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Numbers 29 describes a holy assembly on the eighth day after the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles. Nehemiah describes Ezra’s community keeping the feast seven days and then holding that eighth-day assembly as the Torah required.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Numbers 29:35
Hebrew Bible
34 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering. 35 “‘On the eighth day you are to have a holy assembly; you must do no ordinary work on it. 36 But you must offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, one bull, one ram, seven lambs one year old, all of them without blemish, 37 and with their grain offerings and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, 38 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering. 39 “‘These things you must present to the Lord at your appointed times, in addition to your vows and your freewill offerings, as your burnt offerings, your grain offerings, your drink offerings, and your peace offerings.’”
Nehemiah 8:18
Hebrew Bible
16 So the people went out and brought these things back and constructed temporary shelters for themselves, each on his roof and in his courtyard and in the courtyards of the temple of God and in the plaza of the Water Gate and the plaza of the Ephraim Gate. 17 So all the assembly which had returned from the exile constructed temporary shelters and lived in them. The Israelites had not done so from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day. Everyone experienced very great joy. 18 Ezra read in the book of the law of God day by day, from the first day to the last. They observed the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly as was required.
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Notes and References
... Nehemiah records that the entire Restoration community gathered in Jerusalem for the observance of the Feast of Tabernacles. The word 'so' in verse 17 is significant. It can be translated 'just so' or 'in the same way.' Although the feast had been observed by the Jews in the days of Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel (Ezra 3:4), it had not been observed in such a manner since the days of Joshua. During the seven-day celebration the people lived in booths and listened to Ezra's daily reading of the Torah (8:18). According to Deuteronomy 31:10-13, the law was to be read to the people of Israel at the Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh or Sabbath year. The 'solemn assembly' on the eighth day following the feast is in keeping with the legislation of Leviticus 23:36 and Numbers 29:35-38. ...
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