flour mixed with oil [as] a grain offering for each male lamb, for a burnt offering of a fragrance of appeasement, an offering of fire for Yahweh. Their libations will be half a liquid measure of wine for the bull and a third of a liquid measure of wine for the ram and a fourth of a liquid measure of wine for the male lamb; this [is] the burnt offering for every month for the months of the year. And one male goat as a sin offering for Yahweh; it will be offered in addition to the continual burnt offering and its libation. " 'On the fourteenth day of the first month [is] the Passover for Yahweh. On the fifteenth day of this month [is] a religious feast, unleavened bread must be eaten for seven days.
but the seventh day [is] Sabbath unto Yahweh your God; you shall not do any work, or your son, or your daughter, or your slave, or your slave woman, or your ox, or your donkey, or any of your domestic animals, or your [resident] alien who [is] in your {towns}, so that your slave and your slave woman may rest as you [rest]. And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God brought you out with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm; therefore, Yahweh your God commanded you to keep {the Sabbath}.
Three times in the year all [of] your males shall appear {before } Yahweh your God at the place that he will choose, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear {before Yahweh} empty-handed.
You may not bring the {hire} of a prostitute or {the earnings of a male prostitute} [into] the house of Yahweh your God, for any vow offerings, because {both} are a detestable thing to Yahweh your God.
and watch and look; when the daughters of Shiloh dance in the dances, come out from the vineyards and seize for yourselves a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
Now Hannah had been speaking in her heart; her lips [were] moving, but her voice could not be heard, so Eli considered her [to be] drunk.
David said to Jonathan, "Look, tomorrow [is] the new moon, and I should certainly sit with the king to eat. You must send me away so that I can hide myself in the field until the third evening. If your father misses me at all, then you must say, 'David earnestly asked from me to run to Bethlehem his city, for {the yearly sacrifice} [is] there for all the clan.'
Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow [is] the new moon, and you will be missed, for your seat will stay empty.
So David hid himself in the field. {When the new moon came}, {the king was seated at the feast}.
And he said, "Why are you going to him today? [It is] neither the new moon nor the Sabbath!" And she said, "Peace."
Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all of the people, "This day is holy to Yahweh your God. Do not mourn nor weep." For all of the people wept when they heard the words of the law.
And we have cast lots for the contributions of the wood offering of the priests, the Levites, and the people to bring [it] to the house of our God, by our fathers' houses, at designated times, year by year, to burn on the altar of Yahweh our God--as it is written in the law.
In those days I saw in Judah [people] treading the wine press on the Sabbath, bringing in heaps [of grain] and loading them on donkeys along with wine, grapes and figs, and every kind of burden and bringing [it all] to Jerusalem on the day of the Sabbath. And I warned them at that time against selling food.
And then I told two Levites that they must purify themselves and come to guard the gates in order to consecrate the day of the Sabbath. Remember this also, my God, and take pity on me according to the greatness of your loyal love.
a contribution of the wood offering at appointed times, and for the first fruits. Remember me, my God, for good.
You must not {continue} to bring offerings of futility, incense--it [is] an abomination to me; new moon and Sabbath, [the] calling of a convocation-- I cannot endure iniquity with [solemn] assembly.
Happy [is the] man [who] does this, and [the] son of humankind [who] keeps hold of it, who keeps [the] Sabbath {so as not to profane} it, and who keeps his hand from doing any evil."
And the {foreigners} [who] join themselves to Yahweh to serve him and to love the name of Yahweh, to become his servants, every one who keeps [the] Sabbath, {so as not to profane} it, and those who keep hold of my covenant,
If you hold your foot back from [the] Sabbath, [from] doing your affairs on {my holy day}, if you call the Sabbath a pleasure, the holy [day] of Yahweh honorable, if you honor him {more than} doing your ways, than finding your affairs and speaking a word,
And you must say to them, 'Hear the word of Yahweh, kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem who enter through these gates. Thus says Yahweh, "Be on your guard for the sake of yourselves, that you must not carry a burden on the day of the Sabbath, and you must [not] bring [it] through the gates of Jerusalem. read more. And you must not carry a burden from your houses on the day of the Sabbath, and you must not do any work. But you must declare holy the day of Sabbath, just as I commanded your ancestors. Yet they did not listen, and they did not incline their ear, and they hardened their neck [so as] to not hear, nor to receive discipline. "And it will happen, if you carefully listen to me," {declares} Yahweh, "to bring no burden through the gates of this city on the day of the Sabbath, but to declare holy the day of Sabbath, not to do on it any work,
And also my Sabbaths I gave to them to be a sign between me and between them {so they would know} that I, Yahweh, [am] [the one] sanctifying them. "But in the desert the house of Israel rebelled against me; {they did not walk in my statutes}, and they rejected my regulations, which, if a person does them, he will live by them, and they greatly profaned my Sabbaths, and I decided to pour out my rage on them in the desert to destroy them,
because they despised my judgments, and {they did not walk in my statutes}, and my Sabbaths they profaned, for their heart was going after their idols.
And treat my Sabbaths as holy, and they will be a sign between me and between you {that you may know} that I, Yahweh, [am] your God.'
And I will put an end to all her mirth, her festivals, her new moons, and her Sabbaths, and all her appointed festivals;
Those who trample the heads of the powerless into the dust of the ground and turn aside the way of the destitute, a man and his father {have sexual relations with} the same girl, so that [they] profane my holy name.
saying, "When will the new moon be over, so that we can sell grain? And the Sabbath, so that we can open the grain bins, that we can make [the] ephah small and make [the] shekel large, and can practice deceit [with] a set of scales of deceit?
saying, "When will the new moon be over, so that we can sell grain? And the Sabbath, so that we can open the grain bins, that we can make [the] ephah small and make [the] shekel large, and can practice deceit [with] a set of scales of deceit?
And on the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, "Where do you want us to go [and] prepare, so that you can eat the Passover?"
Now the feast of Unleavened Bread (which is called Passover) was drawing near.
Morish
The feasts of Jehovah, as instituted under the law as given by Moses, partake more of the character of commemorations, or assemblies of the congregation to celebrate special dealings of the Lord, and consequently special seasons in the history of His people, being called 'holy convocations.' A list of the yearly feasts is given in Lev. 23. The first mentioned is the Sabbath, and if this is counted as one, by considering the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread as one there are seven in all
See Verses Found in Dictionary
" 'Three times in the year you will hold a festival for me You will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you will eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you at [the] appointed time, the month of Abib, because in it you came out from Egypt, and {no one will} appear before me empty-handed. read more. And [you will keep] the Feast of Harvest, [with] the firstfruits of your work, what you sow in the field. And [you will keep] the Feast of Harvest Gathering when the year goes out, when you gather your work from the field. Three times in the year all your men will appear before the Lord Yahweh.
In the first month, on the fourteenth of the month at the evening [is] Yahweh's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of this month [is] Yahweh's Feast of Unleavened Bread; [for] seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. read more. On the first day [there] shall be a holy assembly for you; you shall not do {any regular work}. And you shall present an offering for Yahweh made by fire [for] seven days; on the seventh day [there shall be] a holy assembly; you shall not do {any regular work}.'" Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the {Israelites}, and say to them, 'When you come to the land that I [am about] to give to you and you reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruit of your harvest to the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf {before} Yahweh for your acceptance; the priest shall wave it {on the day after} the Sabbath. And on the day of your waving the sheaf you shall {offer} a {yearling} male lamb without defect as a burnt offering to Yahweh. And its grain offering [shall be] two-tenths [of an ephah] of finely milled flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire for Yahweh, an appeasing fragrance; and its libation [shall be] a fourth of a hin of wine. And you shall not eat bread or roasted grain or ripe grain until {this very same day}, until you present your God's offering. [This must be] {a lasting statute} for your generations in all your dwellings. " 'And you shall count for yourselves {from the day after} the Sabbath, from the day of your bringing the wave offering's sheaf--[there] shall be seven full weeks. Until {the day after} the seventh Sabbath you shall count fifty days; then you shall present a new grain offering for Yahweh. You shall bring from your dwellings for a wave offering two [loaves of] bread {made with} two-tenths [of an ephah] of finely milled flour; they must be baked with leaven--[the] firstfruits {belonging to} Yahweh. And, in addition to the bread, you shall present seven {yearling} male lambs without defects and one {young bull} and two rams--they shall be a burnt offering for Yahweh with their grain offering and their libations, an offering made by fire, an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh. And you shall {offer} one he-goat as a sin offering and two {yearling} male lambs as a sacrifice of fellowship offerings And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits [as] a wave offering {before} Yahweh; in addition to [the] two male lambs, they shall be holy for Yahweh for the priest. And {you shall make a proclamation} on {this very same day}; it shall be a holy assembly for you; you shall not do {any regular work}; [this is] a {lasting statute} in all your dwellings throughout your generations And when you reap the harvest of your land, you must not finish the edge of your field at your reaping, and you must not glean the remnants of your harvest--you shall leave them behind for the needy and for the alien; I [am] Yahweh your God.'" Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the {Israelites}, saying, 'In the seventh month, on [the] first [day] of the month, {you must have} a rest period, a remembrance of [the trumpet] blast, a holy assembly. You must not do {any regular work}, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh.'" Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, "Surely the Day of Atonement [is] on the tenth [day] of the seventh month; it shall be a holy assembly for you, and you shall deny yourselves, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh. And you must not do {any regular work} on {this very same day}, because it [is] the Day of Atonement to make atonement for you {before} Yahweh your God. If [there is] any person who does not deny [himself] on {this very same day}, then he shall be cut off from his people. As for any person who does any work on {this very same day}, I will exterminate that person from the midst of his people. You must not do any work; [it is] a {lasting statute} throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It [is] {a Sabbath of complete rest} for you, and you shall deny yourselves on the ninth [day] of the month in the evening--from evening to evening you must observe your [extraordinary] Sabbath." Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the {Israelites}, saying, 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, this [shall be] the Feast of Booths [for] seven days for Yahweh. On the first day [there shall be] a holy assembly; you must not do any {regular work}. [For] seven days you must present an offering made by fire to Yahweh. On the eighth day it shall be a holy assembly for you, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh; it [is] a celebration; you must not do {any regular work}. " 'These [are] Yahweh's festivals, which you must proclaim, holy assemblies to present an offering made by fire to Yahweh--burnt offering and grain offering, sacrifice and libations, {each on its proper day}-- {besides} Yahweh's Sabbaths and {besides} your gifts and {besides} your vows and {besides} all your freewill offerings that you give to Yahweh. " 'Surely on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, at your gathering the land's produce, you shall hold Yahweh's festival for seven days; on the first day [there shall be] a rest period and on the eighth day a rest period. And on the first day you shall take for yourselves the first fruit of majestic trees, branches of palm trees and branches of a leafy tree and of a brook's poplar trees, and you shall rejoice {before} Yahweh your God [for] seven days. And you must hold it [as] a festival for Yahweh [for] seven days in the year; [it shall be] a {lasting statute} throughout your generations; in the seventh month you must hold it. You must live in the booths [for] seven days; all the natives in Israel must live in the booths, so that your generations shall know that I made the {Israelites} live in booths when I brought them from the land of Egypt; I [am] Yahweh your God.'" Thus Moses announced to the {Israelites} Yahweh's appointed times.
" 'You will present these to Yahweh at your appointed time, in addition to your vows and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings and for you grain offerings and for your libations and for your fellowship offerings.'"
Three times in the year all [of] your males shall appear {before } Yahweh your God at the place that he will choose, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear {before Yahweh} empty-handed.
for the rows of bread, the offering of the daily sacrifice, the continual [burnt] sacrifice, the Sabbaths, the new moon festivals, the appointed [festival] times, the holy objects, the sin offerings that make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.
to impose on them to keep the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and the fifteenth [day], {every year},
Therefore they called these days Purim, because of the name Pur. Thus because of all the words of this letter, and of what they faced concerning this, and of what had happened to them,
Then the feast of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter,
Smith
Feasts.
[FESTIVALS; MEALS]
See Festivals
See Meals
Watsons
FEASTS. God appointed several festivals among the Jews.
1. To perpetuate the memory of great events; so, the Sabbath commemorated the creation of the world; the passover, the departure out of Egypt; the pentecost, the law given at Sinai, &c.
2. To keep them under the influence of religion, and by the majesty of that service which he instituted among them, and which abounded in mystical symbols or types of evangelical things, to convey spiritual instruction, and to keep alive the expectation of the Messiah, and his more perfect dispensation.
3. To secure to them certain times of rest and rejoicings.
4. To render them familiar with the law; for, in their religious assemblies, the law of God was read and explained.
5. To renew the acquaintance, correspondence, and friendship of their tribes and families, coming from the several towns in the country, and meeting three times a year in the holy city.
The first and most ancient festival, the Sabbath, or seventh day, commemorated the creation. "The Lord blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it," says Moses, "because that in it he had rested from all his work," Ge 2:3. See SABBATH.
The passover was instituted in memory of the Israelites' departure out of Egypt, and of the favour which God showed his people in sparing their first-born, when he destroyed the first-born of the Egyptians, Ex 12:14, &c. See PASSOVER.
The feast of pentecost was celebrated on the fiftieth day after the passover, in memory of the law being given to Moses on Mount Sinai, fifty days after the departure out of Egypt. They reckoned seven weeks from the passover to pentecost, beginning at the day after the passover. The Hebrews call it the feast of weeks, and the Christians, pentecost, which signifies the fiftieth day.
The feast of trumpets was celebrated on the first day of the civil year; on which the trumpets sounded, proclaiming the beginning of the year, which was in the month Tisri, answering to our September, O. S. We know no religious cause of its establishment. Moses commands it to be observed as a day of rest, and that particular sacrifices should be offered at that time.
The new moons, or first days of every month, were, in some sort, a consequence of the feasts of trumpets. The law did not oblige people to rest upon this day, but ordained only some particular sacrifices. It appears that, on these days, also, the trumpet was sounded, and entertainments were made, 1Sa 20:5-18.
The feast of expiation or atonement was celebrated on the tenth day of Tisri, which was the first day of the civil year. It was instituted for a general expiation of sins, irreverences, and pollutions of all the Israelites, from the high priest to the lowest of the people, committed by them throughout the year, Le 23:27-28; Nu 29:7. See EXPIATION, Day of.
The feast of tents, or tabernacle, on which all Israel were obliged to attend the temple, and to dwell eight days under tents of branches, in memory of their fathers dwelling forty years in tents, as travellers in the wilderness. It was kept on the fifteenth of the month Tisri, the first of the civil year. The first and seventh day of this feast were very solemn. But during the other days of the octave they might work, Le 23:34-35; Nu 29:12-13. At the beginning of the feast, two vessels of silver were carried in a ceremonious manner to the temple, one full of water, the other of wine, which were poured at the foot of the altar of burnt offerings, always on the seventh day of this festival.
Of the three great feasts of the year, the passover, pentecost, and that of the tabernacles, the octave, or seventh day after these feasts, was a day of rest as much as the festival itself; and all the males of the nation were obliged to visit the temple at these three feasts. But the law did not require them to continue there during the whole octave, except in the feast of tabernacles, when they seem obliged to be present for the whole seven days.
Beside these feasts, we find the feast of lots, or purim, instituted on occasion of the deliverance of the Jews from Haman's plot, in the reign of Ahasuerus. See PURIM.
The feast of the dedication of the temple, or rather of the restoration of the temple, which had been profaned by Antiochus Epiphanes, 1 Mac. 4:52, &c, was celebrated in winter, and is supposed to be the feast of dedication mentioned in Joh 10:22. Josephus says, that it was called the feast of lights, probably because this happiness befel them when least expected, and they considered it as a new light risen on them.
In the Christian church, no festival appears to have been expressly instituted by Jesus Christ, or his Apostles. Yet, as we commemorate the passion of Christ as often as we celebrate his Supper, he seems by this to have instituted a perpetual feast. Christians have always celebrated the memory of his resurrection, and observe this feast on every Sunday, which was commonly called the Lord's day, Re 1:10. By inference we may conclude this festival to have been instituted by Apostolic authority.
The birth-day of Christ, commonly called Christmas-day, has been generally observed by his disciples with gratitude and joy. His birth was the greatest blessing ever bestowed on mankind. The angels from heaven celebrated it with a joyful hymn; and every man, who has any feeling of his own lost state without a Redeemer, must rejoice and be glad in it. "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, Isa 9:6. For this festival, however, there is no authority in Scripture, nor do we know that it was observed in the age of the Apostles.
On Easter Sunday we celebrate our Saviour's victory over death and hell, when, having on the cross made an atonement for the sin of the world, he rose again from the grave, brought life and immortality to light, and opened to all his faithful servants the way to heaven. On this great event rest all our hopes. "If Christ be not risen," says St. Paul, "then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept," 1Co 15:14,20.
Forty days after his resurrection, our Lord ascended into heaven, in the sight of his disciples. This is celebrated on what is called Ascension-day, or Holy Thursday. Ten days after his ascension, our Lord sent the Holy Spirit to be the comforter and guide of his disciples. This blessing is commemorated on Whit-Sunday, which is a very great festival, and may be profitably observed; for the assistance of the Holy Spirit can alone support us through all temptations, and guide us into all truth.
The pretended success of some in discovering the remains of certain holy men, called "relics," multiplied in the fourth century of the Christian church the festivals and commemorations of the martyrs in a most extravagant manner. These days, instead of being set apart for pious exercises, were spent in indolence, voluptuousness, and criminal pursuits; and were less consecrated to the service of God, than employed in the indulgence of sinful passions. Many of these festivals were instituted on a Pagan model, and perverted to similar purposes.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And God blessed the seventh day, and he sanctified it, because on it he rested from all his work {of creating that [there was] to do}.
"And this day will become a memorial for you, and you will celebrate it as a religious feast for Yahweh throughout your generations; you will celebrate it as a lasting statute.
"Surely the Day of Atonement [is] on the tenth [day] of the seventh month; it shall be a holy assembly for you, and you shall deny yourselves, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh. And you must not do {any regular work} on {this very same day}, because it [is] the Day of Atonement to make atonement for you {before} Yahweh your God.
"Speak to the {Israelites}, saying, 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, this [shall be] the Feast of Booths [for] seven days for Yahweh. On the first day [there shall be] a holy assembly; you must not do any {regular work}.
" 'And on the tenth of this seventh month you will have a holy convocation, and {you will afflict yourselves}; you will not do any work.
" 'Then on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you will have a holy convocation; {you will not do any regular work}, and you will hold a religious feast for Yahweh for seven days. You will present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh: thirteen bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs {in their first year}; they will be without defect.
David said to Jonathan, "Look, tomorrow [is] the new moon, and I should certainly sit with the king to eat. You must send me away so that I can hide myself in the field until the third evening. If your father misses me at all, then you must say, 'David earnestly asked from me to run to Bethlehem his city, for {the yearly sacrifice} [is] there for all the clan.' read more. If he says 'Good,' [it will mean] peace for your servant; but if he [is] very angry, know that {he has decided to do me harm}. So you must show loyal love to your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you. But if there [is] guilt in me, [then] kill me yourself! But why should you bring me to your father?" Then Jonathan said, "Far be it from you! For if I know for certain that {my father decided evil should come upon you}, would I not have told it to you?" Then David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if what your father answers you [is] harsh?" And Jonathan said to David, "Come, let us go out to the field." So the two of them went out to the field. Then Jonathan said to David, "Yahweh the God of Israel [is my witness] that I will question my father {by this time the day after tomorrow}. And look, {if he is well disposed toward you}, will I not send [word] to you and {disclose it to you}? {So may Yahweh punish Jonathan and more} if {my father decides to do you harm} and if {I fail to disclose it to you} and send word to you that you can go safely. And may Yahweh be with you, as he has been with my father. And not while I am still alive, will you not show the loyal love of Yahweh with me, that I may not die? And do not cut off your loyal love from {my family} forever, not [even] when Yahweh {exterminates} each of the enemies of David from the face of the earth." So Jonathan {made a covenant} with the house of David, [saying,] "May Yahweh {call the enemies of David to account}." And Jonathan again made David swear an oath, because he loved him; for with the love of his soul he loved him. Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow [is] the new moon, and you will be missed, for your seat will stay empty.
For a child has been born for us; a son has been given to us. And the dominion will be on his shoulder, and his name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Then the feast of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter,
But if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching [is] in vain, and your faith [is] in vain.
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a great sound like a trumpet