Exodus 23:16 kjv
And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labors, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labors out of the field.
Exodus 23:16 nkjv
and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.
Exodus 23:16 niv
"Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. "Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.
Exodus 23:16 esv
You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor.
Exodus 23:16 nlt
"Second, celebrate the Festival of Harvest, when you bring me the first crops of your harvest. "Finally, celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the harvest season, when you have harvested all the crops from your fields.
Exodus 23 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 23:14-17 | "Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year... Feast of Unleavened Bread... Feast of Harvest... Feast of Ingathering." | Outlines the three annual pilgrimage feasts. |
| Exod 34:22 | "And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end." | Parallel passage reiterating these two feasts. |
| Lev 23:15-22 | "And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath... unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath seventy days... it shall be a new meat offering unto the Lord." | Details the timing and offerings for the Feast of Weeks. |
| Lev 23:33-43 | "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles..." | Details the timing and offerings for the Feast of Tabernacles. |
| Num 28:26-31 | "Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the Lord, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation." | Prescribes offerings for the Feast of Weeks/Pentecost. |
| Num 29:12-38 | "And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work..." | Prescribes offerings for the Feast of Tabernacles. |
| Deut 16:9-12 | "Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee... then thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God..." | Emphasizes rejoicing and remembering God's liberation. |
| Deut 16:13-15 | "Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days... after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine..." | Commands joyous observance of Tabernacles. |
| Ezra 3:4 | "They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required." | Observance of Tabernacles after the Babylonian exile. |
| Neh 8:14-18 | "And they found written in the law... that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month..." | Revival of Booths observance upon return from exile. |
| Jn 1:14 | "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." | "Dwelt" (εσκηνωσεν, eskēnōsen) echoes Tabernacles (booths/tents). |
| Jn 7:1-39 | Jesus teaches at the Feast of Tabernacles, declares, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink." | Jesus as the living water during Tabernacles. |
| Acts 2:1-4 | "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven..." | Fulfillment of the Feast of Weeks; Holy Spirit descends. |
| Rom 8:23 | "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." | Holy Spirit as the "firstfruits" of believers' future glory. |
| 1 Cor 15:20-23 | "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept... But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." | Jesus' resurrection as the "firstfruits" of resurrection from the dead. |
| Jam 1:18 | "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." | Believers as "firstfruits" to God through His Word. |
| Rev 7:9 | "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne..." | Anticipation of global ingathering of God's people. |
| Zech 14:16 | "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles." | Prophetic future observance of Tabernacles by all nations. |
| Heb 9:11-12 | "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building..." | Christ's heavenly sanctuary replacing the earthly tabernacle. |
| Joel 2:23 | "Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain..." | God's provision for harvest is foundational to the feasts. |
Exodus 23 verses
Exodus 23 16 Meaning
Exodus 23:16 mandates the observance of two specific annual pilgrimage festivals: the Feast of Harvest, also known as the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost, and the Feast of Ingathering, known as the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles. These feasts required all males to travel to a central sanctuary to present the firstfruits of their agricultural labors to the Lord and to celebrate His provision. The verse highlights God's sovereign control over the harvest cycles and the Israelites' dependency and gratitude for His sustenance, tying their worship directly to their agricultural calendar.
Exodus 23 16 Context
Exodus 23:16 is part of the "Book of the Covenant" (Exod 20:22-23:33), which elaborates on the Ten Commandments given at Mount Sinai, providing civil, social, and ceremonial laws for Israel's governance as God's chosen nation. Specifically, this verse details two of the three annual pilgrimage festivals (Passover/Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks, and Feast of Tabernacles) which required all Israelite males to journey to the central sanctuary. This section of laws emphasized Israel's covenant relationship with God, establishing a pattern of worship, dependence, and gratitude, integrating their faith into their daily, agricultural lives. These observances set Israel apart from surrounding pagan cultures that also had harvest festivals, as Israel's feasts were explicitly dedicated to Yahweh, the giver of all good things, and were tied to specific historical events in their redemption, not just natural cycles.
Exodus 23 16 Word analysis
And the feast of harvest (חַג הַקָּצִיר, Chag HaKatzir):
- חַג (Chag): A "feast" or "pilgrim festival," derived from a root meaning "to go round" or "to keep a pilgrim festival." It emphasizes the communal pilgrimage and joyful celebration, rather than a mere religious observance.
- הַקָּצִיר (HaKatzir): "The harvest." This refers specifically to the wheat harvest, which typically occurred in late spring. This feast is also known as the Feast of Weeks (שָׁבוּעוֹת, Shavuot) because it occurs seven weeks after Passover, and later, as Pentecost (πεντηκοστή, pentēkostē) in the Greek, meaning "fiftieth," referencing the fifty days after Passover. It celebrates the completion of the grain harvest.
the firstfruits of thy labours (בִּכּוּרֵי מַעֲשֶׂיךָ, Bikkurei Ma'aseykha):
- בִּכּוּרֵי (Bikkurei): "Firstfruits," the choicest initial produce of the harvest. The offering of firstfruits (both agricultural and human) was a profound act of acknowledging God's ownership of all things, His provision, and trusting His faithfulness for the remainder of the harvest. It consecrated the entire yield to Him.
- מַעֲשֶׂיךָ (Ma'aseykha): "Thy labours" or "your produce/deeds." It links the blessing directly to the hard work put into farming, but fundamentally emphasizes that even the results of human labor are gifts from God.
which thou hast sown in the field: Connects the harvest directly to human effort in cultivation, while implicitly pointing to God as the ultimate provider of the soil's fertility and the rain needed for growth.
and the feast of ingathering (חַג הָאָסִף, Chag Ha'Asif):
- הָאָסִף (Ha'Asif): "The ingathering," referring to the gathering in of all agricultural produce—grapes, olives, fruits—at the end of the agricultural year, typically in autumn. This feast is also known as the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles (סֻכּוֹת, Sukkot), symbolizing Israel's dwelling in temporary shelters during their wilderness wandering, reminding them of God's provision and protection.
which is in the end of the year (בְּצֵאת הַשָּׁנָה, B'tzet HaShanah):
- בְּצֵאת (B'tzet): "At the going out of," or "at the close/end of." This refers to the end of the agricultural cycle, not necessarily the calendar year as measured by some systems. This clearly places the Feast of Ingathering as the final harvest festival, concluding the agricultural calendar before the winter rains.
when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field: Reiterates the nature of this feast as the culmination of the entire agricultural year's efforts, with all produce finally brought in and stored. It signifies completion, abundance, and total reliance on God's sustaining grace throughout the year.
Exodus 23 16 Bonus section
The progressive nature of the three major feasts, starting with Passover (spring barley harvest and redemption from Egypt), then Weeks (spring wheat harvest and giving of the Law), and finally Ingathering (autumn fruit harvest and wilderness wandering/final rest), beautifully maps out God's redemptive plan. They foreshadow major milestones in salvation history: Passover typifying Christ's atoning sacrifice, Pentecost foreshadowing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and birth of the church, and Tabernacles pointing to Christ's future reign and the eternal dwelling of God with humanity. These agricultural cycles rooted God's sacred calendar within the mundane realities of their lives, ensuring that spiritual gratitude and theological truths were perpetually tied to their everyday labor and sustenance. This comprehensive rhythm of life, worship, and agriculture reinforced Israel's unique covenant relationship with Yahweh, setting them distinctly apart from any polytheistic pagan cultures.
Exodus 23 16 Commentary
Exodus 23:16, alongside 23:15 and 23:17, forms the foundational command for Israel's three major annual pilgrimage festivals, underscoring the deep integration of worship with their agricultural existence. These feasts were not merely ceremonial rituals; they were profound acts of worship and covenantal reaffirmation, marking specific points in Israel's agricultural year while simultaneously recalling God's past redemption and pointing to future blessings.
The Feast of Harvest (Feast of Weeks/Pentecost) required bringing the first and best of the spring grain harvest, a tangible demonstration of faith that God would provide the full yield. It celebrated God's immediate blessing on their "labours." Later tradition linked this feast to the giving of the Law at Sinai, connecting God's spiritual provision (Torah) with His physical provision (harvest). The New Testament magnificently fulfills this typology, as the Holy Spirit descended on the believers during Pentecost, empowering the "firstfruits" of the church (Acts 2:1-4).
The Feast of Ingathering (Feast of Booths/Tabernacles), at the "end of the year," celebrated the culmination of the entire year's harvest—fruits, olives, and wine. Its timing at the year's end provided a reflective moment of comprehensive gratitude for God's all-encompassing sustenance. Dwelling in temporary booths during this time also served as a vital historical remembrance of Israel's journey through the wilderness, fostering humility and dependency on God (Lev 23:42-43). The prophetic fulfillment of Tabernacles points to a future ingathering of God's people, a time of universal joy, and potentially the future dwelling of God with His people (Zech 14:16; Rev 21:3).
These mandates instilled in Israel the principle of dependence: the harvests were not due to their own skill or false gods, but by God's faithfulness. They cultivated gratitude, communal solidarity through shared worship and pilgrimage, and remembrance of their history with God. Practically, this encouraged:
- Prioritizing God: Dedicating the firstfruits and pilgrimage indicated that God's portion came first.
- Joyful Celebration: Feasts were times of joy, teaching the Israelites to rejoice in God's provision.
- Remembrance: They were a means of recalling God's past mercies and power.
- Generosity: Offering of firstfruits and later, tithes, established a pattern of giving back to God.