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Treasury of Scripture Knowledge: Numbers 29

Chapter 29

And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.

the seventh

That is, the month Tisri, the seventh month of their ecclesiastical year, but the first of their civil year, answering to our September. This, which was their new year's day, was a time of great festivity, and ushered in by the blowing of trumpets; whence it was also called the feast of blowing the trumpets. In imitation of this Jewish festival, different nations began the new year with sacrifices and festivity. The ancient Egyptians did so; and the Persians also celebrated their nawee rooz, or new year's day, which they held on the vernal equinox, and which "lasted ten days, during which all ranks seemed to participate in one general joy. The rich sent presents to the poor; all were dressed in their holiday clothes; all kept open house; and religious processions, music, dancing, a species of theatrical exhibition, rustic sports, and other pastimes, presented a continued round of varied amusement. Even the dead, and the ideal beings were not forgotten; rich viands being placed on the tops of houses and high towers, on the flavour of which the Peris, and spirits of their departed heroes and friends, were supposed to feast." After the Mohammedan conquest of Persia, the celebration of this period sensibly declined, and at last totally ceased, till the time of Jelaladdin (about A.D. 1082), who, coming to the crown at the vernal equinox, re-established the ancient festival, which has ever since been celebrated with pomp and acclamations.

Leviticus 23:24,25 Ezra 3:6 Nehemiah 7:73

the first day of the month

The monthly sacrifices were regulated by the new moons; and it is probable that the solemn sacrifices were appointed by God, to prevent the idolatry which was usual among the heathen at this period; who expressed the most extravagant rejoicings on the first appearance of the new moon. Moses, however, used the return of the moon only as one of the most natural and convenient measures of time; and appointed sacrifices to Jehovah, to prevent the Israelites from falling into the idolatries of their heathen neighbours. In the serene climate of Arabia and Judea, its first faint crescent is, for the most part, visible to all.

blowing

10:1-10 1 Chronicles 15:28 Psalms 81:3 89:15 Isaiah 27:13 Zechariah 9:14 Mark 16:15,16 Romans 10:14-18 15:16-19

And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without blemish:

8,36 28:19,27 Hebrews 10:10-14

And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you:

28:15,22,30

Beside the burnt offering of the month, and his meat offering, and the daily burnt offering, and his meat offering, and their drink offerings, according unto their manner, for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD.

the burnt

28:11-15

the daily

28:3-8 Exodus 29:38-42 Leviticus 6:9

according

18,21 9:14 15:11,12,24 Ezra 3:4

And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein:

on the tenth

Leviticus 16:29-31 23:27

afflict

Leviticus 16:29 Ezra 8:21 Psalms 35:13 126:5,6 Isaiah 22:12 58:3-5 Zechariah 7:3 Zechariah 12:10 Matthew 5:4 Luke 13:3,5 Acts 27:9 Romans 6:6 1 Corinthians 9:27 2 Corinthians 7:9-11 James 4:8-10

But ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the LORD for a sweet savour; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year; they shall be unto you without blemish:

without blemish

2,13 28:19

And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals to a bullock, and two tenth deals to one ram,

15:3-12

One kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the sin offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering of it, and their drink offerings.

beside

Leviticus 16:3,5,9 Isaiah 53:10 Daniel 9:24-26 Hebrews 7:27 9:25-28

the continual

6 28:3-8

And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days:

the fifteenth day

This was the feast of Tabernacles, kept in commemoration of their dwelling in tents in the wilderness for forty years. The first and last days were to be kept as sabbaths, on which there were solemn assemblies; and for seven days sacrifices were offered. On the other festivals, two bullocks sufficed, (ch. 28:11, 19, 27), and on the festival at the beginning of this month, only one was appointed; but, on the first day of this festival, thirteen young bullocks were appointed; and so on each successive day, with the decrease of only one bullock, till on the seventh day, there were only seven, making in all seventy bullocks. The lambs, and the rams also, were in a double proportion to the number sacrificed at any other festival. This was an expensive service; but more easy at this time of the year than any other, as Bishop Patrick observes, because now their barns were full, and their wine-presses overflowed; and their hearts might well be supposed to be more enlarged than at other times, in thankfulness to God for the multitude of his mercies. The Jewish doctors give this reason for the daily diminution of the number of the bullocks: the whole number, say they, was according to the languages of the seventy nations of the world; and the diminution of one every day signified, that there should be a gradual diminution of those nations till all things were brought under the government of the Messiah; in whose days "no sacrifices shall remain, but those of thanksgiving, prayer, and praise."

Exodus 23:16 34:22 Leviticus 23:33-43 Deuteronomy 16:13,14 Nehemiah 8:14,18 Ezekiel 45:25 Zechariah 14:16-19 John 1:14 Hebrews 11:9-13

And ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; thirteen young bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year; they shall be without blemish:

thirteen young bullocks

2,8 28:11,19,27 Ezra 3:4 Hebrews 10:12-14 At this feast thirteen bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs, were to be offered. It is worthy of remark, that in each of the seven days of this feast one bullock is to be abated, so that on the seventh day (ver. 32) they were to offer seven bullocks, but the rams and lambs were every day alike; which appointment might signify a diminishing and wearing away of the legal offerings, to lead them to the spiritual and reasonable service, by presenting their own bodies a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable unto God.; Romans 12:1

And on the second day ye shall offer twelve young bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year without spot:

13,20-40 Psalms 40:6 50:8,9 51:16,17 69:31 Isaiah 1:11 Jeremiah 7:22,23 Hosea 6:6 Romans 12:1 Hebrews 8:13 9:3-14

And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:

after the manner

That is, after the manner already prescribed.

3,4,6,9,10 15:4-12 28:7,14

And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering thereof, and their drink offerings.

11,22,25 Amos 8:14

And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:

after the manner

Verse 22

And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.

drink offering

Psalms 16:4 Joel 1:9,13 2:14

And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.

11 John 8:31 Acts 13:43 Romans 2:7 Galatians 2:5 6:9 2 Thessalonians 3:13 Hebrews 3:14 Hebrews 10:39 13:15

On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work therein:

eighth day

Though this day was properly a distinct festival, and esteemed the chief or high day of the feast, yet fewer sacrifices are appointed for it than for any of the foregoing seven. On every one of them two rams and fourteen lambs were offered; but on this day there were but half as many; and whereas seven bullocks were the fewest that were offered on any of those days, on this there was only one. At this feast, there was an extraordinary ceremony of which the rabbins inform us, namely, the drawing water out of the pool of Siloam, and pouring it, mixed with wine, on the sacrifice as it lay on the altar. This they are said to have done with such expressions of joy, that it became a common proverb, "He that never saw the rejoicing of drawing of water, never saw rejoicing in all his life." The Jews pretend to ground this custom on the following passage of Isaiah, (ch. 12:3,) "With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation;" and to this ceremony Jesus is supposed to refer, when "in the last day, the great day of the feast, he stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink: he that believeth on me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water," (Joh 7:37, 38:) thereby calling off the people from their carnal mirth and festive and pompous ceremonies, to seek spiritual refreshment for their minds.

Leviticus 23:36 John 7:37-39 Revelation 7:9-17

These things ye shall do unto the LORD in your set feasts, beside your vows, and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your meat offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.

do, or, offer

in your set feasts. It appears from the account in these two chapters, that there were annually offered to God, at the public charge, independently of a prodigious number of voluntary, vow, and trespass offerings, 15 goats, 21 kids, 72 rams, 132 bullocks, and 1,101 lambs. But how little is all this compared with the lambs slain every year at the passover. Cestius, the Roman general, asked the priests how many persons had come to Jerusalem at their annual festivals: the priests, numbering the people by the lambs that had been slain, said, "twenty-five myriads, 5,000, and 600."

Leviticus 23:2 1 Chronicles 23:31 2 Chronicles 31:3 Ezra 3:5 Nehemiah 10:33 Isaiah 1:14

beside your vows

6:21 Leviticus 7:11,16-38 22:21-23 23:28 Deuteronomy 12:6 1 Corinthians 10:31

And Moses told the children of Israel according to all that the LORD commanded Moses.

Exodus 40:16 Deuteronomy 4:5 Matthew 28:20 Acts 20:27 1 Corinthians 15:3 Hebrews 3:2,5