Dict: all - FESTIVALS

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FESTIVALS, HEBREW @ kjv@Exodus:23:14; kjv@Leviticus:23:2; kjv@Numbers:15:3 Feasts, FEASTS, JEWISH

smith:

FESTIVALS - F>@ - I. The religious times ordained int he law fall under three heads: Those formally connected with the institution of the Sabbath; This historical or great festivals; The day of atonement. Immediately connected with the institution of the Sabbath are
a. The weekly Sabbath itself. b. The seventh new moon, or feast of trumpets. c. The sabbatical year. d. The year of jubilee. The great feasts are
a. The passover. b. The feast of pentecost, of weeks, of wheat-harvest or of the first-fruits. c. The feast of tabernacles or of ingathering. On each of these occasions every male Israelite was commanded to "appear before the Lord," that is, to attend in the court of the tabernacle or the temple, and to make his offering with a joyful heart. (27:7; kjv@Nehemiah:8:9-12) The attendance of women was voluntary, but the zealous often went up to the passover. On all the days of holy convocation there was to be an entire suspension of ordinary labor of all kinds, kjv@Exodus:12:16; kjv@Leviticus:16:29 kjv@Leviticus:23:21-24-25 kjv@Leviticus:23:35) but on the intervening days of the longer festivals work might be carried on. The agricultural significance of the three great festivals is clearly set forth int he account of the Jewish sacred year contained in kjv@Leviticus:23:1) ... The times of the festivals were evidently ordained in wisdom, so as to interfere as little as possible with the industry of the people. The value of these great religious festivals was threefold.

(1) Religious effects.
They preserved the religious faith of the nation and religious unity among the people. They constantly reminded the people of the divinely-wrought deliverances of the past; promoted gratitude and trust; and testified the reverence of the people for the temple and its sacred contents. Besides this was the influence of well-conducted temple services upon the synagogues through the land.

(2) Political effects.
The unity of the nation would be insured by this fusion of the tribes; otherwise they would be likely to constitute separate tribal states. They would carry back to the provinces glowing accounts of the wealth, power and resources of the country.

(3) Social effects.
They promoted friendly intercourse between travelling companions; distributed information through the country at a time when the transmission of news was slow and imperfect; and imported into remote provincial districts a practical knowledge of all improvements in arts and sciences. For the day of atonement see that article. II. After the captivity, the feast of purim, kjv@Esther:9:20) seq., and that of the dedication, 1Macc kjv@4:56, were instituted.

easton:

Festivals, Religious @ There were daily Leviticus:23), weekly, monthly, and yearly festivals, and great stress was laid on the regular observance of them in every particular kjv@Numbers:28:1-8; kjv@Exodus:29:38-42; kjv@Leviticus:6:8-23; kjv@Exodus:30:7-9 kjv@Exodus:27:20).

(1.) The septenary festivals were, (a) The weekly Sabbath kjv@Leviticus:23:1-3; kjv@Exodus:19:3-30 kjv@Exodus:20:8-11 kjv@Exodus:31:12 , etc.). (b) The seventh new moon, or the feast of Trumpets kjv@Numbers:28:11-15 kjv@Numbers:29:1-6). (c) The Sabbatical year kjv@Exodus:23:10-11; kjv@Leviticus:25:2-7). (d) The year of jubilee kjv@Leviticus:23-35; 25: 8-16; 27:16-25).

(2.) The great feasts were, (a) The Passover. (b) The feast of Pentecost, or of weeks. (c) The feast of Tabernacles, or of ingathering. On each of these occasions every male Israelite was commanded "to appear before the Lord" kjv@Deuteronomy:27:7; kjv@Nehemiah:8:9-12). The attendance of women was voluntary. (Comp. kjv@Luke:2:41; kjv@1Samuel:1:7 kjv@1Samuel:2:19.) The promise that God would protect their homes kjv@Exodus:34:23-24) while all the males were absent in Jerusalem at these feasts was always fulfilled. "During the whole period between Moses and Christ we never read of an enemy invading the land at the time of the three festivals. The first instance on record is thirty-three years after they had withdrawn from themselves the divine protection by imbruing their hands in the Saviour's blood, when Cestius, the Roman general, slew fifty of the people of Lydda while all the rest had gone up to the feast of Tabernacles, A.D. 66." These festivals, besides their religious purpose, had an important bearing on the maintenance among the people of the feeling of a national unity. The times fixed for their observance were arranged so as to interfere as little as possible with the industry of the people. The Passover was kept just before the harvest commenced, Pentecost at the conclusion of the corn harvest and before the vintage, the feast of Tabernacles after all the fruits of the ground had been gathered in.

(3.) The Day of Atonement, the tenth day of the seventh month kjv@Leviticus:16:1-34 kjv@Leviticus:23:26-32; kjv@Numbers:29:7-11). (
See ATONEMENT, DAY OF Of the post
- Exilian festivals reference is made to the feast of Dedication kjv@John:10:22). This feast was appointed by Judas Maccabaeus in commemoration of the purification of the temple after it had been polluted by Antiochus Epiphanes. The "feast of Purim" (q.v.), kjv@Esther:9:24-32, was also instituted after the Exile. (Cf. kjv@John:5:1.)

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FESTIVALS @
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See FEASTS

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