1 And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,
2 Speake vnto the children of Israel, and say vnto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which yee shall proclaime to be holy conuocations, euen these are my feasts.
3 Sixe dayes shall worke be done, but the seuenth day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy conuocation; ye shall doe no worke therein: it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.
4 ¶ These are the feastes of the Lord, euen holy conuocations, which ye shall proclaime in their seasons.
5 In the fourteenth day of the first moneth at euen, is the Lords Passeouer.
6 And on the fifteenth day of the same moneth, is the feast of vnleauened bread vnto the Lord: seuen dayes ye must eate vnleauened bread.
7 In the first day ye shall haue an holy conuocation: ye shall do no seruile worke therein.
8 But ye shal offer an offring made by fire vnto the Lord seuen dayes: in the seuenth day is an holy conuocation, Ye shall doe no seruile worke therein.
9 ¶ And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,
10 Speake vnto the children of Israel, and say vnto them, When yee be come into the land which I giue vnto you, and shal reape the haruest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheafe of the first fruits of your haruest vnto the Priest:
11 And hee shall waue the sheafe before the Lord to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath the Priest shall waue it.
12 And ye shall offer that day, when ye waue the sheafe, an hee lambe without blemish of the first yeere, for a burnt offering vnto the Lord.
13 And the meat offring thereof shall be two tenth deales of fine flowre, mingled with oile, an offering made by fire vnto the Lord, for a sweet sauour: and the drinke offering thereof shalbe of wine, the fourth part of an Hin.
14 And ye shall eate neither bread, nor parched corne, nor greene eares, vntill the selfe same day that yee haue brought an offering vnto your God: It shalbe a statute for euer, throughout your generations, in all your dwellings.
15 ¶ And ye shall count vnto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheafe of the waue offering; seuen Sabbaths shalbe complete.
16 Euen vnto the morrow after the seuenth Sabbath, shall ye number fifty dayes, and ye shall offer a new meat offering vnto the Lord.
17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two waue-loaues, of two tenth deales: they shalbe of fine flowre, they shall be baken with leauen, they are the first fruits vnto the Lord.
18 And ye shall offer with the bread seuen lambes without blemish, of the first yeere, and one yong bullocke and two rammes: they shall be for a burnt offering vnto the Lord, with their meat offring and their drinke offrings, euen an offering made by fire of sweet sauour vnto the Lord.
19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goates, for a sinne offering, and two lambes of the first yeere, for a sacrifice of peace offerings.
20 And the Priest shall waue them with the bread of the first fruits, for a waue-offring before the Lord, with the two lambs: they shalbe holy to the Lord for the Priests.
21 And ye shal proclaime on the selfe same day, that it may be an holy conuocation vnto you: ye shall doe no seruile worke therein: it shall be a statute for euer in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
22 ¶ And when ye reape the haruest of your land, thou shalt not make cleane riddance of the corners of the field, when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy haruest: thou shalt leaue them vnto the poore, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God.
23 ¶ And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,
24 Speake vnto the children of Israel, saying, In the seuenth moneth, in the first day of the moneth shall yee haue a Sabbath, a memoriall of blowing of trumpets, an holy conuocation.
25 Ye shall do no seruile worke therein; but ye shall offer an offering made by fire vnto the Lord.
26 ¶ And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,
27 Also on the tenth day of this seuenth moneth, there shalbe a day of atonement, it shalbe an holy conuocation vnto you, & ye shall afflict your soules, and offer an offering made by fire vnto the Lord.
28 And ye shall doe no worke in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you, before the Lord your God.
29 For whatsoeuer soule it bee that shall not bee afflicted in that same day, hee shall bee cut off from among his people.
30 And whatsoeuer soule it bee that doeth any worke in that same day, the same soule will I destroy from among his people.
31 Ye shall doe no maner of worke: it shall be a statute for euer throughout your generations, in all your dwellings.
32 It shalbe vnto you a Sabbath of rest, and yee shall afflict your soules in the ninth day of the moneth at Euen, from Euen vnto Euen shall ye celebrate your Sabbath.
33 ¶ And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,
34 Speake vnto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seuenth moneth, shall be the feast of Tabernacles for seuen dayes vnto the Lord.
35 On the first day shalbe an holy conuocation: ye shall doe no seruile worke therein.
36 Seuen dayes ye shall offer an offring made by fire vnto the Lord, on the eight day shall be an holy conuocation vnto you, and ye shall offer an offering made by fire vnto the Lord: It is a solemne assembly, and ye shall doe no seruile worke therein.
37 These are the feasts of the Lord which ye shall proclaime to be holy conuocations, to offer an offering made by fire vnto the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, & drinke offerings, euery thing vpon his day;
38 Beside the Sabbaths of the Lord, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vowes, and beside all your free will offerings, which ye giue vnto the Lord.
39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seuenth moneth when yee haue gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keepe a feast vnto the Lord seuen dayes. On the first day shall bee a Sabbath, and on the eight day shall bee a Sabbath.
40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughes of goodly trees, branches of Palme trees, and the boughes of thicke trees, and willowes of the brooke, and yee shall reioyce before the Lord your God seuen dayes.
41 And yee shall keepe it a feast vnto the Lord seuen dayes in the yeere: It shalbe a Statute for euer in your generations, ye shall celebrate it in the seuenth moneth.
42 Ye shall dwell in boothes seuen dayes: all that are Israelites borne, shall dwell in boothes;
43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in boothes, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
44 And Moses declared vnto the children of Israel the feastes of the Lord.
The feasts of the Lord, The Sabbath. (1-3) The Passover, The offering of first-fruits. (4-14) The feast of Pentecost. (15-22) The feast of Trumpets, The day of atonement. (23-32) The feast of Tabernacles. (33-44)1-3 In this chapter we have the institution of holy times; many of which have been mentioned before. Though the yearly feasts were made more remarkable by general attendance at the sanctuary, yet these must not be observed more than the sabbath. On that day they must withdraw from all business of the world. It is a sabbath of rest, typifying spiritual rest from sin, and rest in God. God's sabbaths are to be religiously observed in every private house, by every family apart, as well as by families together, in holy assemblies. The sabbath of the Lord in our dwellings will be their beauty, strength, and safety; it will sanctify, build up, and glorify them.
4-14 The feast of the Passover was to continue seven days; not idle days, spent in sport, as many that are called Christians spend their holy-days. Offerings were made to the Lord at his altar; and the people were taught to employ their time in prayer, and praise, and godly meditation. The sheaf of first-fruits was typical of the Lord Jesus, who is risen from the dead as the First-fruits of them that slept. Our Lord Jesus rose from the dead on the very day that the first-fruits were offered. We are taught by this law to honour the Lord with our substance, and with the first-fruits of all our increase, #Pr 3:9|. They were not to eat of their new corn, till God's part was offered to him out of it; and we must always begin with God: begin every day with him, begin every meal with him, begin every affair and business with him; seek first the kingdom of God.
15-22 The feast of Weeks was held in remembrance of the giving of the law, fifty days after the departure from Egypt; and looked forward to the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, fifty days after Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. On that day the apostles presented the first-fruits of the Christian church to God. To the institution of the feast of Pentecost, is added a repetition of that law, by which they were required to leave the gleanings of their fields. Those who are truly sensible of the mercy they received from God, will show mercy to the poor without grudging.
23-32 the blowing of trumpets represented the preaching of the gospel, by which men are called to repent of sin, and to accept the salvation of Christ, which was signified by the day of atonement. Also it invited to rejoice in God, and become strangers and pilgrims on earth, which was denoted by the feast of Tabernacles, observed in the same month. At the beginning of the year, they were called by this sound of trumpet to shake off spiritual drowsiness, to search and try their ways, and to amend them. The day of atonement was the ninth day after this; thus they were awakened to prepare for that day, by sincere and serious repentance, that it might indeed be to them a day of atonement. The humbling of our souls for sin, and the making our peace with God, is work that requires the whole man, and the closest application of mind. On that day God spake peace to his people, and to his saints; therefore they must lay aside all their wordly business, that they might the more clearly hear that voice of joy and gladness.
33-44 In the feast of Tabernacles there was a remembrance of their dwelling in tents, or booths, in the wilderness, as well as their fathers dwelling in tents in Canaan; to remind them of their origin and their deliverance. Christ's tabernacling on earth in human nature, might also be prefigured. And it represents the believer's life on earth: a stranger and pilgrim here below, his home and heart are above with his Saviour. They would the more value the comforts and conveniences of their own houses, when they had been seven days dwelling in the booths. It is good for those who have ease and plenty, sometimes to learn what it is to endure hardness. The joy of harvest ought to be improved for the furtherance of our joy in God. The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; therefore whatever we have the comfort of, he must have the glory of, especially when any mercy is perfected. God appointed these feasts, "Beside the sabbaths and your free-will offerings." Calls to extraordinary services will not excuse from constant and stated ones.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.