BIBLE HOMESBible Study · Leviticus 23
The Moadim of YHVH
Leviticus 23 — the complete set of appointed times (moadim) that YHVH proclaimed as holy convocations: the distinction between Shabbat and Shabbaton, and the two grades of “lo taasu,” the prohibition of work.
Leviticus 23 is the chapter in which YHVH gathers into one place and proclaims His own appointed times (מוֹעֲדִים, moadim), those “which you shall proclaim as holy convocations.” Where Numbers 28–29 prescribes what is offered at each feast and how many, Leviticus 23 prescribes what kind of day each appointed time is — whether Shabbat or Shabbaton, whether a holy convocation, and what work is forbidden (lo taasu).
Everything set out here was taken by direct comparison of Leviticus 23 in the Yeshua Literal Version (YLV) with the Hebrew text. In particular, Shabbat, Shabbaton, and lo taasu are marked only as they actually stand in the text; nothing has been drawn in from other passages to fill a gap.
·The Master Chart at a Glance
The complete moadim of YHVH. Each column shows only what the text of Leviticus 23 actually says about that day.
← swipe the table sideways →
| Moed | Date | Shabbat · Shabbaton | Holy Convocation | Work Forbidden (lo taasu) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly Shabbat | Every seventh day | Shabbat Shabbaton | Holy Convocation | All work · melakhah | 23:3 |
| Passover | 1/14, between the evenings | Moed of YHVH | Holy Convocation | — | 23:5 |
| Unleavened Bread | 1/15~21 | Moed of YHVH | Convocation · days 1 & 7 | Laborious work · avodah | 23:6–8 |
| Wave Sheaf of Firstfruits | The day after the Shabbat | Moed of YHVH | Holy Convocation | — | 23:9–14 |
| Weeks (Shavuot) | 50 days after the wave sheaf | Moed of YHVH | Convocation | Laborious work · avodah | 23:15–21 |
| Trumpets | 7/1 | Shabbaton | Holy Convocation | Laborious work · avodah | 23:23–25 |
| Day of Atonement | 7/10 | Shabbat Shabbaton | Holy Convocation | All work · melakhah | 23:26–32 |
| Tabernacles | 7/15~21 | Shabbaton · day 1 | day 1 | Laborious work · avodah | 23:33–43 |
| The Eighth Day (Assembly) | 7/22 | Shabbaton | Holy Convocation | Laborious work · avodah | 23:36,39 |
· Every row without exception is a moed of YHVH and a holy convocation (23:2). · “Moed of YHVH” means that even where the text does not add the word Shabbaton to that day, it is still an appointed time included in the declaration of verse 2. · A “—” in the work column means that no separate prohibition of work is commanded for that day (the fourteenth is the day of preparation, when the Passover lamb is offered).
·Shabbat and Shabbaton
Leviticus 23 uses these two words with precise distinction.
| Word | Meaning | Days it is attached to in this chapter |
|---|---|---|
| Shabbat שַׁבָּת |
Ceasing · rest. Both the name of the seventh day of the week and the state of rest itself. | The seventh day (23:3); the Day of Atonement is also “your Shabbat” (23:32) |
| Shabbaton שַׁבָּתוֹן |
“The observance of rest” — the word for the rest of an appointed feast. | Trumpets (23:24); the first day of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day (23:39) |
| Shabbat Shabbaton שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן |
The deepest rest — “a rest within rest.” | Only two days — the seventh day of the week (23:3) and the Day of Atonement (23:32) |
Every appointed time in Leviticus 23 is a moed of YHVH and a holy convocation — verse 2 declares this over the whole chapter. Passover and the Wave Sheaf of Firstfruits are no exception.
- On top of that, the text adds a word of rest to certain days for emphasis — Shabbat Shabbaton (the deepest rest) to the weekly Shabbat and the Day of Atonement; Shabbaton to Trumpets, the first day of Tabernacles, and the Eighth Day.
- But whether or not that word is attached does not make one moed lesser than another. Passover, the Wave Sheaf of Firstfruits, Unleavened Bread, and Weeks are all alike moadim of YHVH and days of holy convocation.
·“Lo Taasu” — The Two Grades of Forbidden Work
לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ (lo taasu) means “you shall not do.” Leviticus 23 divides this prohibition precisely into two grades. Both expressions end with the same lo taasu; what differs is the object placed before it.
| Prohibition | Meaning | Days it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| kol melakhah lo taasu כָּל מְלָאכָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ |
You shall do no work at all — a complete prohibition. | The weekly Shabbat (23:3), the Day of Atonement (23:28, 31) |
| kol melekhet avodah lo taasu כָּל מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ |
You shall do no laborious (occupational) work — avodah (עֲבֹדָה, labor, toil). | Unleavened Bread days 1 & 7, Weeks, Trumpets, Tabernacles day 1, the Eighth Day |
Leviticus 23 forbids “all work (melakhah)” only on the weekly Shabbat and the Day of Atonement; on the other days of holy convocation it forbids “laborious work (melekhet avodah).” That is, the Hebrew text itself distinguishes two kinds of rest.
1The Weekly Shabbat
For six days work is done, but the seventh day is a Shabbat Shabbaton and a holy convocation; no work at all may be done. It is a Shabbat to YHVH in all your dwellings.
2Passover
The fourteenth day of the first month, between the evenings (בין הערבים, bein ha-arbayim), is YHVH's Passover. By the declaration of verse 2, this day is a moed of YHVH and a holy convocation on which the people gather. The daytime of the fourteenth is the day of preparation, when the Passover lamb is offered, and so the text sets no separate prohibition of work on this day.
3Unleavened Bread
For seven days unleavened bread is eaten. The first day and the seventh day are holy convocations; no laborious work may be done. (The feast itself is not called a Shabbaton.)
4The Wave Sheaf of Firstfruits
The first sheaf of the harvest is brought to the priest and waved before YHVH on the day after the Shabbat. This day too is a moed of YHVH included in the declaration of verse 2, and a day of holy convocation. A lamb a year old without blemish is offered as a burnt offering, and none of the new grain is eaten until the day this offering is brought.
5Weeks (Shavuot)
From the day the wave sheaf was brought, seven complete Shabbats are counted, and on the fiftieth day a new grain offering is presented. Its distinctive mark is two loaves of firstfruits baked with leaven. It is a holy convocation; no laborious work may be done. (It is not called a Shabbaton.)
6Trumpets
The first day of the seventh month is a Shabbaton — a holy convocation of remembrance with the blast of trumpets (זִכְרוֹן תְּרוּעָה, zikhron teruah). No laborious work may be done.
7The Day of Atonement
The tenth day of the seventh month. You shall afflict your soul (nephesh), and no work at all may be done. This day is a Shabbat Shabbaton; from the ninth of that month, from evening to evening, you keep your Shabbat.
8Tabernacles
A feast kept for seven days from the fifteenth of the seventh month. The first day is a Shabbaton and a holy convocation; no laborious work may be done. For seven days you dwell in booths, and with the fruit of goodly trees and branches of palm you rejoice before YHVH.
9The Eighth Day (Assembly · Atzeret)
After the seven days, the eighth day is a solemn assembly and a holy convocation that is a Shabbaton. An offering made by fire is presented to YHVH, and no laborious work may be done.
·Closing
These are the moadim of YHVH, which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, at which to present offerings made by fire, burnt offerings, grain offerings, sacrifices, and drink offerings — “each on its own day” (23:37). And these are presented “besides” the Shabbats of YHVH, besides your gifts, and besides all your vows and freewill offerings (23:38).
Leviticus 23:2The appointed times of YHVH (moadim), which you shall proclaim as holy convocations — these are My appointed times (moadim).
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