Leviticus 23:28

Verse 28. A day of atonement] See Clarke on Le 16:2, &c., where this subject is largely explained.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(28) And ye shall do no work.—Better, And ye shall do no manner of work, as the Authorised version has it in Lev_23:31 of this very chapter. (See Lev_16:29.) This is the only day which had to be kept like the sabbath, and on which no manner of work was allowed. (See Lev_23:3.)

To make an atonement for you.—See Lev_16:30.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ye shall do no work in that same day,.... No more than on the weekly sabbath:

for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God: See Gill on Lev 16:30; Aben Ezra's note is,"for you only,''that is, for the Israelites, and not the Gentiles; but the atonement of Christ, the antitype of this, was not for the sins of the Jews only, but for the sins of the whole world, of all his people in it, Jo1 2:2.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Servile is not in the original, or in the other versions, nor in the Vulgate, ver. 30; whence it is inferred, that this day of atonement was to be kept like the sabbath: so that even meat could not be made ready on it lawfully, chap. xvi. 29. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Whatsoever soul - Either of the Jewish nation, or religion. Hereby God would signify the absolute necessity which every man had of repentance and forgiveness of sin, and the desperate condition of all impenitent persons.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Connecting Statement:

Yahweh continues telling Moses what the people must do every year.

must be cut off from his people

Being excluded is spoken of as being cut off. See how you translated this idea in Leviticus 7:20. AT: "must be excluded from his people" or "you must separate that person from his people" (See: Metaphor and Active or Passive)

translationWords

works

cut off

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

B’ETZEM’ OF THIS DAY. The commentators. have said that the meaning of this phrase is “in this selfsame day.” Similarly, and ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor fresh ears until ‘etzem’ this day means “until this selfsame day.” So also, ‘uch’etzem’ the heaven for clearness means “the very” heaven. But we cannot interpret that the word b’etzem here alludes to the essence and power of this day [which is at daytime], just as our Rabbis have said with reference to the verses: ‘b’etzem’ of this day entered Noah … into the ark [which the Rabbis interpreted to mean 332. that because the neighbors threatened to kill him and destroy the ark should they see him entering it, therefore G-d told him to enter it ‘b’etzem’ of this day — in broad daylight]; ‘b’etzem’ of this day the Eternal did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt [which the Rabbis similarly interpreted 332. “in broad daylight,” because of the previous threats of the Egyptians not to let them go — such an interpretation we cannot assume here], for it is written, and ye shall afflict your souls, in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even. Similarly, And ye shall make proclamation ‘b’etzem’ of this day a holy assembly [stated with reference to the Festival of Weeks] includes the night as well. Now He did not mention this phrase ‘b’etzem’ of this day with reference to the Sabbath nor the festivals, except for the Festival of Weeks and the Day of Atonement, and so also in the prohibition of chadash (the new produce) at any time on the sixteenth day of Nisan at once rendered chadash (the new crop) permissible food. Since the destruction of the Sanctuary, the prohibition extends to the whole day of the sixteenth of Nisan (Rosh Hashanah 30 a-b; see also “The Commandments,” Vol. II, pp. 186-188). He said until ‘etzem’ of this day. The reason for this appears to be that since He had said of the Festival of Weeks, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the waving … ye shall number fifty days, Verses 15-16. Thus one might think that the observance of the festival depends on the doing of the acts prescribed for it, whereas the real meaning is: “from the day that you are to bring” etc. irrespective of whether they can be brought or not, as when the Temple is destroyed. and then He stated, and ye shall present a new meal-offering … Ye shall bring out of your dwellings, Verses 16-17. etc., and dealt at length with the commandments of the offerings [in Verses 17-20], therefore it was necessary to state, And ye shall make proclamation ‘b’etzem’ of this day a solemn assembly; meaning that the very day is holy and the doing of work is forbidden on it, and it is not dependent upon the sheaf [of the waving brought on the second day of Passover], nor on the offerings. Similarly in the case of the Day of Atonement, since He had said, and ye shall afflict your souls, and ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the Eternal, Verse 27. and in the section of Acharei Moth He made the [complete] expiation dependent upon the offerings and on the goat sent [to Azazel], Verse 22. therefore it was necessary to state here, And ye shall do no manner of work on that very day, for it is a day of atonement in itself to make atonement for you, besides the expiation effected by the offerings. Similarly, until ‘etzem’ of this day said in connection with the new produce [means that the prohibition of eating from the new produce continues] up to that very day, which is the day ye have brought the offering of your G-d, thus stating that even if the [meal-] offering [of the new barley] has not been brought, the commandment applies to that very day — so that the new produce at any time on the sixteenth day of Nisan at once rendered chadash (the new crop) permissible food. Since the destruction of the Sanctuary, the prohibition extends to the whole day of the sixteenth of Nisan (Rosh Hashanah 30 a-b; see also “The Commandments,” Vol. II, pp. 186-188). is forbidden before that day and is permissible afterwards. This is the sense of His saying, it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings, as I have explained. We further find that Scripture mentions this phrase ‘b’etzem’ of this day in the case of events which have been decreed to come at certain set times. Thus it says of Noah, ‘b’etzem’ of this day entered Noah etc.; [and in case of the exodus it says,] And it came to pass ‘b’etzem’ of this day that all the hosts of the Eternal went out from the land of Egypt; [and when Moses was ordered to ascend Mount Nebo it says,] And the Eternal spoke unto Moses ‘b’etzem’ of that day, saying: ‘Get thee up into this mountain of Abarim, unto Mount Nebo.’ The reason for this expression in these [three] cases is that it is possible to think that Noah had brought into the ark beforehand many of the beasts and fowls [and on the selfsame day that he finished bringing them into the ark, he himself came in]; likewise it is possible [to think] that some Israelites had left Egypt before that time and on that day the exodus was completed, and so also that the command for Moses our teacher’s ascension was given before that day, and on that day he actually went up. Therefore Scripture explained in all these [three] cases that [the particular events referred to in the verses] all took place on these selfsame days, not that they were started before and finished on those days, but they all happened [completely] on these very days. Similarly, ‘b’etzem’ of this day was Abraham circumcised, means that many people were circumcised in one day, the verse thus stating Abraham’s zeal in observing the commandments.It further appears to me that the expression “the etzem” of any thing means “its power and strength,” the term being derived from the verses: my power ‘v’otzem’ (and the might) of my hand; strength ‘v’tha’atzumoth’ (and power). So also, One dieth ‘b’etzem tumo’ means “in the fulness of his strength.” And since the bones form the structure of the body and its strength, they are so called [atzamoth — from the word otzem, strength]. Thus ‘k’etzem’ the heaven for clearness means that the purity of that which they saw [at Mount Sinai] was clear and strong, even as is a pure clear heaven. It is for this reason that He mentions about those specific days [of festivals referred to above] the expression etzem hayom, in order to indicate that these matters specified are of the very essence of the days, not because of other things added to them, namely the offerings brought on those days.And so also did Onkelos translate [the word etzem as] “bikran of that day,” which [literally] means “‘in the horn’ of that day,” [i.e.,] in its essence and in its strength, the word bikran being related to these expressions: and all ‘karnei’ (the horns) of the wicked will I cut off; my shield ‘v’keren’ (and the horn of) my salvation; for since the strength [of the animal] is in its horns, therefore the substance of a thing is called karno [“its horn” — its strength or essence]. In the language of the Sages we find: “He pays the keren (the principal value) but he does not pay the [added] fifth.” And some texts of Onkelos have bichran [with a chaph instead of bikran with a kuph], but it is all one, for in Scripture kova and chova both mean hat, ); 17:5 (chova). See Vol. I, p. 506, where Ramban mentions this princuple briefly, that the kuph and the kaph (or chaph) are often interchangeable. and the Sages always make use of the term akava written with a kaph [meaning “staying”], which is derived from the expression, ‘v’lo y’akveim’ [written with a kuph, and meaning: and He stayeth them not] when His voice is heard. The Rabbis also say mithkasheit [with a kuph] from the word tachshitin [with a chaph, meaning “ornaments”]. They further say: “If ants kors’muha” [with a kuph, meaning “nibbled” the crop], of the root: the boar out of the wood ‘y’chars’menah’ [with a chaph, meaning: doth ravage it]. And those other places where the expression ‘b’etzem’ of this day is mentioned also mean: “in the strength of that day,” for they were matters which in the normal course of events could not happen in one day. Therefore Scripture stated that all the beasts and all the cattle and all the fowl and all creeping things upon the earth were gathered by “the power” of that day, by the decree of G-d upon them, for it was His mouth that commanded and the breath thereof it hath gathered them. Similarly, six hundred thousand men on foot, beside children cannot be gathered together and go out as one man from the land of Egypt [all in one day], only by the strength of the day which was so decreed upon it by word of the Supreme One. And so also in the case of Moses our teacher, this expression [‘b’etzem’ of this day] is intended to teach that on the day he was commanded to write this song, and teach it the children of Israel, put it in their mouths, and he finished speaking all these words, 32:45. it was decreed upon him that he go up by the power of that day in which the Divine decree was given, to Mount Abarim, and then he said the section of ‘V’zoth Habrachah’ (And this is the blessing), Chapter 33. and afterwards he went up to the mountain — all these activities being matters which would usually take many days, but they were all done by the power and strength of the day. Similarly, that three hundred and twenty men should be circumcised in one day in the house of Abraham was a thing that proceeded from G-d. Now the prophet Ezekiel said, they and their fathers have transgressed against Me, to ‘etzem’ this day, in order to include that very day in this group. So also the expression until ‘etzem’ of this day of the prohibition of the new produce, means “until and inclusive of this day” [i.e., on the sixteenth of Nisan it is also forbidden to eat of the new produce, before the bringing of the meal-offering of the new barley], for the essence of a thing is its power and strength.And our Rabbis have interpreted the expression ‘b’etzem’ of this day used in connection with the festivals, to mean 14:7. “on the day itself,” that is to say, from the time the stars appear until they come out on the following night, thus excluding the additional time which the Sages have deduced must be added from profane unto holy [i.e., before the actual beginning of the festival, and after its actual end]. And in the cases of Noah, and the exodus from Egypt, and Moses’ [death], they interpreted that phrase to mean “in the strength of the day,” [that is] mid-day, as is stated in the Sifre, 332. and Rashi wrote it in the section of Ha’azinu.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.