Texts in Conversation
Deuteronomy commands the people to celebrate the Festival of Booths with joy, including not only family but also servants, foreigners, orphans, and widows. Nehemiah later depicts the community observing this festival in this way after the exile, building shelters and rejoicing together.
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Deuteronomy 16:14
Hebrew Bible
12 Furthermore, remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and so be careful to observe these statutes. 13 You must celebrate the Feast of Shelters for seven days, at the time of the grain and grape harvest. 14 You are to rejoice in your festival, you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows who are in your villages. 15 You are to celebrate the festival seven days before the Lord your God in the place he chooses, for he will bless you in all your productivity and in whatever you do; so you will indeed rejoice! 16 Three times a year all your males must appear before the Lord your God in the place he chooses for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Shelters; and they must not appear before him empty-handed.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Nehemiah 8:9
Hebrew Bible
7 Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—all of whom were Levites—were teaching the people the law, as the people remained standing. 8 They read from the book of God’s law, explaining it and imparting insight. Thus the people gained understanding from what was read. 9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priestly scribe, and the Levites who were imparting understanding to the people said to all of them, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping when they heard the words of the law. 10 He said to them, “Go and eat delicacies and drink sweet drinks and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 Then the Levites quieted all the people saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy. Do not grieve.”
Date: 4th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The Priestly norms and Holiness Code present the Festival of Booths as a communal recollection of the exodus accompanied by appropriate sacrificial offerings (Numbers 29:12–38 [P]; Leviticus 23:33–38, 39–43 [H]). The narrative in Nehemiah embodies the Holiness prescriptions that the people live in booths as their ancestors had done in the wilderness (Nehemiah 8:15–17; compare Leviticus 23:39–43 [H]). This code mentions a construction made from four species of trees, including palms and willows, while the Book of Nehemiah expands the list to include olive and myrtle trees (Leviticus 23:40; Nehemiah 8:15). The Priestly tradition stipulates sacrificial offerings for each day of the festival (Numbers 29:12–28; compare Leviticus 23:36–38). The Nehemiah narrative follows the Priestly and Holiness traditions by including an eighth day of “solemn assembly” to conclude the Festival of Booths (Nehemiah 8:18; compare Leviticus 23:36; Numbers 29:35–38). Furthermore, the Nehemiah account emphasizes the “joy” that characterizes the festival, thereby reflecting the disposition mandated in the Holiness and Deuteronomic codes (Nehemiah 8:12, 17b; compare Leviticus 23:40; Deuteronomy 16:14–15) ..."
Duggan, Michael W.
"Hanukkah in 1 and 2 Maccabees: An Intertextual Reading" in Corley, Jeremy, and Geoffrey David Miller (eds.) Intertextual Explorations in Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature
(pp. 172-201) De Gruyter, 2019
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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