Matthew Poole and continuators on Leviticus 23

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations even these are my feasts .

(i. e.) Cause to be proclaimed, by the Priests. See Numb. 10. 8, 9, 10.

Days for your assembling together to my worship and service in a special manner.

Which I have appointed, and the right observation whereof I will accept.

3 Six dayes shall work be done, but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings .

So it runs in the general for the sabbath day, and for the day of expiation, ver. 28. excluding all works about earthly occasions or employments whether of profit or of pleasure; but upon other feast dayes he forbids onely servile works, as ver. 7, 21, 36. for surely this manifest difference in the expressions used by the wise God must needs imply a difference in the things.

This is added to distinguish the sabbath from other feasts, which were to be kept before the Lord in Ierusalem onely, whither all the males were to come for that end, but the Sabbath was to be kept in all places where they were, both in Synagogues, which were erected for that end, and in their private houses.

Marginal references: Exod. 20. 9. and 23. 12. and 31. 13. and 34. 21. chap. 19. 3. Deut. 5. 13. Luk. 13. 14.

4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons .

In their appointed and proper times, as the word is used, Gen. 1. 14. Psal. 104. 19.

8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven dayes : in the seventh day is an holy convocation, ye shall do no servile work therein.

The matter and manner whereof see Numb. 28. 18, &c.

10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof ▪ then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest:

Therefore this obliged them not in the desert, where they reaped no harvest, &c.

(i. e.) begin to reap, as it is expounded Deut. 16. 9. So he beg[illegible: 1+ letters]t, i. e. began to beget, Gen. 5. 32. and 11. 26. and he built, 1 King. 6. 1. i. e. he began to build, as it is explained, 2 Chro[illegible: 1+ letters]. 3. 1.

To wit, barly harvest, which was before wheat harvest. See Exod. 9. 31, 32. and 34. 22. Ruth 2. 23.

Heb. An omer, which is the tenth part of an Ephah. It seems here to note the measure of corn which was to be o[illegible: 1+ letters]ered. For it is to be considered, that they did not offer this Corn in the ear or by a sheaf or handful, but, as Iosephus 3. 10. affirms, and may be gathered from Levit. 2. 14, 15, 16. purged from the chaff, and dryed, and beaten out, and, some adde, ground into meal and sifted into fine flour; though this may be doubted of, because the meat-offering attending upon this was of fine flour, ver. 13. and because this offering is said to be of green ears of Cor[illegible: 1+ letters] dried, &c. Levit. 2. 14.

Marginal references: Exod. 23. 16. Num. 28. 26.; Or, handful.; Heb. an Omer.

11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you . on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

That God may accept of you and bless you in the rest of your harvest.

(i. e.) After the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, which was a Sabbath or day of rest as appears from ver. 7. or upon the sixteenth day of the moneth. And this was the first of those fifty days, in the close whereof was the feast of Pentecost or Whitsuntide.

12 And ye shall offer that day, when ye wave the sheaf, an he-lamb without blemish of the first year, for a burnt-offering unto the LORD.

Besides the daily morning and evening sacrifice, which it was needless to mention here, and besides one of those sacrifices to be offered every day of the seven, ver. 8.

13 And the meat-offering thereof shall be two tenth-deals of fine flour mingled with oyl, an offering made by fire unto the LORD, for a sweet savour: and the drink-offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin .

Or, parts, to wit, of an Ephah, i. e. two Omers, whereas in other sacrifices of Lambs there was but one tenth deal prescribed. Numb. 15. 4. The reason of which disproportion may be this, that one of the tenth deals was a necessary attendant upon the Lamb, and the other was peculiar to this feast and occasion, and was an attendant upon that of the sheaf or Corn, and was offered with it in thanksgiving to God for the fruits of the Earth.

Drink-offerings▪ were added to all burnt-offerings, as we may see Numb. 15. 5.

The measure appointed for every Lamb, Numb. 15. 5. This also probably would have been doubled, for the reason now mentioned, had this been a thankoffering for the vintage as it was for the Harvest.

14 And ye shall eat neither bread , nor parched corn, nor green ears , until the self-same day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, in all your dwellings.

Made of new wheat, as the nature and reason of the Law sheweth.

Which were usual not onely for offerings to God, as Levit. 2. 14. but also for mans food. See Iosh. 5. 11. Ruth 2. 14. 1 Sam. 17. 17. Matth. 12. 1.

Good reason God should be first served and owned as the supream Landlord.

15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath , from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering, seven sabbaths shall be compleat.

(i. e.) From the sixteenth day of the moneth, and the second day of the feast of unleavened bread inclusively. See on ver. 11.

(i. e.) weeks, which are so called, by a Synecdoche, from the chief day of it, both here and Luk. 18. 12. Acts 20. 7. 1 Cor. 16. 2.

Marginal references: Deut. 16. 9.; Or, seven w[illegible: 1+ letters]

16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty dayes, and ye shall offer a new meat-offering unto the LORD.

(i. e.) After seven weeks or forty nine dayes, the morrow after which was the fiftieth day, called also Pe[illegible: 1+ letters]ecost.

To wit, of new Corn made into loaves, as it follows.

17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave-loaves of two tenth-deals : they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baken with leaven , they are the first-fruits unto the LORD.

(i. e.) Out of the Corn of your own land, for which and for the fruits of it you are now to offer praises unto God. And this also, as well as the former sacrifice, was brought out of the common charge, and in the name of the whole nation, whence it is said to be brought out of their habitations in the plural number. Some conceive two several loaves were brought from every family, or, as others, from every City or Town. But this is easily con[illegible: 1+ letters]uted from ver. 18. where we read that with the br[illegible: 1+ letters]ad, to wit, the two loaves, were to be offered seven Lambs, one bullock, &c. which doubtless was a common oblation and in the name of all.

In double proportion, as before ver. 13.

Because these were not offered to God, but wholly given to the Priests for food. See on Levit. 2. 11. and 7. 13.

Marginal references: Exod. 23. 16, 19. and 34. 26. Num. 15. 20. and 28. 26. Deut. 26. 2.

18 And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams : they shall be for a burnt-offering unto the LORD, with their meatoffering, and their drink-offerings, even an offering made by fire of sweet savour unto the LORD.

In N[illegible: 1+ letters]b. 28. 11, 19. it is two young bullocks and one ram. Either therefore it was left to their liberty to chuse which they would offer, or one of the bullocks there, and one of the rams here, were the peculiar sacrifices of the feast-day, and the other were attendants upon the two loaves, which were the principal and most proper offering at this time. And the one may be mentioned there, and the other here, to teach us, that the addition of a new sacrifice did not destroy the former, but both were to be offered, as the extraordinary sacrifices of every feast did not hinder the oblation of the daily sacrifice.

19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin-offering , and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace-offerings.

In Levit. 4. 14. the sin-offering for the sin of the people is a bullock, but here a kid, &c. the reason of the difference may be this, because that was for some particular sin of the people, but this onely in general for all their sins. If it be said, then this should have been the better sacrifice, as being for far more and possibly greater offences, it may be replyed, that this is not the onely instance wherein the greater sins are expiated by smaller sacrifices, and the smaller sins by greater sacrifices, which was to instruct us, that sins were not expiated by the sacrifices for any worth in them, but onely in respect of Christ, and that, though all sins are not equal, yet they are all expiated by one and the same price, even by the blood of Christ.

In Levit. 4. 14. the sin-offering for the sin of the people is a bullock, but here a kid, &c. the reason of the difference may be this, because that was for some particular sin of the people, but this onely in general for all their sins. If it be said, then this should have been the better sacrifice, as being for far more and possibly greater offences, it may be replyed, that this is not the onely instance wherein the greater sins are expiated by smaller sacrifices, and the smaller sins by greater sacrifices, which was to instruct us, that sins were not expiated by the sacrifices for any worth in them, but onely in respect of Christ, and that, though all sins are not equal, yet they are all expiated by one and the same price, even by the blood of Christ.

Marginal references: chap. 4. 23. 28.; chap. 3. 1.

20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first-fruits for a wave-offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD, for the priests .

(i. e.) Some part of them in the name of the whole, and so for the two lambs, otherwise they had been too big and too heavy to be waved. So it is a synecdochical expression.

Who had to themselves not onely the breast and shoulder, as in others, which belonged to the Priest; but also the rest which belonged to the offerer, because the whole Congregation being the offerer here, it could neither be distributed to them all, nor given to some without offence or injury to the rest.

Marginal references: Num. 18. 12 Deut. 18. 4.; Heb. [illegible: 1+ letters]o.

21 And ye shall proclaim on the self-same day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings, throughout your generations.

A Sabbath or day of rest, called Pentecost, which was instituted, partly in remembrance of the consummation of their deliverance out of Egypt by bringing them thence to the mount of God, or Si[illegible: 1+ letters]i, as God had promised, and of that admirable blessing of giving the Law to them at that time, and forming them into a Commonwealth under his own immediate Government, and partly in gratitude for the further progress of their harvest, as in the Passeover they offered a thankoffering to God for the beginning of their harvest.

22 And when ye reap the harvest of your land thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field, when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleanings of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.

From the plural, ye, he comes to the singular, thou, because he would press this duty upon every person who hath an harvest to reap, that none might plead exemption from it. And it is observable, that though the present business is onely concerning the Worship of God, yet he makes a kind of excursion to repeat a former Law of providing for the poor, to shew that our piety and devotion to God is little esteemed by him if it be not accompanied with acts of Charity to men.

Marginal references: chap. 19. 9.; Deut. 24. 19. &c.

24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, in the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets , an holy convocation.

(i. e.) Solemnized with the blowing of trumpets by the Priests, not in a common way, as they did every first day of every moneth, Numb. 10. 10. but in an extraordinary manner, not onely in Ierusalem, but in all the Cities of Israel. This seems to have been instituted, 1. To solemnize the beginning of the new year, whereof as to civil matters, and particularly as to the Jubilee, this was the first day; concerning which it was fit the people should be admonished, both to excite their thankfulness for Gods blessings in the last year, and to direct them in the management of their civil affairs. 2. To put a special honour upon this moneth. For as the seventh day was the Sabbath, and the seventh year was a Sabbatical year, so God would have the seventh moneth to be a kind of Sabbatical moneth, for the many Sabbaths and solemn feasts which were observed in this more than in any other moneth. And by this sounding of the trumpets in its beginning God would quicken and prepare them for the following Sabbaths, as well that of atonement and humiliation for their sins, as those of thanksgiving for Gods mercies.

Marginal references: Numb. 29. 1.

25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

What that was see Numb. 29. 2, &c.

27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month, there shall be a day of atonement, it shall be an holy convocation unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls , and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

With fasting, and bitter repentance for all, especially their national sins, among which no doubt▪ God would have them remember their sin of the golden Calf. For as God had threatned to remember it in after times to punish them for it, Exod. 32. 34. so there was great reason why they should remember it to humble themselves for it.

Marginal references: chap. 16. 30. Num. 29. 7.

29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

Either of the Jewish Nation or Religion. Hereby God would signifie the absolute necessity which every man had of Repentance and Forgiveness of sin, and the desperate condition of all impenitent persons.

Marginal references: Gen. 17. 1[illegible: 1+ letters].

32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even shall ye celebrate your sabbath .

This clause seems to be added to answer an objection, how this day of atonement could be both on the tenth day, ver. 27. and on the ninth day here. The answer is, it began at the evening or close of the ninth day, and continued till the evening or close of the tenth day, and so both were true, especially if you consider, that the Jews did take in some part of the sixth days evening by way of preparation for the Sabbath, and therefore would much more take in a part of the ninth day to prepare and begin the great and solemn work of their yearly atonement. And this clause may be understood either, 1. Of this particular Sabbath called here your Sabbath in the singular number, possibly to note the difference between this and other Sabbaths: for the weekly Sabbath is oft called the Sabbath of the Lord, because that was in a special manner appointed for the praising, honouring and serving of God and celebrating his glorious works, as also the other Sabbaths here mentioned were, whereas this was principally ordained for their need and for their good, even to seek and obtain the pardon of their sins. Or 2. Of all their Sabbaths, and consequently of this. The Jews are supposed to begin every day, and consequently their Sabbaths, at the evening, in remembrance of the creation, Gen. 1. 5. as Christians generally begin their days and Sabbaths with the morning in memory of Christs Resurrection.

Marginal references: Heb. rest.

34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of the seventh moneth shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven dayes unto the LORD.

(i. e.) Of Tents or Booths or Arbours. This feast was appointed principally to remind them of that time when they had no other dwellings in the Wilderness, as it is expressed, ver. 43. and to stir them up to bless God aswell for the gracious conduct and protection then afforded them, as for their more commodio[illegible: 1+ letters] and secure habitations now given them; and secondarily to excite them to gratitude for all the fruits of the year newly ended, which were now compleatly brought in, as may be gathered from [illegible: 1+ letters]. 39. & E[illegible: 1+ letters]od. 23. 16. Deut. 16. 13, 14. See [illegible: 1+ letters]n ins[illegible: 1+ letters]nce of this f[illegible: 1+ letters]st, [illegible: 1 word]. 8. 1[illegible: 1+ letters].

Marginal references: Num. 29. 12.

36 Seven dayes ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD; on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you, and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly, and ye shall do no servile work therein.

A several offering each day, which is particularly described Numb. 29. 13, &c.

Which though it was not one of the days of this feast strictly taken, nor is it here affirmed to be so, but on the contrary is expresly said to consist of seven days, ver. 34, 39. nor did they dwell longer in Tabernacles, yet in a larger sence it belonged to this feast, and is called the great day of the feast, Io[illegible: 1+ letters]. 7. 37. And so indeed it was, as for other reasons, so because, by their removal from their Tabernacles into more fixed and comfortable habitations, it represented that happy time wherein their 40 years tedious march in the wilderness was ended with their introduction into and settlement in the land of Canaan, which it was most fit and just they should acknowledge with such a solemn day of thanksgiving as this was.

Heb. a day of conclusion, because it was the end of the feast, Ioh. 7: 37. or, of restraint, because they were restrained from servile work, and obliged to attendance upon Gods worship; or, of detention, because they were yet detained before the Lord, and kept together for his service, and not suffered to return to their tents, till this was over.

Marginal references: Ioh. 7. 37. & 2 chron. 7. 9.; Heb. day of restraint.

37 These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt-offering, and a meat-offering, a sacrifice, and drink-offerings, every thing upon his day:

(i. e.) Another sacrifice, to wit, for a sin-offering, as we shall find it, Numb. 29. 16, 19, 22, &c. called by the general name, a sacrifice, because it was designed for that which was the principal end of all sacrifices, to wit, for the expiation of sin.

38 Beside the sabbaths of the LORD and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your free-will-offerings, which ye give unto the LORD.

(i. e.) The offerings of the weekly sabbaths, by a Metonymy, as the day is sometimes put for the actions done in it, as Prov. 27. 1. 1 Cor. 3. 13. God will not have any sabbath sacrifice diminished because of the addition of others proper to any other feast. And it is here to be noted that though other festival days are sometimes called sabbaths, as here ver. 39. yet these are here called the sabbaths of the Lord, in way of contradistinction to other days of rest to shew that this was more eminently such than other feast-days, which also sufficiently appears from the fourth Commandement.

Which, being here distinguished from free-will-offerings made to the Lord, may seem to note what they freely gave to the Priests over and above their first-fruits and tithes or other things which they were enjoyned to give.

39 Also, in the fifteenth day of the seventh moneth, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven dayes. On the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.

Or, rather surely, as this particle is oft used: For this is no addition of a new, but onely a repetition of the former, injunction, with a more particular explication both of the manner and reason of the feast.

Not the corn, which was gathered long before, but of their trees, as vines, olives, and other fruit-trees: which compleated the harvest, whence this is called the feast of in-gathering, Exod. 23. 16.

40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palmtrees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and ye shall rejoyce before the LORD your God seven dayes.

Heb. the fruit, i. e. fruit-bearing boughs or branches with the fruit on them, as the word fruit seems to be taken, 2 King. 19. 30. Ezek. 19. 12.

To wit, the olive, myrtle and pine, as they are mentioned Nehem. 8. 15, 16. which were most plentiful there, and which would best preserve their greenness or freshness.

Fit for shade and shelter.

Which might do well to mix with the other, and in some sort to bind them together. And as they made their booths of these materials, as is apparent from Nehem. 8. so it seems they did also carry some of these boughs in their hands, as is affirmed by Iewish and other antient writers.

Which joy they testified by feasting, thanksgiving, &c.

Marginal references: Heb▪ fruit.

42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven dayes: all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths;

Which were erected in their cities or towns, either in their streets, or gardens, or the tops of their houses Nehem. 8. 16. which were made flat, and therefore were proper and fit for that use.