Bible Commentaries

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

And the Lord spake. — See Trapp on " Leviticus 7:22 "

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Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, [Concerning] the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim [to be] holy convocations, [even] these [are] my feasts.

To be holy convocations. — Not bare rests, as Plato said, that the gods, pitying men’s labour, appointed their festivals to be a remission of their labour. Aναπαυλας των πονων . - 2. De Legib. See Trapp on " Exodus 20:8 " See Trapp on " Exodus 20:9 " See Trapp on " Exodus 20:10 " See Trapp on " Exodus 20:11 "

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Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day [is] the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work [therein]: it [is] the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.

Ye shall do no work therein. — Save only works of piety, charity, and necessity. These are allowed by our Saviour. Mark 2:23-28 ; Mark 3:4 The Jews superstitiously hold, Ranulph., lib. vii. cap. 37. that it is not lawful for a blind man to lean upon a staff on a Sabbath day, as the lame may: that if a flea bite a man on that day, he may take it, but not kill it. That if a thorn prick him in the foot on that day, he may not pull it out. That a tailor may not carry a needle, much less a sword; that a man may not spet, [?Spit.] or be taken out of a jakes, as that Jew of Tewkesbury, who said,

“ Sabbata santa colo, de stercore c surgere nolo. ”

Whereunto the Earl of Gloucester replied,

“ "Sabbata nostra quidem (Solomon) celebrabis ibidem." ”

“(Sir, reverence Ibid. of the Sabbath keeps me here:

And you, sir, reverence Idid. shall our Sabbath there.)”

In all your dwellings. — Where you are to sanctify this rest, and to repair to your synagogues. Acts 15:21

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These [are] the feasts of the LORD, [even] holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

In their seasons, — i.e., Once a year.

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In the fourteenth [day] of the first month at even [is] the LORD’S passover.

In the fourteenth day. — See Trapp on " Exodus 12:18 "

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And on the fifteenth day of the same month [is] the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.

Eat unleavened bread. — To teach us to eat the Christian passover, not with the "old leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." 1 Corinthians 5:8

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In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

No servile work. — But that about victuals. Exodus 12:26

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But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day [is] an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work [therein].

But ye shall offer an offering. — What these offerings must be, see Numbers 28:18 ; Numbers 28:24 .

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