Leviticus 23:21

Summary

The verse instructs that on that specific day a holy convocation must be proclaimed, during which no laborious work is to be performed. This regulation is declared a permanent statute applying to all dwelling places and future generations.

Key words

• ke.ra.Tem ("you will proclaim", H7121I) — qal sequential perfect, 2nd person masculine plural, continuing the narrative chain of commands begun earlier in the chapter.
• 'E.tzem ("substance of", H6106H) — feminine singular construct, used idiomatically with ha.Yom to mean "on that very/same day," emphasizing precision of timing.
• mik.ra'- ("convocation of", H4744) — masculine singular construct paired with ko.desh ("holiness", H6944G), forming the phrase "a convocation of holiness," i.e., a sacred assembly.
• me.Le.khet ("work of", H4399) — feminine singular construct joined to 'a.vo.Dah ("servitude", H5656I), together denoting laborious or servile work, distinct from lighter tasks.
• chu.Kat ("statute of", H2708) — feminine singular construct with o.Lam ("perpetuity", H5769G), forming "a perpetual statute," marking the ongoing legal force of the instruction.

What the text says

The verse opens with the narrative vav attached to ke.ra.Tem ("and you will proclaim"), a sequential perfect that carries forward the chain of instructions from the preceding verses. The phrase be'Etzem hayyom hazzeh ("on the substance of this day") uses the construct noun 'Etzem idiomatically to pinpoint the exact day, rather than a general period. The clause mikra'-qodesh yihyeh lakhem places mikra' ("convocation of") in construct with qodesh ("holiness"), yielding "a convocation of holiness," and the verb yihyeh ("it will be", qal imperfect) projects this status into ongoing future application for "you" (lakhem).

The prohibition kol-melekhet 'avodah lo' ta'asu stacks two construct nouns, melekhet ("work of") and 'avodah ("servitude"), intensifying the type of labor forbidden — not simply "work" but "work of servitude." The negation lo' with the imperfect ta'asu ("you will do") expresses a durative prohibition rather than a single-instance command.

The closing clause chuqqat 'olam be-khol moshevoteikhem le-dorotekhem uses construct chains twice: chuqqat 'olam ("statute of perpetuity") and moshevoteikhem... le-dorotekhem ("dwelling places... to your generations"), extending the regulation spatially (all dwelling places) and temporally (all future generations) through the pronominal suffixes -khem ("your," masculine plural) attached to both nouns.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders be'Etzem hayyom hazzeh as ταύτην τὴν ἡμέραν ("this day"), omitting the idiomatic force of 'Etzem ("substance of") that marks precision in the Hebrew. The Vulgate's celeberrimum, atque sanctissimum ("most celebrated and most holy") expands the single Hebrew phrase mikra'-qodesh ("convocation of holiness") into two superlative adjectives, differing from the Hebrew's construct-noun structure. The LXX also translates melekhet 'avodah as ἔργον λατρευτόν ("work of service"), preserving the servile nuance, while the Vulgate's opus servile ("servile work") does the same, though neither reproduces the double-construct emphasis present in the Hebrew.