Leviticus 23:41 kjv
And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
Leviticus 23:41 nkjv
You shall keep it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
Leviticus 23:41 niv
Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month.
Leviticus 23:41 esv
You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
Leviticus 23:41 nlt
You must observe this festival to the LORD for seven days every year. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed in the appointed month from generation to generation.
Leviticus 23 41 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 23:34 | "On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord." | Initiates Sukkot description |
| Lev 23:40 | "On the first day you shall take for yourselves...fruit of splendid trees...branches of date palms...boughs of leafy trees and willows...and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days." | Details the items for celebration & command to rejoice |
| Lev 23:42 | "You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths..." | Specifies the command to live in temporary dwellings |
| Lev 23:43 | "so that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt..." | Explains the historical reason for dwelling in booths |
| Num 29:12 | "On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work, and you shall keep a feast to the Lord for seven days." | Reinforces Sukkot's holy observance & duration |
| Deut 16:13-15 | "You shall keep the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days...you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter..." | Command to keep Sukkot with all members of the household |
| Deut 16:16 | "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles..." | Designates Sukkot as one of the three pilgrim feasts |
| Neh 8:14-18 | "They found written in the Law, that the Lord had commanded through Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month..." | Records Israel's renewed observance of Sukkot after exile |
| Ezr 3:4 | "They kept the Feast of Tabernacles, as it is written..." | Records Sukkot observance after return from Babylon |
| Exod 12:14 | "So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a statute forever." | Similar language for Passover's perpetual observance |
| Exod 27:21 | "...it shall be a statute forever to their generations from the children of Israel." | Example of a perpetual statute for priestly duties |
| Num 10:8 | "And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you as an ordinance forever throughout your generations." | Another example of an "ordinance forever" |
| Zech 14:16-19 | "Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles." | Eschatological universal observance of Sukkot |
| Ps 100:2 | "Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing." | Reflects the joyous nature of feasting before the Lord |
| John 1:14 | "And the Word became 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." | Christ's "tabernacling" among humanity (Gr. eskēnōsen) |
| John 7:2 | "Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand." | Context for Jesus' public ministry during Sukkot |
| John 7:37-38 | "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" | Jesus' teaching in the temple during Sukkot's water drawing ceremony |
| Rev 7:15 | "Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will shelter them with His presence." | God "tabernacling" among His redeemed in heaven (Gr. skēnousen) |
| Rev 21:3 | "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.'" | The ultimate fulfillment of God's dwelling with His people |
| 1 Pet 2:11 | "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul..." | Believers as temporary dwellers on earth, like Israelites in booths |
| Heb 11:13 | "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." | Saints in general are pilgrims, echoing Sukkot's transient dwellings |
| Rom 15:10 | "And again he says: 'Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!'" | A future call for universal rejoicing, reminiscent of Zech 14:16-19 |
Leviticus 23 verses
Leviticus 23 41 Meaning
Leviticus 23:41 commands the people of Israel to annually observe the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) for seven days. This celebration is designated as a divinely instituted and perpetual statute, intended to be kept by all succeeding generations as a joyful remembrance and act of worship before the Lord.
Leviticus 23 41 Context
Leviticus chapter 23 provides a detailed divine calendar, listing the "appointed feasts of the Lord" (mo'adim YHWH), which are sacred times designated for God's people to gather for worship and remembrance. These feasts outline God's redemptive plan and agricultural cycles. The chapter begins with the Sabbath, followed by Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), and the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and finally, the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot).
Leviticus 23:41 specifically deals with Sukkot, which is the final major pilgrimage festival of the Israelite year, occurring in the autumn. It marks the conclusion of the agricultural harvest, bringing themes of gratitude, provision, and divine protection. The command to live in temporary booths (sukkot) for seven days, mentioned in the subsequent verses, connects this festival directly to the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, during which Israel dwelled in temporary shelters under God's providential care. This historical context served as a constant reminder of God's faithfulness and Israel's dependence on Him.
Culturally, these festivals integrated the religious life of Israel with their agricultural cycle and national history. The feasts were not mere religious rituals but communal celebrations deeply interwoven with the identity and covenant relationship of the people with their God.
Leviticus 23 41 Word analysis
You shall celebrate it: This phrase uses the Hebrew verb chagag (חגג).
- chagag signifies to keep a pilgrim-feast, to celebrate a festival by going around in a sacred procession. It implies a sense of movement, pilgrimage, and joyful participation. It is distinct from merely observing a day; it emphasizes the active and communal celebration.
as a feast: The Hebrew word chag (חג) itself means feast, festival, or holiday. It stems from the same root as chagag, underscoring the nature of the celebration as a pilgrimage feast. It highlights that this time is set apart specifically for rejoicing and gathering before God.
to the Lord: The phrase l'Yahweh (ליהוה), meaning "to Yahweh" or "for the Lord," establishes the divine authority and sacred purpose of the festival. It emphasizes that this is not a human invention but a direct command from God, intended for His honor and glory.
for seven days: The number "seven" is profoundly symbolic in biblical terms, representing completion, perfection, and divine appointment. The seven-day duration indicates a full, appointed period of joyful observance, allowing ample time for both solemn reflection (preceded by Atonement) and festive rejoicing.
in the year: This phrase signifies the annual recurrence of the feast, establishing it as a regular and consistent part of Israel's calendar cycle. It points to God's desire for His people to remember and give thanks perpetually.
It is a statute forever: The Hebrew chuqqat olam (חקת עולם) is a powerful declaration.
- Chuqqat (statute, ordinance) refers to an unalterable, firmly established divine law or decree.
- Olam (forever, eternal, perpetual) denotes enduring perpetuity, not merely for a limited time but across all ages. This signifies the permanent, unchanging nature of this divine command. It suggests its ongoing relevance for every generation.
throughout your generations: The phrase l'doroteikem (לדרֹתֵיכֶם), meaning "for your generations" or "throughout your successive generations," reinforces the perpetual nature of the statute. It explicitly mandates that the observance of Sukkot is not just for the present generation but is binding upon all future generations of Israel, emphasizing the intergenerational transfer of faith and obedience.
Words-group Analysis:
- "You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord": This emphasizes active, joyful worship that is God-centered and obedient to His command. It highlights a community focused on honoring God.
- "a statute forever throughout your generations": This phrase combines to powerfully convey the non-negotiable and enduring nature of the commandment. It underlines its permanent place within the covenant between God and His people, stretching from that moment into all eternity, to be taught and lived by successive generations.
Leviticus 23 41 Bonus section
- The joyous nature of Sukkot is especially emphasized; it's unique among the feasts in explicitly commanding extended joy (Deut 16:15).
- Sukkot carries rich eschatological significance. While historically remembering the past dwelling, it also anticipates the future "dwelling" of God with His people, a theme prominent in the prophetic writings and fulfilled in the New Testament (Jesus' Incarnation as God tabernacling, the Church as a spiritual house, and the new heavens and new earth where God Himself will truly "tabernacle" with humanity forever).
- The celebration also marked the end of the agricultural year, being known as "the Feast of Ingathering." This agricultural dimension reinforced dependence on God for sustenance and concluded the harvest cycle with thanksgiving.
Leviticus 23 41 Commentary
Leviticus 23:41 succinctly underscores the divine mandate and lasting significance of the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). Following the somber introspection of the Day of Atonement, Sukkot bursts forth as a commanded season of profound joy and gratitude. Its seven-day duration, marked by communal celebration and temporary dwelling in booths, serves as a dual reminder: a historical commemoration of God's miraculous provision and protection during Israel's wilderness wanderings, and an anticipation of future blessings and God's ultimate dwelling among His people.
The explicit declaration "It is a statute forever throughout your generations" elevates Sukkot from a mere historical re-enactment to an enduring divine ordinance. This signifies its timeless theological truth: God provides for and tabernacles with His people, both in their earthly pilgrimage and in the eschatological future. This joyous pilgrimage feast fosters reliance on God, cultivates communal unity, and instills a deep sense of gratitude for harvest, historical deliverance, and future hope. It serves as a reminder that their dwelling on earth is temporary, and their ultimate security is found in God's presence.