Leviticus 23:8

Summary

The verse instructs that fire offerings be presented to Yehovah (H3068G) for seven days, and specifies that the seventh day is marked by a sacred convocation during which no laborious work is to be performed.

Key words

• hikravTem ("you will present", H7126H) — hiphil (causative) sequential perfect, second person masculine plural; continues the narrative sequence of commands and indicates that the offering is caused/brought about by the people, not self-performed.
• 'isheh ("a fire offering", H0801) — masculine singular noun designating the object presented; unqualified here, it stands as a general term for offerings burned on the altar.
• miqra' ("a convocation of", H4744) — masculine singular construct noun, grammatically bound to the following word, forming the phrase "convocation of holiness."
• qodesh ("holiness", H6944G) — masculine singular noun completing the construct chain with miqra', together yielding "sacred convocation."
• ta'aSu ("you will do", H6213A) — qal imperfect, second person masculine plural, expressing an ongoing or future prohibition when combined with the negation lo' ("not", H3808).

What the text says

The verse opens with the narrative vav on ve. ("and", H9001) attached to hikravTem, linking this instruction to the preceding legal sequence in Leviticus 23. The sequential perfect form of hikravTem signals continuation of a chain of commands rather than an isolated statement. The phrase shiv'At yaMim ("seven of days", H7651 + H3117G) uses a construct relationship where the cardinal number shiv'At is bound to yaMim, producing "seven days" as the time frame during which the fire offering ('isheh) is to be presented to Yehovah.

The second half of the verse shifts focus to the seventh day specifically, marked by ba. + yom + ha. + she.vi.'i ("on the seventh day"), combining a preposition, the noun "day," and the definite ordinal "seventh." This day is characterized by the construct phrase miqra' qodesh ("convocation of holiness"), where the construct state of miqra' directly binds it to qodesh, producing a compound sense of a formally called sacred assembly rather than two separate ideas.

The prohibition uses another construct chain, kol-meLekhet 'avoDah ("any of work of servitude"), stacking three nouns in construct/absolute relation to intensify the category of forbidden labor. The verb ta'aSu is qal imperfect, marking this as a standing prohibition rather than a one-time command, reinforced by the negation lo' preceding it.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders 'isheh ("fire offering", H0801) as holokautōmata ("whole burnt offerings"), a more specific term than the Hebrew's general fire-offering language. The Vulgate uses sacrificium in igne ("sacrifice in fire"), staying closer to the Hebrew's broader sense. For meLekhet 'avoDah ("work of servitude"), the LXX has ergon latreuton ("service-work"), while the Vulgate reads servile opus ("servile work"); both align in meaning but phrase the construct differently than the Hebrew's triple noun chain.