Leviticus 23:33-44

The Feast of Tabernacles

33 And the LORD said to Moses, ¹

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

42 You are to dwell in booths ^[c] for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must dwell in booths,

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

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

Leviticus 23:33-44 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 23

In this chapter an account is given of the several holy days, times, and seasons, appointed by God, under the general names of feasts and holy convocations; and first of the sabbath, Le 23:1-4; then of the passover and feast of unleavened bread, Le 23:5-8; to which is annexed the sheaf of the firstfruits, Le 23:9-14; after that of the feast of weeks or pentecost, Le 23:15-22; and of the feast of trumpets, Le 23:23-25; and of the day of atonement, Le 23:26-32; and of the feast of tabernacles, Le 23:33-44.

Cross References

• 1. (Nehemiah 8:13–18; Zechariah 14:16–21)

Footnotes

• [a] That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as the Feast of Booths or the Feast of Shelters and originally called the Feast of Ingathering (see Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22).
• [b] Or poplars
• [c] Or tabernacles or shelters; twice in this verse, and also in verse 43; see the footnote for verse 34.