Leviticus 23:44

Lev 23:44. The feasts of the Lord — We have reason to be thankful that the feasts of the Lord now are not so numerous, nor the observance of them so burdensome and costly; but more spiritual and significant, and surer and sweeter earnests of the everlasting feast, at the last ingathering, which we hope to be celebrating to eternity!

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(44) And Moses declared.—In accordance with the command which Moses received (see Lev_23:2), he explained to the children of Israel the number and motive of these festivals. This verse therefore forms an appropriate conclusion to the whole chapter.

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

44. Conclusion supplied by P.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord. The several feasts before recited, the order of them, the manner of observing them, and the time.

Next: Leviticus Chapter 24

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

Feasts - Appointed times. See Lev 23:2 note.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Feasts. In the institution of these feasts, as in the other regulations of Moses, there was something ceremonial, which might be altered, and something moral, which regards even those times when the Jewish religion was to cease. (St. Augustine, q. 43.) --- Hence we must conclude, that the obligation of keeping certain days holy must always remain. But those appointed for the Jews, as they foretold the future Messias, must be changed, lest otherwise we might seem to confess that he is still to come. (Romans xiv.; Galatians iv.; Colossians ii.) We are not therefore allowed to Judaize abstaining from work on the Jewish sabbath, (Council of Laodicea,) as Antichrist will require. (St. Gregory, ep. xi. 3.) --- But we must keep Sunday instead, (as even Protestants maintain, though there be no Scripture for it,) by authority of tradition, in memory of Christ’s resurrection, &c. (St. Jerome, ep. ad Hed.; ib.[St. Gregory, ep. xi. 3.?]; St. Augustine, de C.[City of God?] xxii. 30.) So also we observe the Christian festivals, in honour of our Lord and his saints, instead of those which God appointed for the Jews, either by himself or by his ministers: for we find that some were instituted after the time of Moses, (Esther ix., and 1 Machabees iv.) and these were sanctioned by the observance of Christ himself, It was the feast of the dedication, and Jesus walked in the temple, &c., John x. 22-23. (Worthington)

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).

The feasts of the Lord - We have reason to be thankful, that the feasts of the Lord, now are not so numerous, nor the observance of them so burdensome and costly; but more spiritual and significant, and surer and sweeter earnests of the everlasting feast, at the last in-gathering, which we hope to be celebrating to eternity.

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

Communication of these laws to the people.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

AND MOSES DECLARED UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL THE APPOINTED SEASONS OF THE ETERNAL. The meaning thereof is as follows: The above sections contain admonitions directed to Aaron and his sons, and Moses therefore told them to Aaron and his sons, and sometimes He mentions after them also the children of Israel, as He said at the end of the section dealing with blemishes, So Moses spoke unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, for although Moses was only commanded, Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever be of thy seed, Verse 17. he wanted to exhort the court of Israel about this matter [and therefore he also spoke to all the children of Israel]. Perhaps the reason [why he exhorted the court] is because a person covers up his blemishes, and the priest does not want to be disqualified on account of them from performing the Divine Service, for it is a [source of] shame and disgrace, therefore He exhorted the court about this matter. But here Scripture states that he declared the appointed seasons of the Eternal to all the children of Israel as one man, and it did not single out the sons of Aaron in these commandments, the reason being that the admonition applies to all alike, since the main [commandments] of these sections are that we are to rest on the Sabbaths and festivals, and to proclaim them holy convocations. None of the offerings are mentioned in these sections, except for the offering of the sheaf [on the second day of Passover], and the two loaves [on the Festival of Weeks], as they [these festivals] are the causes for their being offered. And in the section where the main offerings of the Day of Atonement are set forth, Chapter 16. it says, Speak unto Aaron thy brother. Verse 2. [because it was Aaron’s duty to perform the Service on that day].And our Rabbis have interpreted [the verse before us] as follows: 17:12. “And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the appointed seasons of the Eternal. This teaches that Moses told Israel the laws of Passover on the Passover, and the laws of Atzereth [the Festival of Weeks] on Atzereth, and the laws of the Festival of Tabernacles on Tabernacles. In the very language that he heard it, in that language he told them all the sections.” Onkelos also intended to imply this point, for he rendered the verse as follows: “And Moses declared the order of the appointed seasons of the Eternal, and taught them to the children of Israel.” It appears [from Onkelos’ additional phrase “the order of “] that his opinion is to allude [to the fact] that Moses taught the children of Israel the order of the festivals by means of the intercalation [of the years with an extra month], which was handed over to him by word of mouth on Sinai, this being alluded to in the Scriptural text, which ye shall proclaim holy convocations, and Moses taught the children of Israel by word of mouth the whole traditional order of the secret of intercalation.

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.