Leviticus 23:4

Summary

The verse introduces a list by declaring that the mo'adim ("appointed times", H4150) belong to Yehovah and are miqra'ei qodesh ("holy convocations", H4744/H6944), which the Israelites are instructed to proclaim at their proper times.

Key words

• mo.'a.Dei ("appointed feasts of", H4150H) — masculine plural construct, linking "appointed times" to the following name Yehovah; the construct form marks these times as belonging to him.
• Yah.weh ("Yehovah", H3068G) — the divine name, here functioning as the possessor in the construct chain "appointed times of Yehovah."
• mik.ra.'Ei ("convocations of", H4744) — masculine plural construct, paired with qodesh to form "convocations of holiness," i.e., a type of gathering characterized by holiness.
• tik.re.'U ("you will proclaim", H7121I) — qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine plural, indicating a future or habitual action performed by the community ("you all shall proclaim").
• mo.'a.Da + m ("their appointed time", H4150G + H9028) — singular construct with pronominal suffix, referring back to each specific occasion within the broader set of mo'adim.

What the text says

The verse opens with the demonstrative 'Elleh ("these", H0428), pointing forward to the list of festivals that follows in the chapter. The core grammatical structure is a double construct chain: mo'adei Yehovah ("appointed times of Yehovah") and miqra'ei qodesh ("convocations of holiness"). Both phrases function in apposition, describing the same set of occasions from two angles — they belong to Yehovah, and they are occasions of holy assembly.

The relative clause introduced by 'asher ("which", H0834A) attaches a further specification: these are the occasions "which you will proclaim" (tikre'u, H7121I), using the qal imperfect form of the same root as miqra'ei (H4744, "convocations"), both derived from the root meaning "to call/proclaim." This repetition of the root across noun and verb creates a wordplay in Hebrew not always preserved in translation: the "convocations" (miqra'ei) are what the people "will call out/proclaim" (tikre'u).

The final phrase, be-mo'adam ("at their appointed time", H4150G + H9028), uses the singular form of the same noun that opened the verse in the plural (mo'adei), now with a third-person plural suffix referring back to each occasion individually — indicating each festival occurs at its own designated time.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders miqra'ei qodesh ("convocations of holiness") as ἁγίας... καλέσατε ("holy... call them"), shifting the noun qodesh into an adjective ἁγίας modifying the object, while converting the entire second half of the Hebrew construct phrase into an imperative verb clause. The Vulgate similarly renders the phrase as feriæ Domini sanctæ ("holy feast days of the Lord"), merging mo'adei Yehovah and miqra'ei qodesh into a single descriptive clause rather than preserving two separate construct chains as in the Hebrew.