Chapter Text
Offerings at the Feasts Continued
And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.
2And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without blemish:
3And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram,
4And one tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs:
5And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you:
6Beside the burnt offering of the month, and his meat offering, and the daily burnt offering, and his meat offering, and their drink offerings, according unto their manner, for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD.
7And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein:
8But ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the LORD for a sweet savour; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year; they shall be unto you without blemish:
9And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals to a bullock, and two tenth deals to one ram,
10A several tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs:
11One kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the sin offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering of it, and their drink offerings.
12And 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:
13And ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; thirteen young bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year; they shall be without blemish:
14And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals unto every bullock of the thirteen bullocks, two tenth deals to each ram of the two rams,
15And a several tenth deal to each lamb of the fourteen lambs:
16And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.
17And on the second day ye shall offer twelve young bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year without spot:
18And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:
19And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering thereof, and their drink offerings.
20And on the third day eleven bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish;
21And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:
22And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.
23And on the fourth day ten bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish:
24Their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:
25And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.
26And on the fifth day nine bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without spot:
27And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:
28And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.
29And on the sixth day eight bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish:
30And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:
31And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.
32And on the seventh day seven bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish:
33And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:
34And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.
35On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work therein:
36But ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: one bullock, one ram, seven lambs of the first year without blemish:
37Their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullock, for the ram, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:
38And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.
39These things ye shall do unto the LORD in your set feasts, beside your vows, and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your meat offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.
40And Moses told the children of Israel according to all that the LORD commanded Moses.
Summary
God establishes laws concerning vows. A man's vow is binding without exception. A woman's vow may be confirmed or annulled by her father if she is unmarried, or by her husband if she is married, but only on the day he hears it. If he remains silent, the vow stands. A widow's or divorced woman's vow is binding upon her with no provision for annulment.
Meaning
These laws on vows emphasize the sacred weight of words spoken before God. Every promise made to the Lord carries serious obligation. The ability of a father or husband to annul a vow reflects the biblical structure of household authority and responsibility.
The binding nature of a widow's vow recognizes her full legal agency. She stands directly accountable before God, demonstrating that the Scriptures grant independent spiritual responsibility to women in certain circumstances.
Background
Vows in the ancient world were considered absolutely binding and were taken with great seriousness. Breaking a vow to a deity was thought to invite divine punishment across cultures. The provision for annulment within the household protected women from rash commitments while preserving the sanctity of oaths.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-6The Feast of Trumpets
- vv. 7-11The Day of Atonement offerings
- vv. 12-16Feast of Tabernacles: first day
- vv. 17-34Tabernacles: days two through seven
- vv. 35-38The solemn eighth-day assembly
- vv. 39-40Closing summary and Moses' obedience
Key Verses
“And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.”— 29:1
This verse institutes the Feast of Trumpets (later known as Rosh Hashanah), marking the beginning of the sacred seventh month. The trumpet blast served as a call to spiritual preparation and repentance.
“And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein:”— 29:7
This prescribes the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the most solemn day in Israel's calendar. The command to 'afflict your souls' points to deep repentance and fasting before God.
“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:”— 29:12
This inaugurates the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), the great harvest celebration. It was the most elaborate of all Israel's feasts, requiring the largest number of sacrifices in the entire liturgical year.
“And Moses told the children of Israel according to all that the LORD commanded Moses.”— 29:40
This closing formula affirms Moses' faithful transmission of divine instruction. It underscores that Israel's worship was not of human invention but prescribed entirely by God.
People & Places
People
- Moses — God's appointed leader who faithfully communicated the LORD's sacrificial instructions to Israel.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
The three feasts of the seventh month carry rich prophetic significance. The Feast of Trumpets (v. 1) foreshadows the future regathering of Israel and the trumpet call associated with Christ's return (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The Day of Atonement (vv. 7–11) typifies Christ's once-for-all atoning sacrifice, fulfilled when He entered the heavenly sanctuary with His own blood (Hebrews 9:11–12). The Feast of Tabernacles (vv. 12–38), with its decreasing bullocks totaling seventy — traditionally linked to the seventy nations of Genesis 10 — has been understood as foreshadowing God's ultimate ingathering of all peoples.
Devotional
This chapter reveals a God who does not leave worship to human preference but lovingly prescribes how His people should draw near. The seventh month was saturated with sacrifice — trumpets calling to attention, atonement restoring fellowship, and tabernacles celebrating provision.
Notice the pattern: each feast required both communal celebration and individual soul-searching. Faith is never purely private or purely public. The decreasing bullocks during Tabernacles remind us that abundant giving flows from a heart overwhelmed by God's goodness, not from obligation.
What would it look like to approach God with this same intentionality — setting aside regular time for repentance, gratitude, and joyful remembrance of His faithfulness?
Literary Style
This chapter is liturgical legislation — precise, formulaic prescriptive law governing Israel's sacrificial calendar. Its most distinctive literary feature is the descending numerical pattern of bullocks during Tabernacles (13, 12, 11… down to 7), creating a structured cadence that emphasizes both abundance and intentional design in worship.