Bible Strands
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,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Ezra and the Levites read the Law to the assembled Israelites on the second day of the seventh month following the return from exile. The community gathers around the scribe to study the written commands before implementing them.
The words — The text highlights כָּת֣וּב (katuv), meaning "written," and צִוָּ֤ה (tsivah), meaning "he commanded." These terms anchor the discovery to a fixed, authoritative text rather than a new revelation.
The thread — The command to dwell in booths during the seventh month originates in Leviticus 23:34 and is reinforced in Deuteronomy 16:13. Ezra’s group locates this specific festival regulation within the broader Mosaic Law.
Why it lands — The passage requires readers to locate biblical instructions in the written text before attempting obedience. It establishes that communal worship must be grounded in discovered commands rather than personal preference.
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
King James Version
And they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month:
Cross-references
- Leviticus 23:34 “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Feast of Tabernacles to the LORD begins, and it continues for seven days.
- 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.
- Deuteronomy 16:13 You are to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress.
- Zechariah 14:16 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.
- Genesis 33:17 but Jacob went on to Succoth, where he built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth.
- John 7:2 However, the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near.