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 23:41KJV
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Leviticus 23:41 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 23:41 mean?

Leviticus 23:41 instructs the Israelites to observe a seven-day feast dedicated to the LORD every year, establishing it as a permanent rule for all their future generations, specifically to be celebrated in the seventh month. This verse sets out the ongoing requirement for this festival as part of Israel's religious life.

In this verse, God is speaking to Moses, giving him instructions for the people of Israel about how they are to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (also called Sukkot). The command is not just for that generation, but for all their descendants, showing the importance of this celebration in their calendar. The mention of the "seventh month" ties this festival to a specific time each year, emphasizing its regular and lasting place in Israel's worship.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 23:41

  • "keep" (חָגַג, chagag): This word means to celebrate or observe a festival, often with a sense of rejoicing or making a pilgrimage. It highlights that this is not just a rule to follow, but a joyful observance.
  • "feast" (חַג, chag): This word refers to a festival or sacred celebration, especially one involving gathering and rejoicing before God. It underscores the communal and festive nature of the event.
  • "statute" (חֻקָּה, chuqqah): This term means an established ordinance or decree, indicating that this festival is not optional, but a binding, ongoing command.
  • "ever" (עוֹלָם, olam): This word means "forever" or "perpetually," showing that the command is intended to last through all generations, not just for a limited time.

Why Leviticus 23:41 matters

  • Leviticus 23:41 clarifies that the Feast of Tabernacles is not a one-time event, but a lasting command for every generation of Israelites, emphasizing continuity and tradition.
  • The verse highlights the importance of specific timing ("seventh month"), connecting this feast to the agricultural and spiritual rhythms of Israel’s year.
  • By calling it a "statute forever," the verse shows how central this celebration is meant to be in Israel’s relationship with God, not just as a ritual, but as a recurring reminder of their identity and history.

Where else these words appear

“keep” Hebrew H2287 · used in 14 verses

  • Exodus 5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
  • Numbers 29:12 And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days:
  • Psalms 107:27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.

“feast” Hebrew H2282 · used in 55 verses

  • Exodus 10:9 And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD.
  • Deuteronomy 16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:
  • Psalms 81:3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.

“seventh” Hebrew H7637 · used in 94 verses

  • Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
  • Leviticus 23:16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
  • 1 Kings 18:44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.

“statute” Hebrew H2708 · used in 100 verses

  • Genesis 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
  • Numbers 9:3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it.
  • 2 Kings 23:3 And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.