Ver. 1. And the Lord spake.] [See Trapp on “Le 7:22”]
Ver. 2. To be holy convocations.] Not bare rests, as Plato said, that the gods, pitying men’s labour, appointed their festivals to be a remission of their labour. [See Trapp on “Ex 20:8”] [See Trapp on “Ex 20:9”] [See Trapp on “Ex 20:10”] [See Trapp on “Ex 20:11”] Αναπαυλας των πονων.—2. De Legib.
Ver. 3. Ye shall do no work therein.] Save only works of piety, charity, and necessity. These are allowed by our Saviour. (Mark 2:23-28 3:4) The Jews superstitiously hold, that it is not lawful for a blind man to lean upon a staff on a Sabbath day, as the lame may: that if a flea bite a man on that day, he may take it, but not kill it. That if a thorn prick him in the foot on that day, he may not pull it out. That a tailor may not carry a needle, much less a sword; that a man may not spet, or be taken out of a jakes, as that Jew of Tewkesbury, who said, “ Sabbata santa colo, de stercore surgere nolo.” Whereunto the Earl of Gloucester replied, “ “Sabbata nostra quidem (Solomon) celebrabis ibidem.” ” “(Sir, reverence of the Sabbath keeps me here: And you, sir, reverence shall our Sabbath there.)” In all your dwellings.] Where you are to sanctify this rest, and to repair to your synagogues. (Acts 15:21) Ranulph., lib. vii. cap. 37. ?Spit. A play upon the double meaning of the word stercus. See Ainsworth’s Dictionary. Ibid. Idid.
Ver. 4. In their seasons,] i.e., Once a year.
Ver. 5. In the fourteenth day.] [See Trapp on “Ex 12:18”]
Ver. 6. Eat unleavened bread.] To teach us to eat the Christian passover, not with the “old leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Corinthians 5:8)
Ver. 7. No servile work.] But that about victuals. (Exodus 12:26)
Ver. 8. But ye shall offer an offering.] What these offerings must be, see Numbers 28:18,24.
Ver. 10. And shall reap the harvest.] Barley harvest; for that was first.
Ver. 11. And he shall wave the sheaf.] This signified that they and theirs were accepted of God through Christ. On the morrow after the Sabbath.] Here the Lord’s day was prefigured, saith one, therefore prescribed, and instituted of God. This shake day sheaf was a pregnant type of Christ’s rising again, the firstfruits from the dead. It was fulfilled in Christ’s resurrection, the day after the Sabbath. And because this Sabbath was chiefly meant of the Passover (which was a high Sabbath) it was a double Sabbath wherein Christ rested in the grave. The very next morning was Christ waved before the Lord, when, in the earthquake, he rose from the dead “the firstfruits of them that sleep,” and there hence entered the everlasting gates as a King of glory, (Psalms 24:7) which psalm is in the Greek called A psalm of David of the first day of the week.
Ver. 12. A he lamb.] Prefiguring Christ, by whom those first fruits were sanctified.
Ver. 13. Two tenth deals.] This was double to the ordinary proportion, (Numbers 15:4) because on such an occasion.
Ver. 14. And ye shall eat neither bread.] It was fit that God the giver should have the first.
Ver. 15. Seven Sabbaths.] That is, seven weeks. The Sabbath is queen of all the days of the week; and therefore carries the name of the whole week.
Ver. 16. Shall ye number fifty days.] And then keep the feast of Pentecost or of weeks, so called because it was seven weeks after the passover.
Ver. 17. Out of your habitations.] That is, Out of the new corn (growing of the same land which God gave them to inherit) not foreign. The firstfruits,] viz., Of their wheat harvest, as the shake sheaf (Leviticus 23:10) was of their barley harvest. Thus were they to express their thankfulness to God for those precious fruits of the earth. (James 5:7)
Ver. 18. Seven lambs.] Besides which, they had other oblations at the feast of Pentecost. (Numbers 28:27) The service of God was heretofore very costly.
Ver. 20. Wave them.] See on Exodus 29:24. Holy to the Lord.] And wholly to the priest.
Ver. 21. A holy convocation.] The feast day of Pentecost, kept in testimony of their thankfulness for the land’s fruitfulness, their deliverance from Egypt, (Deuteronomy 16:10,12) and the receiving of the law at that time of the year. (Exodus 19:11)
Ver. 22. And when ye reap.] See Leviticus 19:9. In these we entertain Christum convivam, Christ a guest, saith Jerome.
Ver. 24. Of blowing of trumpets.] This feast signified the spiritual joy and gladness of the saints that are redeemed by Christ, all their life long. (Isaiah 23:10)
Ver. 25. See on Leviticus 16:30, &c.
Ver. 26. See on Leviticus 16:30, &c.
Ver. 27. Also on the tenth day.] [See Trapp on “Le 16:31”] Thus they were kept in sorrow five days, before they might keep their feast of joy. (Leviticus 23:34)
Ver. 34. The feast of tabernacles.] It signified, the prophet Zechariah being interpreter, (Leviticus 14:16-19) that the remembrance of our redemption by Christ should be perpetuated with all spiritual gladness.
Ver. 42. Ye shall dwell in booths.] The siege of Jerusalem by the Romans lasted six months. It began at the passover, and ended at this feast of tabernacles. Ita festum illud fuit finis istius politiae.
Ver. 43. That your generations may know.] For which purpose also they had at this feast the law read unto them. (Nehemiah 8:18 Deuteronomy 31:10,13)