Leviticus 23:32

Summary

Leviticus 23:32 establishes a day of complete rest and self-affliction, defined by the emphatic construction shabbat shabbaton ("sabbath of sabbath observance", H7676/H7677). The observance period is fixed precisely: it begins on the evening of the ninth day of the month and continues "from evening to evening."

Key words

• sha.Bat ("sabbath of", H7676) — feminine singular construct, paired with the following noun to form an intensive expression, "a sabbath of sabbath-observance."
• sha.ba.Ton ("sabbath observance", H7677) — masculine singular noun completing the construct chain, reinforcing the concept of rest.
• 'i.ni.Tem ("you will afflict", H6031B) — piel (intensive stem) sequential perfect, second person masculine plural; the piel stem intensifies the action beyond a simple qal "to be low/afflicted."
• naf.sho.tei.Khem ("your selves", H5315I + H9026) — feminine plural construct noun with pronominal suffix, the direct object of the affliction, "your souls/selves."
• tish.be.Tu ("you will cease", H7673B) — qal (simple stem) imperfect, second person masculine plural, denoting the ongoing or future action of ceasing/resting.

What the text says

The verse opens with a nominal clause: shabbat shabbaton ("sabbath of sabbath-observance") followed by hu' ("it", H1931) and lakhem ("to you", H9005+H9036), literally "a sabbath of sabbath-observance it [is] to you." This construct-chain doubling (shabbat + shabbaton) intensifies the noun "sabbath" by combining it with a related abstract noun, a common Hebrew method of emphasis through repetition of root ideas.

The narrative vav on ve'initem ("and you will afflict", H9001+H6031B) chains this clause to what precedes, using a piel sequential perfect that continues the force of the preceding command. The piel stem here intensifies "to afflict" beyond a basic state verb.

The timing clause specifies be-tish'ah la-chodesh ba-'erev ("on the ninth of the month, in the evening", H8672/H2320G/H6153), then repeats me-'erev 'ad-'erev ("from evening until evening", H6153/H5704/H6153) — a doubled use of 'erev ("evening", H6153) marking the full boundary of the observance. The closing verb tishbetu ("you will cease", H7673B) is qal imperfect, contrasting with the earlier piel verb, and governs shabbatkhem ("your sabbath", H7676+H9026), restating the noun from the opening line.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the singular Hebrew shabbat shabbaton as plural σάββατα σαββάτων ("sabbaths of sabbaths"), differing in number from the Hebrew singular construct. The Vulgate renders shabbaton (H7677) as requietionis ("of rest"), a descriptive translation rather than a repetition of the "sabbath" root as in the Hebrew. The SBLIBRE (Spanish) renders 'initem ("you will afflict") as "ayunarán" ("they will fast"), an interpretive rendering not present as a distinct lexical choice in the Hebrew verb, which literally denotes affliction/humbling rather than fasting specifically.