A Prophecy of Esau and Jacob

In the Bible we see that God has identified three different categories of days for religious purposes. To identify these three categories of days God has used three different Hebrew words. Each of these Hebrew words is used to identify one category of days.

Now the way God has used the other Hebrew word to identify three separate categories of days is as follows: When this other Hebrew word is used on its own, then it identifies one category of days, and when this other Hebrew word is used with the adjective for “holy,” then it identifies a different category of days.

In this way God has used three different Hebrew words to identify three different categories of days that God Himself has instituted. Often times they overlap which would be a compound concept, but sometimes they stand apart.

(1) (H4150 môʿēḏ) translated as appointed gathering, appointed time, appointed assembly; but doesn’t mean feast by itself, but it could be combined with a festival feast;

(2) (H2282 ḥāḡ) festival, feast, festival-gathering, pilgrim-feast;

(3) (H4744 miqrā’) a convocation, a sacred assembly, often preceded with holy, (H6944 qōḏeš).

Since all the feasts are recorded in Leviticus 23, we’ll begin by finding the most appropriate translation for each instance. I’ll take the initiative to identify each one and translate them into English as accurately as possible.

Leviticus 23

¹ And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

² “Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them: ‘Concerning the assemblies (H4150 môʿēḏ) of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations (H4744 miqrā’), even these are My appointed assemblyies (H4150 môʿēḏ).

— this preface means that all the followings are appointed assemblyies (H4150 môʿēḏ), even if it is Sabbath of rest, which is a holy convocation (H4744 miqrā’); hence a weekly Sabbath is a composite command.

³ “‘Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation (H4744 miqrā’). Ye shall do no work therein; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

⁴ “‘These are the appointed assemblies (H4150 môʿēḏ) of the Lord, even holy convocations (H4744 miqrā’), which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

— these are the assemblies of the Lord; because the following are appointed by the Lord for assembling themselves before him,

⁵ On the fourteenth day of the first month between the evenings is the Lord’S Passover. — “between the evenings” (hā·‘ar·bā·yim); no mention of the Passover (the sacrifice of the Pesach lamb) being a feast, nor the time being holy;

⁶ And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Festival (H2282 ḥāḡ) of Unleavened Bread unto the Lord; seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. — the fifteenth day has the characters of the three: appointed assemblies; a holy convocation; and a pilgrim-festival;

— in fact, the days of Unleavened Bread and Passover are a composite Feast; the whole made a festival of eight days, called indifferently the Feast of the Passover, or the Feast of Unleavened Bread; hence those who thought they are two distinct feasts read the Gospel in the NT with much confusion.

⁷ On the first day ye shall have a holy convocation (H4744 miqrā’); ye shall do no servile work therein.

— the first day of unleavened bread, the 15th Abib, the emphasis is on the holy convocation where people assemble together.

⁸ But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation (H4744 miqrā’); ye shall do no servile work therein.’”

— in the seventh day is an holy convocation, ye shall do no servile work therein; where people assemble together as on the first day;

⁹ And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

¹⁰ “Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them: ‘When ye come into the land which I give unto you and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest.

¹¹ And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted for you; on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

¹² And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf a helamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord.

¹³ And the meat offering thereof shall be two-tenths part of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the Lord for a sweet savor; and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, a fourth part of a hin.

¹⁴ And ye shall eat neither bread nor parched corn nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God; it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

¹⁵ “‘And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete.

¹⁶ Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days, and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord.

¹⁷ Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two-tenths part. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord.

¹⁸ And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock and two rams; they shall be for a burnt offering unto the Lord, with their meat offering and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savor unto the Lord.

¹⁹ Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.

²⁰ And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the Lord with the two lambs; they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest.

²¹ And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day that it may be a holy convocation (H4744 miqrā’) unto you. Ye shall do no servile work therein; it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

— the feast of Weeks or day of Pentecost; is composite feast, a holy convocation and an appointed assembly;

²² “‘And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not rid cleanly the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleanings of thy harvest. Thou shalt leave them unto the poor and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God.’”

²³ And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

²⁴ “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation (H4744 miqrā’).

— the day of Trumpet, Rosh Hashanah, is also a holy convocation and an appointed assembly;

²⁵ Ye shall do no servile work therein, but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.’”

²⁶ And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

²⁷ “Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation (H4744 miqrā’) unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

— the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, is also a holy convocation and an appointed assembly;

²⁸ And ye shall do no work in that same day, for it is a Day of Atonement to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God.

²⁹ For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

³⁰ And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.

³¹ Ye shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

³² It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls. On the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening unto evening, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.”

³³ And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

³⁴ “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast (H2282 ḥāḡ) of Tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord.

— as a whole, the seven days of Tabernacles are both a pilgrim-feast and an appointed assemblies;

³⁵ On the first day shall be a holy convocation (H4744 miqrā’); ye shall do no servile work therein.

— on the first day, the emphasis is upon a holy convocation; but no mention of a feast;

³⁶ Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. On the eighth day shall be a holy convocation (H4744 miqrā’) unto you, and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. It is a solemn assembly, and ye shall do no servile work therein.

— on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; as on the first day; it is a solemn assembly; of all the people, when they were gathered together before the Lord;

— Days 2-6 of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Days 2-7 of the Feast of Tabernacles are identical have a sense that it is a celebration, a time of laughters and happiness.

³⁷ “‘These are the appointed assemblies (H4150 môʿēḏ) of the Lord which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations (H4744 miqrā’), to offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering and a meat offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, every thing upon his day”

³⁸ besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which ye give unto the Lord.

³⁹ “‘Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast (H2282 ḥāḡ) unto the Lord seven days; on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. — a feast in the sense that it is for rejoicing and a celebration

⁴⁰ And ye shall take for yourselves on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.

⁴¹ And ye shall keep it a feast (H2282 ḥāḡ) unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations; ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

— a pilgrim-feast; a feast in the sense that it is a celebration has an implied indication of a ‘wine and cheese’ party, plus a time of laughters and happiness.

⁴² Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths,

⁴³ that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’”

⁴⁴ And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the appointed assemblies (H4150 môʿēḏ) of the Lord.

~ by Joel on October 7, 2025.

Posted in Scriptures Studies