Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 23:40
And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.
40. fruit of goodly trees ] i.e. fruit of goodly (ornamental, beautiful) trees, or goodly tree fruit (so Dillm.).
boughs of thick trees ] According to Onkelos, myrtle branches, but the expression may have a more general signification. It has been doubted whether this various material was to be used for the construction of the booths, or for the purpose of making a llb or festal bouquet. Among the later Jews the llb (Jos. Ant. iii. 10. 4) consisted of a myrtle, willow, and palm branch, and an ethrg (orange or citron) carried in the hands. In Nehemiah’s time (Neh 8:15) there is found no more than a general agreement with the text here as to materials. See further in Jos. Ant. xiii. 13. 5, and the Mishna Sukkah iii. 1 ff.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The boughs of goodly trees – Or, the fruit (see the margin) of the citron trees. It is said that every Israelite at the Feast of tabernacles carried in one hand a bundle of branches and in the other a citron. The branches seem to have comprised the boughs of palm-trees, thick trees and willows here named. See the note to Lev 23:42; Neh 8:15-16.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 40. Boughs of goodly trees] The Jews and many critics imagine the citron-tree to be intended, and by boughs of thick tree the myrtle.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Boughs, Heb. the fruit, i.e. fruit-bearing boughs, or branches with the fruit on them, as the word fruit seems to be taken, 2Ki 19:30; Eze 19:12. Goodly trees, to wit, the olive, myrtle, and pine, as they are mentioned, Neh 8:15,16, which were most plentiful there, and which would best preserve their greenness or freshness.
Thick trees, fit for shade and shelter.
Willows of the brook, which might do well to mix with the other, and in some sort to bind them together. And as they made their booths of these materials, as is apparent from Ne 8, so it seems they did also carry some of these boughs in their hands, as is affirmed by Jewish and other ancient writers.
Ye shall rejoice; which joy they testified by feasting, thanksgiving, &c.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And ye shall take you the boughs of goodly trees,…. Which the three Targums interpret, of citrons; and so Jarchi and Aben Ezra; and the Jews are so tenacious of observing this, that in those countries where this fruit grows not, they will send for it from Spain, where there is plenty of it: the Targum of Jonathan, paraphrases it, “ye shall take of yours”; suggesting these boughs must be their own, or the bundle of them, with others they call the “lulab”, must be their own property, and not another’s; though it is said u, if it is a gift it will do, even though it is given on condition to be returned again:
branches of palm trees: which were very common in the land of Judea, and especially about Jericho; see Joh 12:13; the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem call them “lulabs”, which is the name the Jews give to the whole bundle they carried in their hands on this day:
and the boughs of thick trees; which the Targums and Jewish writers in general understand of myrtles, being full of branches and leaves:
and willows of the brook; a sort of trees which delight to grow by brooks and rills of water: these, according to the Jewish writers, were not taken to make their booths of, though that seems to be the use of them, from Ne 8:15; but to tie up in bundles, and carry in hands; the citron in their left hand, and a bundle made of the other three sorts of boughs of trees in the right hand, which they called the “lulab”:
and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days; because of the blessings of his goodness bestowed upon them in the plentiful harvest and vintage they had been favoured with, and in remembrance of past mercies, showed to their fathers in the wilderness, giving them food and drink, and guiding and protecting them with the pillar of cloud and fire; and at the same time, also, thankful for the different circumstances they were in, having cities, towns, and houses to dwell its, and fields and vineyards to possess, when their fathers lived in a wilderness for forty years together; and especially such of them expressed their joy before the Lord, who had any knowledge of this being a type of the Messiah tabernacling in human nature, they had the promise of, to be their spiritual Redeemer and Saviour: these seven days are kept by the Jews now, chiefly in carnal mirth, and so for ages past, as by carrying the above boughs in their hands, and going round about the altar with them, and, shaking them, and crying Hosanna, and by making use of all sorts of music, vocal and instrumental, piping, dancing, leaping, skipping, and various gestures, even by persons of the highest rank, and of the greatest character for sobriety w; and particularly by fetching water from Siloah, when in their own land, and pouring it with wine upon the altar, which was attended with such expressions of joy, that it is said, that he who never saw the rejoicing of drawing of water, never saw any rejoicing in his life x: the Jews give this reason of the ceremony, because at this feast was the time of the rains, see Targum of Jonathan on Le 23:36; and therefore the holy blessed God said, pour water before me, that the rains of the year may be blessed unto you y; but others have thought there was something more mysterious in it, and that it had respect to the pouring out of the Holy Ghost; for, they say z, the place of drawing water was so called, because they drew the Holy Ghost, as it is said, “ye shall draw water with joy out of the wells of salvation”,
Isa 12:3; to this our Lord is thought to allude,
[See comments on Joh 7:37],
[See comments on Joh 7:38]: some of the ceremonies used at this feast have been imitated by the Heathens: Strabo a says, the carrying branches of trees, dances, and sacrifices, were common to the gods, and particularly to Bacchus; and there was such a likeness between these and the rites of Bacchus, that Plutarch b thought the Jews at this time kept two feasts to the honour of him; whereas, as Bishop Patrick observes, the profane Bacchanalia of the Gentiles were only a corruption of this festival.
u Misn. Succah, c. 3. sect. 13. & Maimon. & Bartenora in ib. R. Alphes, par. 1. Succah, c. 2. fol. 376. 1. w Maimon. Hilchot Lulab. c. 7. sect. 10. c. 13, & c. 8. sect. 12, 13, 14, 15. x Misn. Succah, c. 5. sect. 1. 4. y R. Alphes, par. 1. Roshhashanah, c. 1. fol. 346. 2. z T. Hieros. Succah, fol. 55. 1. a Geograph. l. 10. p. 322. b Sympos. l. 1. prob. 3.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
40. And ye shall take you on the first day. By this symbol the Jews were instructed that this day was to be celebrated with joy and gladness; for it was not only a memorial of the favor which He had graciously bestowed on their fathers in the desert, when they were exposed to all the vicissitudes of heaven, (356) and He cherished them under His wings as an eagle does her brood; but it was also an act of thanksgiving, because He had provided them so commodious a reception in the Promised Land; thus, by carrying the boughs, they proclaimed their joy and triumph as it were. Nor would it have been reasonable that they should go into the booths in sorrow and sadness, since they represented visibly to them both the former and present goodness of God, and at the same time gave them a foretaste of the life of heaven, inasmuch as they were but sojourners on earth. Some suppose הדר, hadar, (357) to be a proper name, but since it everywhere means “comeliness,” I have been unwilling to depart from its ordinary sense; nor do I curiously insist on the words, except so far as it is necessary to ascertain the actual substance.
(356) “ De pluyes, de gresles, de froid, et de chaud.” — Fr.
(357) “The Jews limit this to the citron; but this is a mere tradition of men. The words mean any tree whatsoever that was attractive and goodly. Jahn says, ‘Any noble tree, such as the palm, or the malum Punicum.’ So Rosenmuller.” — Bonar in loco.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(40) And ye shall take you on the first day.The four species of vegetable production here ordered are a distinctive feature of this festival. They have been most minutely defined during the second Temple.
Boughs of goodly trees.Better, the fruit of goodly trees, as the margin rightly renders it. As this phrase is too indefinite, and may simply denote the fruit of any choice fruit-tree, there can hardly be any doubt that in this instance, as in many other cases, the lawgiver left it to the administrators of the Law to define its precise kind. Basing it therefore upon one of the significations of the term here translated goodly, which is to dwell, to rest, the authorities during the second Temple decreed that it means the fruit winch permanently rests upon the treei.e., the citron, the paradise-apple. If it came from an uncircumcised tree (see Lev. 19:23), from an unclean heave-offering (comp. Num. 18:11-12), or exhibited the slightest defect, it was ritually illegal.
Branches of palm trees.During the second Temple this was defined as the shoot of the palm-tree when budding, before the leaves are spread abroad, and whilst it is yet like a rod. It is technically called lulab, which is the expression whereby it is rendered in the ancient Chaldee version. The lulab must at least be three hands tall, and must be tied together with its own kind.
The boughs of thick trees.This, according to the same authorities, denotes the myrtle branch, whose leaves thickly cover the wood. To make it ritually legal it must have three or more shoots round the stem, and on the same level with it. If it is in any way damaged it is illegal. This accounts for the ancient Chaldee version rendering it by myrtle branch.
Willows of the brook.That species, the distinguishing marks of which are dark wood and long leaves with smooth margin. The palm, the myrtle, and the willow, when tied together into one bundle, constitute the Lulab. Whilst the psalms are chanted by the Levites during the sacrifices, the pilgrims, who held the Lulabs or palms, shook them thrice, viz., at the singing of Psa. 118:1, then again at Lev. 23:25, and at Lev. 23:29. When the chant was finished, the priests in procession went round the altar once, exclaiming, Hosanna, O Lord, give us help, O Lord! give prosperity ! (Psa. 118:25). Whereupon the solemn benediction was pronounced by the priests, and the people dispersed amidst the repeated exclamations, How beautiful art thou, O altar ! It is this part of the ritual which explains the welcome that the multitude gave Christ when they went to meet Him with palm-branches and shouts of hosanna (Mat. 21:8-9; Mat. 21:15; Joh. 12:12-13).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
40. The boughs of goodly trees Here the Authorized Version is incorrect, but the marginal reading of fruit, usually citron, instead of boughs, is a proper translation of the Hebrew.
Branches of palm trees This tree was very abundant in the Holy Land. It is remarkable for its fruitfulness and the perpetual greenness of its foliage, making it an appropriate symbol of victory and peace. Joh 12:13; Rev 7:9. The modern Jews probably reflect the custom of their ancestors in the time of Christ, in marching in procession around the reading desk in their synagogues, bearing palm branches and intoning the Hosanna:
“For thy sake, O our Creator, Hosanna, (save now.)
For thy sake, O our Redeemer, Hosanna,
For thy sake, O our Seeker, Hosanna.”
This chant, like the priests’ threefold blessing, (Num 6:22-27,) is strikingly suggestive of the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in human redemption.
Willows It was customary for each man to bring a sprig for the adorning of the altar.
Ye shall rejoice Rejoicing was to continue seven days, while affliction of soul was required during only one day in the year, the day of atonement. Judaism, though a dispensation in which the law was predominant, was by no means destitute of grace. How much more joyful should Christians be who, though under the law as the rule of life, are not under it as the ground of salvation, nor as the motive to obedience, but under the delightful constraint of love to the Lawgiver, awakened in their hearts by the Holy Ghost. Rom 5:5; Rom 14:17. The Israelite was commanded to rejoice seven days; the believer in Jesus Christ is commanded to “rejoice evermore.” A sad servant betokens a severe master.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Lev 23:40. Ye shall take you on the first day the boughs, &c. What we render boughs of goodly trees, is, in the Hebrew, the fruit of the beautiful tree; which the Targum explains of the citron-tree; the fruit of which the Jews still make use of at the feast of tabernacles; see Univ. Hist. book. 1 Chronicles 7. Palm-trees abounded so much in Judea, that they became emblematical of the country. What particular trees are meant by the thick trees, is unknown: some suppose myrtles to have been meant. The original expresses such trees as were thick and complicated, and so fitted to make a booth, which the willows of the brook were well adapted to twine about, and compact together.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
before the LORD. Hebrew before the face of Jehovah (App-4). Figure of speech Pleonasm. App-6. = in the presence of.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the boughs: Heb. fruit, Neh 8:15, Mat 21:8
of palm trees: Psa 92:12, Joh 12:13, Rev 7:9
rejoice: Deu 16:14, Deu 16:15, Isa 35:10, Isa 66:10, Joh 16:22, Rom 5:11, Phi 3:3, Phi 4:4, 1Pe 1:8
Reciprocal: Deu 12:7 – ye shall Neh 8:14 – dwell Job 40:22 – the willows Hos 12:9 – as in Mar 11:8 – cut
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 23:40. Of goodly trees Namely, olive, myrtle, and pine, mentioned Neh 8:15-16, which were most plentiful there, and which would best preserve their greenness. Thick trees Fit for shade and shelter. And willows To mix with the other, and in some sort bind them together. And as they made their booths of these materials, so they carried some of these boughs in their hands, as is affirmed by Jewish and other ancient writers.