Leviticus 23:40

On the first day you are to gather the fruit of majestic trees, the branches of palm trees, and the boughs of leafy trees and of willows of the brook. And you are to rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — The Lord addresses the Israelites through Moses during the instructions for the autumn festival following the harvest. This command establishes the ritual actions for the first day of the seven-day feast on the fifteenth day of the seventh month.

The words — The Hebrew verb לְקַחְתֶּם (le.kach.Tem) literally means "you will take," directing the people to physically gather specific vegetation. The adjective הָדָר (ha.Dar) translates to "splendor" or "majesty," describing the fruit-bearing trees to be collected.

The thread — The directive to gather branches and rejoice appears in Leviticus 23:40, while the command to rejoice in the Lord recurs in Philippians 4:4 and the vision of a multitude standing before God is noted in Revelation 7:9. The act of cutting and spreading branches parallels the crowd's actions in Matthew 21:8.

Why it lands — The text requires the community to physically gather specified foliage and maintain a seven-day period of rejoicing before God. It establishes a permanent statutory practice for the seventh month that ties the agricultural harvest to corporate worship.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וּלְקַחְתֶּ֨םu./le.kach.Temand/ you will takeלָכֶ֜םla./Khemfor <the>/ yourselvesבַּיּ֣וֹםba/i.Yomon the/ day הָרִאשׁ֗וֹןha./ri.Shon<the>/ first פְּרִ֨יpe.Rifruit of עֵ֤ץ'etztree[s] of הָדָר֙ha.Darsplendor כַּפֹּ֣תka.Potfronds of תְּמָרִ֔יםte.ma.Rimpalm trees וַעֲנַ֥ףva./'a.Nafand/ branch[es] of עֵץ־'etz-tree[s]עָבֹ֖ת'a.Votleafy וְעַרְבֵי־ve./'ar.vei-and/ poplars of נָ֑חַלNa.chala wadi וּשְׂמַחְתֶּ֗םu./se.mach.Temand/ you will rejoice לִפְנֵ֛יli/f.Nei<to>/ before יְהוָ֥הYah.wehYahweh אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֖ם'e.lo.hei./KhemGod/ your שִׁבְעַ֥תshiv.'Atseven יָמִֽים׃ya.Mimdays

King James Version

And ye shall take you 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.

Cross-references

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Revelation 7:9 After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
Matthew 21:8 A massive crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
Deuteronomy 16:14 And you shall rejoice in your feast—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite, as well as the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widows among you.
John 12:13 They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting: “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!”
Nehemiah 8:14 And they found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month,
Isaiah 35:10 So the redeemed of the LORD will return and enter Zion with singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee.
John 16:22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
Romans 5:11 Not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Psalms 92:12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.