The Bible — World English Bible
Leviticus 23
In brief
Leviticus 23 is the calendar of feasts that God sets for Israel, which he calls “my set feasts” and “holy convocations.” The chapter moves through the Sabbath, Passover and unleavened bread, the firstfruits of the harvest, the feast of weeks fifty days later, then the feasts of the seventh month: the Day of Atonement and Tabernacles. Each feast is an appointment with God that invites the people to remember what he has done. Christians also read in it an announcement of the work of Christ.
The chapter in 6 parts
- v. 1-4The feasts of the Lord, holy convocations
- v. 5-8Passover and the feast of unleavened bread
- v. 9-14The firstfruits of the harvest
- v. 15-22Fifty days later: the new offering and the corner of the field left for the poor
- v. 23-32The seventh month and the Day of Atonement
- v. 33-44The feast of tabernacles: seven days in booths
1Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘The set feasts of Yahweh, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my set feasts.
3“ ‘Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no kind of work. It is a Sabbath to Yahweh in all your dwellings.
4“ ‘These are the set feasts of Yahweh, even holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their appointed season.
5In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, is Yahweh’s Passover.
6On the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread to Yahweh. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
7In the first day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work.
8But you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh seven days. In the seventh day is a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work.’ ”
9Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
10“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you have come into the land which I give to you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.
11He shall wave the sheaf before Yahweh, to be accepted for you. On the next day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.
12On the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb without defect a year old for a burnt offering to Yahweh.
13The meal offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to Yahweh for a pleasant aroma; and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin.
14You must not eat bread, or roasted grain, or fresh grain, until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God. This is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
15“ ‘You shall count from the next day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed.
16The next day after the seventh Sabbath you shall count fifty days; and you shall offer a new meal offering to Yahweh.
17You shall bring out of your habitations two loaves of bread for a wave offering made of two tenths of an ephah of fine flour. They shall be baked with yeast, for first fruits to Yahweh.
18You shall present with the bread seven lambs without defect a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to Yahweh, with their meal offering and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of a sweet aroma to Yahweh.
19You shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings.
20The priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering before Yahweh, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to Yahweh for the priest.
21You shall make proclamation on the same day that there shall be a holy convocation to you. You shall do no regular work. This is a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
22“ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you must not wholly reap into the corners of your field, and you must not gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must leave them for the poor, and for the foreigner. I am Yahweh your God.’ ”
23Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
24“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, there shall be a solemn rest for you, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.
25You shall do no regular work. You shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh.’ ”
26Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
27“However on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement. It shall be a holy convocation to you. You shall afflict yourselves and you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
28You shall do no kind of work in that same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before Yahweh your God.
29For whoever it is who shall not deny himself in that same day shall be cut off from his people.
30Whoever does any kind of work in that same day, I will destroy that person from among his people.
31You shall do no kind of work: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
32It shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall deny yourselves. In the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall keep your Sabbath.”
33Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
34“Speak to the children of Israel, and say, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of booths for seven days to Yahweh.
35On the first day shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work.
36Seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh. On the eighth day shall be a holy convocation to you. You shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh. It is a solemn assembly; you shall do no regular work.
37“ ‘These are the appointed feasts of Yahweh which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh, a burnt offering, a meal offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, each on its own day—
38in addition to the Sabbaths of Yahweh, and in addition to your gifts, and in addition to all your vows, and in addition to all your free will offerings, which you give to Yahweh.
39“ ‘So on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruits of the land, you shall keep the feast of Yahweh seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.
40You shall take on the first day the fruit of majestic trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before Yahweh your God seven days.
41You shall keep it as a feast to Yahweh seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations. You shall keep it in the seventh month.
42You shall dwell in temporary shelters for seven days. All who are native-born in Israel shall dwell in temporary shelters,
43that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in temporary shelters when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.’ ”
44So Moses declared to the children of Israel the appointed feasts of Yahweh.
Key verses
“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘The set feasts of Yahweh, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my set feasts.
God calls these feasts “my set feasts”: they are not first of all Israel's calendar, but appointments that God himself sets with his people.
“ ‘Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no kind of work. It is a Sabbath to Yahweh in all your dwellings.
Before all the yearly feasts comes the Sabbath: six days of work, then a day of rest and holy convocation. The rhythm of rest is the foundation of the calendar.
The next day after the seventh Sabbath you shall count fifty days; and you shall offer a new meal offering to Yahweh.
Counting fifty days after the sheaf of firstfruits gives Pentecost its name, a Greek word meaning the fiftieth day. Christians connect it with the gift of the Spirit in Acts 2.
“ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you must not wholly reap into the corners of your field, and you must not gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must leave them for the poor, and for the foreigner. I am Yahweh your God.’ ”
In the middle of the ritual instructions, God asks that a corner of the field be left for the poor and the foreigner. Celebrating the Lord goes hand in hand with generosity toward the most vulnerable.
that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in temporary shelters when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.’ ”
The seven days in temporary shelters remind Israel that God brought them out of Egypt and had them live in temporary shelters. The feast is an exercise in memory.
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Frequently asked questions about Leviticus 23
What are the feasts of Leviticus 23?
The chapter lists the Sabbath, Passover, the feast of unleavened bread, the firstfruits of the harvest, the feast of weeks (fifty days later), then, in the seventh month, the Day of Atonement and the feast of tabernacles. God calls them “my set feasts,” holy convocations to be kept on their appointed dates.
What is the link between Leviticus 23 and Pentecost?
Verse 16 asks the people to count fifty days up to the new offering: this is the feast of weeks, Shavuot, which Greek calls Pentecost. According to Acts 2, the Spirit was given to the disciples in Jerusalem during this feast, which is why Christians see it as the starting point of the church.
Why does God ask for a corner of the field to be left unharvested?
In verse 22, God asks that the harvest not be gathered to the very edge and that the gleanings not be picked up: they belong to the poor and the foreigner. In the middle of a chapter on feasts, he shows that gratitude toward him is also lived out through concrete generosity toward the most vulnerable.
Articles quoting Leviticus 23
World English Bible translation — public domain.