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 fins. Or 2. Of all their Sabbarhs, and conſequently of this. The Jews are ſuppoſed to begin every day, andconſequently their Sabbaths, atthe evening, in remembrance of the creation, Gen. 1. 5. as Chriſtians generally begin their days and Sabbaths with themorning in memory of Chriſts Reſurre&ion.
22 And the LORD ſpake unto Moſes, ſaying, 24 Speak unto the children of Iſrael, ſaying, ® The fifteenth day of the ſeventh month ſhall be the feaſt of
tabernacles 9 for ſeven days unto the LORD.
q (5. 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 Wildernefs, as it is expreſſed, v. 43. and to ſtir them up to bleſs God, as well for the gracious condutt and ProteQtion then afforded them, as for their morecommodious 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 v. 39. and Exod: 23: 16: Deut: 16: 13, 14. See an inſtance of this feaſt, Neb: 8: 16.
35 On the firft day ſpall be an holy convocation: ye ſhall do no ſervile work zherein. : | 26 Seven days ye (hall offer an offering r made by fire unto the LORD ; * on the eighth day - hall be an holy 2 convocation unto you, and ye ſhall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD : it isa Þ ſolemn aſlembly z, and ye ſhall do no ſervile work therein.
+ A ſeveral offering each day, which is particularly deſcribed Numb. 29. 13, &c: s Which though ir was not one of the days of this feaſt firitly taken, nor is it here affirmed to be {o, bur on rhe contrary is expreſly ſaid to conſiſt of ſeven days, v. 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, John 7. 37. And ſo indeed it was, as for other reaſons, ſo becauſe, by their remova] from their Tabernacles into more fixed and comfortable habitations, it repreſented that happy time wherein their 4o years tedious march in the Wilderneſs was ended with their inrroduCtion into and ſetrle- ment inthe land ofCanann, which it was moſt fit and juſt they ſhould acknowledge with ſuch a Solemnday of Thankſgiving as this was. z Heb. a day of concluſion, becauſe it was . the end of the feaſt, John 7. 37. Or, of reſtraint, becauſe they were reſtrained from ſervile work, and obliged toattendance 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 tenrs, till this was Over. |
27 Theſe are the feaſts of the LORD, which yeſhal! proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt-offering, and a
-meat-oftering, a ſacrifice «, and drink-offerings, every-
thing upon his day :
w ( 7. e. ) Another ſacrifice, to wit, for a ſfin-offering, as we ſhall find it, Numb: 29: 16, 19, 22, Oc. called by the general name, » ſacrifice, becauſe it was deſigned for thar which was the principal end of all ſacrifices, to wit, for the expiation of ſin.
138 Beſide the ſabbaths x of the LORD, and beſide 'your.gifts y, and beſide all your vows, and beſide all
your free-will-offerings, which ye give untothe LORD. , the reſt belonged to the Pricſts,
LEYITICUS.
x*( 5. e. ) The offerings of the weekly Sabbaths, by a Metonymy, . as the day is ſometirhes put for the ations done in it, as Prov, 27. 1. r Cor. 3. 13. God will not have any Sabbath-ſacrifice dimin:ſhed becauſe of the addition of others, proper to any other feaſt. And it is here to be noted, that though other feſtiva} days are ſometimes called Sabbaths, as here Yerſe 39. yet theſe are here called the Sabbaths of the Lord, in way of contradiſtinQion to other day's of reſt, to ſhew that this was more eminently ſuch than other teaſt-days, which alſo ſufficiently appears from the fourth Commandment. y Which, being here diſhingviſhed from the 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.
29 Alfo z, in the fifteenth day of the ſeventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit « of the land, ye {hall keep a feaſt unto the LORD ſeven days. On the firſt day ſhall be a ſabbath, and on the eighth day ſhall be
a ſabbath.
z Or, rather ſurely, as this particle 1s oft uſed : For this 1s no addition of a new, but only a repetition of the former injun&ion, with a more parricular explication both of the manner and reaſon of the feaſt. a Not the corn, which ws gathered long before, but of their trees, as vines, olives, and other fruit-trees: which compleated the harveſt, whence this is called the fea#? of in-gathering, Exod. 234 I6,
boughs b of goodly trees c, branches of palm-trees, and" the boughs of thick trees 4, and willows of the brook e, and ye ſhall rejoyce f before the LORD your God ſeven days.
b Heb. the fruit, 1. e. fruit-bearing boughs or branches with the , fruiton them, as the word #uit ſeems to be taken, 2 Kings 19. 30. : 'Exzck 19.12. c To wit, the olive, myrtle, and pine, as they are ; mentioned, Neherr. 8. 15, 16. which were moſt plentiful there, and
which would beſt preſerve their greenneſs or freſhneſs. &d Fit for
ſhade and ſhelrer. e 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, Nehem: 8. ſo it ſeems they | did alſo carry ſome of theſe boughs in their hands, as is affirmed by | Jewiſh and other ancient writers: f Which joy they teſtified by , feaſting, thankſgiving, ©.
41 And ye ſhall keep it afeaſt unto the LORD ſeven days in the year, it ſhall be a ſtatute for ever in your ; generations : ye ſhallcelebrate itin the ſeventh month.
42 Ye lhall dwell in beoths g ſeven days: all that are Iſraelites born ſhall dwell in booths ;
g Which were ereQted in their cities or towns, either in their ſtreets, or gardens, or the rops of their houſes, Nehem. 8. 16. which were made flat, and therefore were proper and fir for that uſe.