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:

NUMBERS 29:12KJV
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Numbers 29:12 (KJV)

What does Numbers 29:12 mean?

Numbers 29:12 commands the Israelites to gather for a special holy assembly on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, to do no ordinary work, and to celebrate a seven-day feast dedicated to the LORD. This verse sets the beginning of the Feast of Tabernacles, a major festival in the Jewish calendar.

In this passage, God is speaking to Moses, instructing him to relay these commands to the people of Israel as part of their worship and community life. The verse highlights the importance of setting aside regular work (servile work) and coming together for a sacred purpose, marking a time of joy and remembrance in Israel’s annual cycle.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 29:12

  • "holy" (קָדוֹשׁ, qadosh): This word means "set apart" or "sacred." The gathering is not just any meeting but one with a special, God-focused purpose.
  • "convocation" (מִקְרָא, miqra): This term refers to an assembly called together for a specific reason, emphasizing that the people are summoned for a communal act of worship.
  • "servile" (עֲבֹדָה, avodah): This word means "labor" or "work," especially the kind done for survival or wages. The instruction is to refrain from ordinary work, setting the day apart from regular routines.
  • "feast" (חָג, chag): This word means a festival or pilgrimage feast, pointing to a time of celebration, gathering, and worship, not just a meal.

Why Numbers 29:12 matters

  • Numbers 29:12 clarifies that the Feast of Tabernacles is not just a private observance but a public, communal event requiring everyone’s participation.
  • The verse emphasizes that this festival is to be kept for seven days, highlighting its significance and the sustained focus on worship and remembrance.
  • By specifying "no servile work," the verse underlines the difference between ordinary days and holy times, teaching the Israelites to make a clear distinction in their lives for sacred observance.

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.
  • Leviticus 23:41 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.
  • Psalms 107:27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.

“convocation” Hebrew H4744 · used in 22 verses

  • Exodus 12:16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
  • Leviticus 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
  • Numbers 28:25 And on the seventh day ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work.

“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.