Leviticus 23:40

My Notes

What Does Leviticus 23:40 Mean?

"And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days." The Feast of Tabernacles requires FOUR SPECIES of plants: boughs of goodly trees (traditionally the etrog/citron), palm branches (lulav), thick tree boughs (myrtle/hadas), and willows (aravot). The four species are taken together and waved IN REJOICING before the LORD for seven days. The worship is BOTANICAL — carried by branches, expressed through trees, held in hands that grip the living world.

The phrase "take you on the first day" (ulqachtem lakhem bayyom harishon — you shall take for yourselves on the first day) makes the TAKING personal: 'take FOR YOURSELVES' — the taking is YOURS. The branches are held in YOUR hands. The worship is PHYSICAL — you grip, you wave, you hold the living branches. The taking is the first act of the festival. The physical engagement with NATURE is the worship's MEDIUM.

The "ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days" (usmachtem liphnei YHWH Eloheikhem shiv'at yamim — you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days) COMMANDS JOY: the rejoicing isn't optional. It's COMMANDED — you SHALL rejoice. For SEVEN DAYS. Before the LORD. The joy is MANDATORY, SUSTAINED (seven days), and DIRECTED (before the LORD). The feast is a COMMANDED celebration. The joy is as required as the sacrifice.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What commanded joy does your life need — rejoicing as mandatory as sacrifice?
• 2.What does taking FOUR species from FOUR environments teach about worship gathering all of creation?
• 3.How does the worship being HELD IN HANDS (physical, manual) describe embodied celebration?
• 4.What would seven days of COMMANDED rejoicing change about your relationship with God?

Devotional

Take FOUR SPECIES: goodly tree-fruit, palm branches, thick boughs, and willows. Hold them. Wave them. REJOICE before the LORD — for SEVEN DAYS. The worship is botanical, physical, and joyful. The hands grip living branches. The mouth speaks rejoicing. The body participates. The joy is COMMANDED.

The 'boughs of goodly trees, palm branches, thick trees, willows' are FOUR species from FOUR environments: the etrog (cultivated fruit — the garden). The palm (tall, reaching — the oasis). The myrtle (thick, fragrant — the forest). The willow (water-dependent — the brook). The four species represent the BREADTH of creation — from garden to oasis to forest to water's edge. The worship gathers EVERY habitat. The celebration includes EVERY environment.

The 'take for yourselves' makes the worship PHYSICAL and PERSONAL: you take them in YOUR hands. You hold the branches. You wave the species. The worship isn't observed from a distance. It's HELD — physically, manually, in the grip of the worshiper. The branches are the worship's INSTRUMENTS. The hands are the worship's MEDIUM. The body participates as fully as the spirit.

The 'ye shall REJOICE' is COMMANDED JOY: the rejoicing isn't a suggestion. It's a COMMAND — as mandatory as any other commandment. You SHALL rejoice. The joy is REQUIRED. The celebration is OBLIGATORY. The seven days of rejoicing are as much a divine mandate as the seven days of unleavened bread. The God who commands holiness also commands HAPPINESS. The God who demands sacrifice also demands CELEBRATION.

What commanded joy — what rejoicing before the LORD that's as mandatory as sacrifice — does your life need?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture