Topical Bible: Jerusalem: Annual Feasts Kept At

◄ Jerusalem: Annual Feasts Kept At ►

Jump to: Nave's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

Jerusalem holds a central place in the religious life of Israel, particularly as the designated location for the observance of the annual feasts commanded by God. These feasts are integral to the worship and communal life of the Israelites, serving as times of remembrance, thanksgiving, and renewal of the covenant relationship with God.

Passover (Pesach) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot):
The Passover, commemorating the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt, is one of the most significant feasts observed in Jerusalem. As instructed in Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23:5-8, the Passover lamb is sacrificed, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread follows for seven days. Deuteronomy 16:5-6 specifies that the Passover sacrifice must be made at the place the LORD chooses, which is Jerusalem. "You are not to sacrifice the Passover animal in any of the towns the LORD your God is giving you. You must only offer it at the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for His Name" (Deuteronomy 16:5-6).

Feast of Weeks (Shavuot or Pentecost):
Fifty days after the Passover, the Feast of Weeks is celebrated, marking the end of the grain harvest and commemorating the giving of the Law at Sinai. Leviticus 23:15-21 and Deuteronomy 16:9-12 outline the observance of this feast. It is a time of joy and thanksgiving, and the Israelites are commanded to present offerings in Jerusalem. "Celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with a freewill offering that you give in proportion to how the LORD your God has blessed you" (Deuteronomy 16:10).

Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot):
The Feast of Tabernacles, or Booths, is observed in the seventh month and lasts for seven days, as described in Leviticus 23:33-43 and Deuteronomy 16:13-15. It is a time to remember the Israelites' wilderness wanderings and to celebrate the harvest. The people are commanded to rejoice before the LORD in Jerusalem, dwelling in temporary shelters. "You are to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress" (Deuteronomy 16:13).

Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur):
While not a feast in the celebratory sense, the Day of Atonement is a solemn observance held on the tenth day of the seventh month. Leviticus 16 and 23:26-32 describe this day of fasting and repentance, during which the high priest enters the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem to make atonement for the people. "This is to be a permanent statute for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you must humble yourselves and not do any work" (Leviticus 16:29).

Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah):
The Feast of Trumpets marks the beginning of the civil year and is observed on the first day of the seventh month. Leviticus 23:23-25 and Numbers 29:1-6 describe this day of rest and trumpet blasts, calling the people to prepare for the Day of Atonement. "On the first day of the seventh month, you are to have a sacred assembly, a day of rest, commemorated with trumpet blasts" (Leviticus 23:24).

These feasts, observed in Jerusalem, are not only religious obligations but also opportunities for the Israelites to gather as a community, renew their faith, and celebrate the providence and faithfulness of God. The centrality of Jerusalem in these observances underscores its significance as the spiritual heart of Israel.

Nave's Topical Index

Ezekiel 36:38
As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Nave's Topical Index

Deuteronomy 16:16
Three times in a year shall all your males appear before the LORD your God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:
Nave's Topical Index

Library

The Passover visit
... There were three annual feasts, the Passover, the Pentecost, and the ... Of these feasts
the Passover was the most largely attended. ... Within thy gates, O Jerusalem. ...
/.../white/the desire of ages/chapter 8 the passover visit.htm

The Upbringing of Jewish Children
... weekly festival, or those of the annual feasts"it must ... in the booth; and, chiefest
of feasts, the week ... the courts of Jehovah's house at Jerusalem could ever ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 7 the upbringing of.htm

The Cleansing of the Temple - the Sign,' which is not a Sign.
... this out of the three great annual feasts for the ... Indeed, if we compute the annual
Temple-tribute at ... of Christ's first public act in Jerusalem: the purgation ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter v the cleansing of.htm

The Jewish War and the Destruction of Jerusalem. AD 70
... war, especially at the three great feasts, to proclaim ... a still more complete destruction
of Jerusalem and devastation ... a house in Rome, an annual pension, the ...
/.../schaff/history of the christian church volume i/section 38 the jewish war.htm

The Foundations of Good Citizenship.
... certain ceremonial customs and especially the great annual feasts. ... that Jehovah hated
and despised feasts and ceremonies ... and even in the temple at Jerusalem. ...
/.../kent/the making of a nation/study x the foundations of.htm

Alexandria and Rome - the Jewish Communities in the Capitals of ...
... religious ceremonies, nor in the observance of their sabbaths and feasts. The annual
Temple-tribute was allowed to be transported to Jerusalem, and the ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter v alexandria and rome.htm

Travelling in Palestine --Roads, Inns, Hospitality, Custom-House ...
... and it was said, that during the pilgrim-feasts none ever ... coronarium of the Romans),
originally an annual gift of ... must be added a tax upon houses in Jerusalem. ...
/.../sketches of jewish social life/chapter 4 travelling in palestineroads.htm

The Feast of Tabernacles.
... into the various tribes, these annual gatherings must ... the holiest and greatest of
their feasts." Occurring at ... seems not to have reached Jerusalem until after ...
/.../johnson/the new testament commentary vol iii john/the feast of tabernacles.htm

Political and Religious Life of the Jewish Dispersion in the West ...
... From every Synagogue in the Diaspora the annual Temple-tribute went up to Jerusalem,
[350] no ... up to the Holy City to attend one of the great feasts. ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter vi political and religious.htm

John 7:37-38. "Let any Man Come. "
... The place, then, was Jerusalem, the metropolis of Judaism ... of tabernacles, one of
those great annual feasts when every ... on the contrary, are certain to be kept. ...
/.../chapter vii john 7 37-38 let.htm