Exodus 23:14 — Word Study
WLCשָׁלֹ֣שׁ רְגָלִ֔ים תָּחֹ֥ג לִ֖י בַּשָּׁנָֽה׃
BSAThreeshâlôwsh [thrice, a complete set] timesregel a yearshâneh [a period of twelve months, a cycle of seasons] you are to celebrate a feastchâgag▸ [observe, keep with dancing or procession, festival, special gathering]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| שָׁלֹ֣שׁ | three | Adj |
| רְגָלִ֔ים | feet | Noun common, masculine plural absolute |
| תָּחֹ֥ג | you will celebrate a festival | Verb, Qal, imperfect second person masculine singular |
| לִ֖י | to me | Preposition, suffix |
| בַּשָּׁנָֽה׃ | in the year | Preposition, noun common feminine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Three times a year you are to celebrate a feast to Me. |
| KJV | ¶ Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. |
| ASV | Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. |
| YLT | 'Three times thou dost keep a feast to Me in a year; |
| WEB | “You shall observe a feast to me three times a year. |
| BBE | Three times in the year you are to keep a feast to me. |
Where they part company is שָׁלֹשׁ — see How Translations Differ.
The main verb governs the entire sentence, with two prepositional phrases providing context on frequency and purpose.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Ellicott & more — read them ›
clause
verbחָגַג
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Exodus 23:14
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Instructions for Annual Festivalsgenerated
Exodus 23:14 outlines God's command for the Israelites to celebrate three annual feasts dedicated to Him. This directive emphasizes the importance of communal worship and remembrance of God's deliverance and provision. These festivals are integral to the Israelite calendar and serve as occasions for gathering and rejoicing in God's presence, as further detailed in related passages such as Exodus 34:22 and Deuteronomy 16:16.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exodus 34:22 | And you are to celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. |
| 2 | Leviticus 23:5–16 | The Passover to the LORD begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. |
| 3 | Deuteronomy 16:16 | Three times a year all your men are to appear before the LORD your God in the place He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 3 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — חָגַג, ta.Choggenerated
The verb חָגַג (*chagag*) means to celebrate or observe a festival. It is derived from a root that implies moving in a circle, which suggests a joyful procession or gathering. This word captures the essence of festive worship, often involving music and dance, and is used specifically for the pilgrim feasts that the Israelites are commanded to keep.
In this verse, the command to celebrate a feast indicates a structured time of worship and remembrance, highlighting the communal aspect of faith and obedience to God's instructions.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against. The BSB uses celebrate, which aligns with the KJV and ASV, all emphasizing the act of observing a festival.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb of the verse is תָּחֹ֥ג, you will celebrate, which governs the entire sentence. The structure includes a noun phrase indicating the number of times and a prepositional phrase indicating the time frame, creating a clear directive.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the frequency of the celebration, with the adverbial phrase three times a year leading the sentence, establishing the rhythm of worship throughout the year.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates חָגַג as ἑορτάσατέ, which also means to celebrate a festival. This choice reflects a consistent understanding of the Hebrew term as one that encompasses joyful celebration and observance.
The Greek word τρεῖς for שָׁלֹשׁ further emphasizes the numeric aspect of the command, aligning with the Hebrew intent to specify a triannual observance.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Exodus 23:14 tells us that God commands the Israelites to celebrate three feasts each year. This instruction highlights the importance of worship and remembrance in the Israelite community, as they gather to honor God during these special times.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The three festivals typically include the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering, as detailed in other passages like Exodus 34:22.
Celebrating these feasts serves as a reminder of God's provision and deliverance, fostering community and worship among the Israelites.
These feasts are strategically placed throughout the year, marking significant agricultural and historical events, thus integrating worship with the rhythms of life.
To celebrate a feast to God involves gathering as a community to worship, remember, and express gratitude for His blessings and provisions.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How can I incorporate regular times of celebration and worship in my life, similar to the feasts commanded in this verse?
- What are some ways I can remember and honor God's provision in my own life?
- In what ways does communal worship impact my faith and the faith of those around me?
- How can I encourage others to participate in acts of worship and celebration?
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Exodus 23:14 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThree times thou shall keep a feast unto me in the year. The feast of the passover, on the fourteenth of the month Nisan or March; and the feast of weeks or pentecost fifty days after that; and the
Read John Gill on Exodus 23 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThree times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year , [ shaalosh (H7969) rªgaaliym (H7272)] - three beats, or times, which were counted by the beating of the foot.
Read Robert Jamieson on Exodus 23 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsExodus 23:14 Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.Ver. 14. Three times.] See Deuteronomy 16:16. The Hebrew hath it three feet, because the most went up to those three feasts every year afoot, saith Aben Ezra.
Read John Trapp on Exodus 23 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English ReadersXXIII.(1-19) The “miscellaneous laws” are here continued. From Exodus 23:1 to Exodus 23:9 no kind of sequence in the laws can be traced; from Exodus 23:10 to the first clause of Exo 23:19 there is, on the contrary, a certain connection, since the laws enunciated are concerned with ceremonial observance. The closing law, however, is not ceremonial, but the prohibition of a practice considered to be cruel. On the whole, it may be said that The Book of the Covenant maintains its unsystematic character to the close. (See Note on Exodus 20:22-26.)
Read Charles John Ellicott on Exodus 23 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 14. Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.] The three feasts here referred to were, 1. The feast of the PASSOVER; 2. The feast of PENTECOST; 3. The feast of TABERNACLES. 1. The feast of the Passover was celebrated to keep in remembrance the wonderful deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt. 2. The feast of Pentecost, called also the feast of harvest and the feast of weeks, Exodus 34:22, was celebrated fifty days after the Passover to commemorate the giving of the law on Mount Sinai, which took place fifty days after, and hence called by the Greeks Pentecost. 3. The feast of Tabernacles, called also the feast of the ingathering, was celebrated about the 15th of the…
Read AdamClarke on Exodus 23 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges14–19. Further ceremonial regulations (cf. Exodus 20:24-26, Exodus 22:29-31).
Read Cambridge on Exodus 23 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleThis is the first mention of the three great Yearly Festivals. The feast of Unleavened bread, in its connection with the Paschal Lamb, is spoken of in Exo. 12; 13: but the two others are here first named.
Read Albert Barnes on Exodus 23 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible14-16. Three times… a feast unto me in the year — These three great annual festivals, ordained for Israel, are here called the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of harvest, and the feast of ingathering.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Exodus 23 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Three times a year you are to celebrate a feast to Me.
“You shall observe a feast to me three times a year.
Three times a year you are to celebrate a feast to Me.
“Three times in the year you must make a pilgrim feast to me.
Tyndale line
¶ Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
Three times thou shalt keep a feast to me in the year.
Three times thou shalt keepe a feast vnto me in the yeere.
Strictly literal
Thrice in the year thou shalt celebrate a feast to me.
'Three times thou dost keep a feast to Me in a year;
You keep a celebration to Me three times in a year:
Three times shalt thou keep a feast unto me in the year.
You must travel to hold a festival for me three times every year.
From the Latin
Three times every year you shall celebrate feasts to me.
Simplified
Three times every year you are to celebrate a feast dedicated to me.
Three times in the year you are to keep a feast to me.
Word by word, the decisions they made
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The other witnesses, including the Samaritan Pentateuch, agree with the Masoretic Text here, word for word, confirming the accuracy of the command as recorded. The Septuagint also matches closely, though its word order differs.
שָׁלֹ֣שׁ רְגָלִ֔ים תָּחֹ֥ג לִ֖י בַּשָּׁנָֽה׃
5 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
שׁלשׁ רגלים תחג לי בשׁנה
Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.
[שלש] [רגלים] [תחג] [ל׳י] [בשנה]
nothing on the leather here — 5 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Exodus 23:14
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
The Hebrew word שָׁלֹשׁ (*shalosh*) means 'three' or 'triad.' It can also refer to the ordinal 'third' and is used in various contexts, including multiplication as 'thrice.' The entries consistently define it as a primitive number without significant disagreement.
שָׁלֹשׁ, שָׁלוֹשׁ, שְׁלֹשָׁה 430 n.m. et f. a three, triad
base
H7969 שָׁלֹשׁ, שָׁלוֹשׁ, שְׁלֹשָׁה a three, triad
7969 shalowsh shaw-loshe'
or shalosh {shaw-loshe'}; masculine shlowshah {shel-o-shaw'};
or shloshah {shel-o-shaw'}; a primitive number; three;
occasionally (ordinal) third, or (multipl.) thrice:--+ fork,
+ often(-times), third, thir(-teen, -teenth), three, + thrice.
Compare 7991.
see HEBREW for 07991
שָׁלֹשׁ (sha.losh) — three.
1) three, triad
1a) 3, 300, third
Aramaic equivalent: te.lat (תְּלָת "three" H8532)
Adj — AdjHAcbsa
(shalosh; treis).
See NUMBER.
The phrase "three days and three nights," Mt 12:40, was equivalent in Hebrew to the English "three days;" the Jews employing the expression "a day and a night" to denote our "day" of twentyfour hours. Nor did "three days," 1Sa 30:13, literally "this third day," according to their usage, necessarily include the whole of three days, but a part of three days, a continuous period including one whole day of twenty-four hours, and a portion of the day preceding it and the day following it. Compare Ge 7:12,17 1Sa 30:12-13.
רֶ֫גֶל (regel) means 'foot' and can refer to a foot or leg in various contexts, including anthropomorphic references to God and other beings. It also implies steps or paces. The word is derived from a root meaning related to walking, and it appears in multiple forms, such as feet and paces.
רֶ֫גֶל 247 n.f. foot
foot
three times (feet, paces)
base
H7272 רֶ֫גֶל foot . foot
. three times (feet, paces)
7272 regel reh'-gel
from 7270; a foot (as used in walking); by implication, a
step; by euphem. the pudenda:--X be able to endure, X
according as, X after, X coming, X follow,
((broken-))foot((-ed, -stool)), X great toe, X haunt, X
journey, leg, + piss, + possession, time.
see HEBREW for 07270
רֶ֫גֶל (re.gel) — foot.
1) foot
1a) foot, leg
1b) of God (anthropomorphic)
1c) of seraphim, cherubim, idols, animals, table
1d) according to the pace of (with prep)
1e) three times (feet, paces)
Aramaic equivalent: re.gal (רְגַל "foot" H7271)
N-fp — Noun common · masculine plural absoluteHNcmpa
→ Bells worn on Isa 3:16,18
→ Washing of, as an example, by Jesus Joh 13:4-14
→ See ABLUTION
חָגַג (chagag) is a Hebrew verb meaning to make a pilgrimage or to keep a festival. It is derived from a root meaning to move in a circle, which implies marching in a sacred procession. The word encompasses celebrating, dancing, and even reeling, indicating a joyful or festive atmosphere.
[חָגַג] vb. make a pilgrimage, keep a pilgrim-feast
base
H2287 [חָגַג] make a pilgrimage, keep a pilgrim-feast
2287 chagag khaw-gag'
a primitive root (compare 2283, 2328); properly, to move in a
circle, i.e. (specifically) to march in a sacred procession,
to observe a festival; by implication, to be
giddy:--celebrate, dance, (keep, hold) a (solemn) feast
(holiday), reel to and fro.
see HEBREW for 02283
see HEBREW for 02328
חָגַג (cha.gag) — to celebrate.
1) to hold a feast, hold a festival, make pilgrimage, keep a pilgrim-feast, celebrate, dance, stagger
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to keep a pilgrim-feast
1a2) to reel
V-Qal-Imperf-2ms — Verb · Qal · imperfect second person masculine singularHVqi2ms
fes'-ti-val.
See FEASTS AND FASTS.
נִי (ni) — me.
Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 1st person singular
HRd/Sp1bs — Preposition · suffixHRd/Sp1bs
שָׁנָה (shaneh) means 'year' and is derived from the root meaning to change or revolve. It encompasses various aspects of time, including divisions of time, measures of age, and even a lifetime. The Aramaic equivalent is שְׁנָה (she.nah), also meaning 'year'.
שָׁנָה 877 n.f. year (etym. v. √[v.ek.aa])
base
H8141 שָׁנָה year (etym. v. √[8138a])
8141 shaneh shaw-neh'
(in plura or (feminine) shanah {shaw-naw'}; from 8138; a year
(as a revolution of time):--+ whole age, X long, + old,
year(X -ly).
see HEBREW for 08138
שָׁנָה (sha.neh) — year.
1) year
1a) as division of time
1b) as measure of time
1c) as indication of age
1d) a lifetime (of years of life)
Aramaic equivalent: she.nah (שְׁנָה "year" H8140)
Prep | N-fs — Preposition · noun common feminine singular absoluteHRd/Ncfsa
yer (shanah, Aramaic shenah, "a return" (of the sun), like the Greek eniautos; yamim, "days," is also used for "year," and the Greek hemerai, corresponds to it (Jos 13:1; Lu 17,18); etos, is also employed frequently in the New Testament; for the difference between etos and eniautos, see Grimm-Thayer, under the word): The Hebrew year was solar, although the month was lunar, the adjustment being made in intercalation.
See ASTRONOMY; TIME.
Year
Heb. shanah, meaning “repetition” or “revolution” (Gen. 1:14; 5:3). Among the ancient Egyptians the year consisted of twelve months of thirty days each, with five days added to make it a complete revolution of the earth round the sun. The Jews reckoned the year in two ways, (1) according to a sacred calendar, in which the year began about the time of the vernal equinox, with the month Abib; and (2) according to a civil calendar, in which the year began about the time of the autumnal equinox, with the month Nisan. The month Tisri is now the beginning of the Jewish year.
the highest ordinary division of time. Two years were known to, and apparently used by, the Hebrews. A year of 360 days appears to have been in use in Noah’s time. The year used by the Hebrews from the time of the exodus may: be said to have been then instituted, since a current month, Abib, on the 14th day of which the first Passover was kept, was then made the first month of the year. The essential characteristics of this year can be clearly determined, though we cannot fix those of any single year. It was essentially solar for the offering of productions of the earth, first-fruits, harvest produce and ingathered fruits, was fixed to certain days of the year, two of which were in the periods of great feasts, the third itself a feast reckoned from one of the former days. But it is certain that the months were lunar, each commencing with a new moon. There must therefore have been some…
The Hebrews always had years of twelve months. But at the beginning, as some suppose, they were solar years of twelve months, each month having thirty days, excepting the twelfth, which had thirty-five days. We see, by the enumeration of the days of the deluge, Ge 7:1-8:22, that the original year consisted of three hundred and sixtyfive days. It is supposed that they had an intercalary month at the end of one hundred and twenty years, at which time the beginning of their year would be out of its place full thirty days. Subsequently, however, and throughout the history of the Jews, the year was wholly lunar, having alternately a full month of thirty days, and a defective month of twenty-nine days, thus completing their year in three hundred and fifty-four days. To accommodate this lunar year to the solar year, (365 days, 5 hours, 48…