Topical Encyclopedia The Feast of Tabernacles, also known as Sukkot or the Feast of Booths, is a significant biblical festival that lasted for seven days. This feast is one of the three major pilgrimage festivals in the Jewish calendar, as outlined in the Torah. It is a time of joy and celebration, commemorating the Israelites' 40-year journey in the wilderness and God's provision during that period.Biblical Foundation The Feast of Tabernacles is instituted in Leviticus 23:33-43, where the LORD commands Moses to instruct the Israelites on the observance of this festival. The Berean Standard Bible states: "On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the LORD’s Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it continues for seven days. On the first day there shall be a sacred assembly. You are not to do any regular work. For seven days you shall present an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you are not to do any regular work." (Leviticus 23:34-36) The feast begins on the 15th day of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, and lasts for seven days, with an additional sacred assembly on the eighth day, known as Shemini Atzeret. Historical and Theological Significance The Feast of Tabernacles holds deep historical and theological significance. Historically, it commemorates the period when the Israelites lived in temporary shelters during their exodus from Egypt. Theologically, it is a time to remember God's faithfulness and provision. The Israelites were instructed to live in booths made of branches to remind them of their dependence on God. The feast is also a harvest festival, celebrating the ingathering of the produce of the land. Deuteronomy 16:13-15 emphasizes the joy and thanksgiving associated with this time: "You are to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. And you shall rejoice in your feast—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates. For seven days you are to celebrate this feast to the LORD your God in the place the LORD will choose, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete." Prophetic and Messianic Implications The Feast of Tabernacles also carries prophetic and messianic implications. It is seen as a foreshadowing of the coming Messianic Kingdom, where God will dwell with His people. Zechariah 14:16-19 speaks of a future time when all nations will come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, highlighting its eschatological significance: "Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. And should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, then the rain will not fall on them." In the New Testament, the Feast of Tabernacles is mentioned in John 7, where Jesus attends the festival in Jerusalem. During this time, He makes profound declarations about being the source of living water, further emphasizing the feast's spiritual significance. Contemporary Observance Today, the Feast of Tabernacles is still observed by Jewish communities worldwide. It is a time of great joy, marked by the building of sukkot (temporary booths) and the waving of the lulav and etrog. Some Christian groups also observe the feast, recognizing its rich biblical heritage and prophetic significance. Nave's Topical Index Leviticus 23:34,42Speak to the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days to the LORD. Nave's Topical Index Library The Feast of Tabernacles. In the Temple at the Feast of Tabernacles. The Signs which Preceded the War. From the Birth to the Ascension of Jesus. Anointed for Burial. The Book of Jubilees The Healing of the Man Born Blind. The Death and the Raising of Lazarus - the Question of Miracles ... The Jewish Institutions and Laws of Far Higher Antiquity than the ... The Morning of Good Friday. Resources What are the seven seals of Revelation? | GotQuestions.orgWhat do the seven stars represent in Revelation? | GotQuestions.org What do the seven thunders in Revelation 10:1-7 mean? | GotQuestions.org Seven: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus Subtopics Seven: Days: Dedication of the Temple Lasted Double Seven: Days: Defilements Lasted For Seven: Days: Ezekiel Sits by the Chebar River in Astonishment For Seven: Days: Mourning for Jacob Lasted For Seven: Days: Noah in the Ark Before the Great Flood For Seven: Days: Noah Remains in the Ark After Sending Forth the Dove For Seven: Days: Paul Stays at Puteoli For Seven: Days: Paul Waits at Tyre For Seven: Days: Saul Directed by Samuel to Stay at Gilgal Awaiting the Prophet's Command For Seven: Days: The Consecration of Priests and Altars Lasted For Seven: Days: The Elders of Jabesh-Gilead Ask for a Truce of Seven: Days: The Feast of Ahasuerus Continued For Seven: Days: The Feast of Tabernacles Lasted For Seven: Days: The Firstborn of Flocks and Sheep Must Remain With Their Mothers, Before Being offered Seven: Days: The Israelites Encircled Jericho For Seven: Days: The Passover Lasted For Seven: Days: The Plague of Bloody Waters in Egypt Lasted For Seven: Days: The Sympathy for Job by Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar For Seven: Miscellany of Sevens of Liberality Seven: Miscellany of Sevens of Many Sons Seven: Miscellany of Sevens of the Ceremonially Clean Creatures Taken Into Noah's Ark Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Abraham Gives Abimelech Seven Lambs Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Elisha's Servant Looked Seven Times for the Appearance of Rain Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Naaman Was Required to Wash in the Jordan River Seven Times Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Rams and Bullocks to the Number of, Required in Sarifices Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Angels With Seven Plagues Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Angels With Seven Trumpets Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Chamberlains at the Court of Ahasuerus Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Congregations in Asia Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Counsellors at the Court of Artaxerxes Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Cows and Seven Ears of Grain in Pharaoh's Vision Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Eyes of the Lord Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Golden Lampstands Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Golden Vials Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Heads and Seven Crowns Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Horns and Seven Eyes Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Kings Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Lamps and Pipes Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Magi (Wise Men) Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Maidens Given to Esther Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Plagues Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Princes Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Seals Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Servants (Greek: Diakonoi) in the Jerusalem Congregations Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Shepherds to be Sent Forth Against Assyria Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Spirits Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Stars Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Thunders Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Seven Women Will Seek a Polyandrous Marriage Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Silver Was Purified Seven Times Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: The Heat of Nebuchadnezzars Furnace Was Intensified Sevenfold Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: The Light of the Sun Was Intensified Sevenfold Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: The Scarlet-Colored Beast Having Seven Heads Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: The Seven Steps in the Temple Seen in Ezekiel's Vision Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: The Sprinkling of Blood Seven Times Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: The Sprinkling of Oil Seven Times Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: The Threatened Punishment of Israel Was Sevenfold Seven: Miscellany of Sevens: Worshiping Seven Times a Day Seven: Months: Holy Convocations in the Seventh Month Seven: The Israelites Surrounded Jericho Seven Times, and on the Seventh Day Sounding Seven Trumpets Seven: Weeks in Daniel's Vision Concerning the Coming of the Messiah For Seven: Weeks: The Period Between the Passover Feast and the Feast of Pentecost Seven: Years: A Famine Lasted in Canaan For Seven: Years: A Famine Lasted in Egypt For Seven: Years: Jacob Serves for Each of his Wives For Seven: Years: Seven Times, the Period Between the Jubilees Seven: Years: The Insanity of Nebuchadnezzar For Related Terms |
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