Reference: Festivals, Religious
Easton
There were daily (Le 23), weekly, monthly, and yearly festivals, and great stress was laid on the regular observance of them in every particular (Nu 28:1-8; Ex 29:38-42; Le 6:8-23; Ex 30:7-9; 27:20).
(1.) The septenary festivals were,
(a) The weekly Sabbath (Le 23:1-3; Ex 19:3-25; 20:8-11; 31:12, etc.).
(b) The seventh new moon, or the feast of Trumpets (Nu 28:11-15; 29:1-6).
(c) The Sabbatical year (Ex 23:10-11; Le 25:2-7).
(d) The year of jubilee (Le 23-27; 25:1; 8-16; 27:16-25).
(2.) The great feasts were,
(a) The Passover. (b) The feast of Pentecost, or of weeks. (c) The feast of Tabernacles, or of ingathering.
On each of these occasions every male Israelite was commanded "to appear before the Lord" (De 27:7; Ne 8:9-12). The attendance of women was voluntary. (Comp. Lu 2:41; 1Sa 1:7; 2:19.) The promise that God would protect their homes (Ex 34:23-24) while all the males were absent in Jerusalem at these feasts was always fulfilled. "During the whole period between Moses and Christ we never read of an enemy invading the land at the time of the three festivals. The first instance on record is thirty-three years after they had withdrawn from themselves the divine protection by imbruing their hands in the Saviour's blood, when Cestius, the Roman general, slew fifty of the people of Lydda while all the rest had gone up to the feast of Tabernacles, A.D. 66."
These festivals, besides their religious purpose, had an important bearing on the maintenance among the people of the feeling of a national unity. The times fixed for their observance were arranged so as to interfere as little as possible with the industry of the people. The Passover was kept just before the harvest commenced, Pentecost at the conclusion of the corn harvest and before the vintage, the feast of Tabernacles after all the fruits of the ground had been gathered in.
(3.) The Day of Atonement, the tenth day of the seventh month (Le 16:1,34; 23:26-32; Nu 29:7-11). (See Atonement, Day of.)
Of the post-Exilian festivals reference is made to the feast of Dedication (Joh 10:22). This feast was appointed by Judas Maccabaeus in commemoration of the purification of the temple after it had been polluted by Antiochus Epiphanes. The "feast of Purim" (q.v.), Es 9:24-32, was also instituted after the Exile. (Cf. Joh 5:1.)
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you unto myself. read more. Now therefore, if ye will give ear to hearken unto my voice and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a special treasure unto me above all peoples; for all the earth is mine. And ye shall be my kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the sons of Israel. Then Moses came and called for the elders of the people and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. And all the people answered together and said, All that the LORD has spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, I come unto thee in a thick cloud that the people may hear when I speak with thee and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes and be ready for the third day; for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai. And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves that ye go not up into the mount or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mount shall surely die: Not a hand shall touch it, but that he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live. When the jubilee sounds long, they shall come up to the mount. And Moses went down from the mount unto the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day; come not at your women. And it came to pass on the third day when the morning came, that there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount and the voice of the shofar exceeding loud, so that all the people that were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the lower part of the mount. And all Mount Sinai smoked because the LORD had descended upon it in fire, and its smoke ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And the voice of the shofar sounded long and waxed louder and louder; Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice. And the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mount, and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount, and Moses went up. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people lest they break through the bounds to gaze upon the LORD, and many of them perish. And also let the priests who come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves lest the LORD break forth upon them. And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for thou hast charged us, saying, Set bounds about the mount and sanctify it. And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou and Aaron with thee, but let not the priests and the people break through the bounds to come up unto the LORD lest he break forth upon them. So Moses went down unto the people and spoke unto them.
Thou shalt remember the sabbath day, to sanctify it. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work; read more. but the seventh day shall be the sabbath of the LORD thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manslave, nor thy maidslave, nor thy beast, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and earth, the sea, and all that is in them and rested the seventh day; therefore, the LORD blessed the sabbath day and sanctified it.
And six years thou shalt sow thy land and shalt gather in its increase, but the seventh year thou shalt leave it free and release it, that the poor of thy people may eat, and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard and with thy oliveyard.
And thou shalt command the sons of Israel that they bring thee olive oil, clear, crushed, for the light, to cause the lamps to burn always.
Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar: two lambs of the first year every day continually. The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning, and the other lamb thou shalt offer at evening. read more. Moreover a tenth ephah of flour mingled with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil and the fourth part of a hin of wine with each lamb. And thou shalt offer the other lamb at evening, doing according to the present of the morning and according to its drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering on fire unto the LORD. This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your ages at the door of the tabernacle of the testimony before the LORD, where I will concert with you, to speak there unto you.
And Aaron shall burn sweet incense thereon every morning; when he dresses the lamps, he shall burn it. And when Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn incense upon it continually before the LORD throughout your ages. read more. Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon nor burnt sacrifice nor present; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.
Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the GOD who is Lord of all, the God of Israel. For I will cast the Gentiles out of thy presence and enlarge thy borders; neither shall anyone covet thy land when thou shalt go up to be seen before the LORD thy God three times a year.
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering (it is the burnt offering because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it): read more. And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen underwear shall he put upon his flesh, and when the fire has consumed the burnt offering, he shall take up the ashes with the burnt fat on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. Then he shall put off his garments and put on other garments and carry forth the ashes with the burnt fat outside the camp unto a clean place. And the fire burning upon the altar shall not be put out, but the priest shall put wood on it every morning and lay the burnt offering in order upon it, and he shall burn upon it the fat of the peace. The fire shall burn continuously upon the altar; it shall not be put out. And this is the law of the present: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, before the altar. And he shall take of it a handful of the flour of the present and of the oil thereof and all the frankincense which is upon the present and shall incense it upon the altar in an aroma of rest unto the LORD for a memorial. And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat; without leaven it shall be eaten in the holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of the testimony they shall eat it. It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it unto them for their portion of my offerings on fire; it is most holy, as is the atonement for sin and the expiation of guilt. All the males among the sons of Aaron shall eat of it. It shall be a perpetual statute in your generations concerning the offerings on fire of the LORD; every thing that touches them shall be sanctified. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, This shall be the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD in the day when they shall be anointed: the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a perpetual present, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening. In a pan it shall be made with oil; and when it is fried, thou shalt bring it in; and the cooked pieces of the present shalt thou offer in a very acceptable aroma unto the LORD. And the priest of his sons that is anointed in his stead shall offer it; it is a perpetual statute unto the LORD; it shall be completely burnt. And every present of a priest shall be completely burnt; it shall not be eaten.
And the LORD spoke unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they came near before the LORD and died;
And you shall hold this as a perpetual statute to reconcile the sons of Israel of all their sins once a year. And Moses did as the LORD commanded him.
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the sons of Israel and say unto them, The feasts of the LORD, unto which ye shall make a general convocation of all the people, these shall be my feasts. read more. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day shall be a sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein; it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, But the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the day of reconciliations; it shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made on fire unto the LORD. read more. And ye shall do no work in this same day; for it is a day of reconciliations, to reconcile you before the LORD your God. For every person that shall not afflict themselves in that same day, shall be cut off from among his people. And any person that does any work in that same day, the same person will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your ages in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of sabbaths, and ye shall afflict your souls, beginning in the ninth day of the month in the evening, from evening unto evening, shall ye rest on your sabbath.
Speak unto the sons of Israel and say unto them, When ye have come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD. Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard and gather in the fruit thereof, read more. but the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath unto the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field nor prune thy vineyard. That which grows of its own accord in thy land that was harvested, thou shalt not reap; neither fence in the grapes of thy consecrated vine; for it is a year of rest unto the land. But the sabbath of the land shall be food for you, for thee and for thy slave and for thy maid and for thy hired servant and for thy stranger that sojourns with thee and for thy beast and for the animals that are in thy land shall all the fruit thereof be food.
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Command the sons of Israel and say unto them, My offering, my bread with my offerings on fire, for an acceptable savour unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season. read more. And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering on fire which ye shall offer unto the LORD; two lambs of the first year without spot each day, for a continual burnt offering. The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer between the two evenings, and a tenth part of an ephah of flour, mingled with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil as a present. It is a continual burnt offering, which was ordained in Mount Sinai for an acceptable savour, an offering on fire unto the LORD. And the drink offering thereof shall be the fourth part of a hin with each lamb; thou shalt pour out the drink offering of superior wine unto the LORD in the sanctuary. And the other lamb shalt thou offer between the two evenings; according to the offering of the morning and according to the drink offering thereof, thou shalt offer it, an offering on fire, of an acceptable savour unto the LORD.
And in the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the LORD: two young bullocks, and one ram, seven lambs of the first year without spot; and three tenth deals of flour mingled with oil, as a present with each bullock; and two tenth deals of flour mingled with oil, as a present with each ram; read more. and a tenth deal of flour mingled with oil in offering as a present with each lamb; a burnt offering of an acceptable savour, a sacrifice on fire unto the LORD. And their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine with each bullock and the third part of a hin with each ram and a fourth part of a hin with each lamb. This shall be the burnt offering of each month throughout all the months of the year. And one he goat as the sin shall be offered unto the LORD, besides the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.
And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work; it is a day of sounding an alarm unto you. And ye shall offer a burnt offering for an acceptable savour unto the LORD: one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without blemish; read more. and their present shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals with each bullock, and two tenth deals with each ram, and one tenth deal with each of the seven lambs; and one he goat as the sin, to reconcile you. Besides the burnt offering of the month and its present, and the daily burnt offering and its present and their drink offerings, according to their law, for an acceptable savour, a sacrifice on fire unto the LORD. And ye shall have on the tenth of this seventh month a holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls; ye shall not do any work; and ye shall offer in burnt offering unto the LORD for an acceptable savour: one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year; they shall be unto you without blemish. And their presents shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals with each bullock, and two tenth deals with each ram, a tenth deal for each of the seven lambs; one he goat as the sin, besides the offering of the reconciliations for the sin, and the continual burnt offering and its presents and their drink offerings.
and thou shalt offer peace offerings and shalt eat there and rejoice before the LORD thy God.
And Nehemiah, the Tirshatha, and Ezra, the priest and scribe, and the Levites that caused the people to be attentive, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said unto them, Go, eat the fat, and drink sweet wine, and send portions unto those who have nothing prepared; for this day is holy unto our Lord, and not sad; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. read more. So the Levites caused all the people to be silent, saying, Be silent, for the day is holy; neither be ye sad. And all the people went to eat and to drink and to send portions and to rejoice with great joy because they had understood the words that were taught unto them.
Because Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them and to destroy them, but when she came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. read more. Therefore, they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore, for all the words of this letter and of that which they had seen concerning this matter and which had come unto them, the Jews ordained and took upon them and upon their seed and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing and according to their appointed time each year, and that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city, and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews nor the memorial of them perish from their seed. Then Esther, the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai, the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim. And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, to confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai, the Jew, and Esther, the queen, had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the words of the fastings and their cry. And the commandment of Esther confirmed these words of Purim, and it was written in the book.
And his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
And they celebrated the dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.