FESTIVAL OF BOOTHS

18. What was the final festival of the Jewish sacred year called, when did it occur, and who were to take part in it?

¹⁸ The final great festival of the Jewish sacred year occurred in the seventh month, the month of Ethanim, or Tishri. (1 Ki. 8:2) It was outstanding in certain respects. Most frequently it was called the festival of booths, but two times it is called the festival of ingathering. (Ex. 23:16; 34:22) For instance, Exodus 23:16, 17 states: “Also, the festival of harvest of the first ripe fruits of your labors, of what you sow in the field; and the festival of ingathering at the outgoing of the year, when you gather in your labors from the field. On three occasions in the year every male of yours will appear before the face of the true Lord, Jehovah.” Also, Exodus 34:22 speaks of “the festival of ingathering at the turn of the year.” Deuteronomy 16:13-15 mentions it as the festival of booths and says: “The festival of booths you should celebrate for yourself seven days when you make an ingathering from your threshing floor and your oil and winepress. And you must rejoice during your festival, you and your son and your daughter and your man slave and your slave girl and the Levite and the alien resident and the fatherless boy and the widow, who are inside your gates. Seven days you will celebrate the festival to Jehovah your God in the place that Jehovah will choose, because Jehovah your God will bless you in all your produce and in every deed of your hand, and you must become nothing but joyful.”

19. (a) Why was the festival true to its name in the way it was celebrated? (b) Why was the time when it was held a most favorable one for the celebrators?

¹⁹ For the most part, this festival is called “the festival of booths.” During its seven days the Jews who were assembled at Jerusalem dwelt in booths or tabernacles, true to the name of the celebration. It began five days after the Day of Atonement, which took place annually on Tishri 10 and by which the nation of Israel was restored to peaceful relations with Jehovah God. So the festival of booths began at a most propitious time, and lasted from Tishri 15 to Tishri 21, a complete number of days.

20. According to historical records outside the Bible, what would a priest do each morning of the festival?

²⁰ It was without equal in the rejoicing that marked it. According to historical records, at daybreak of each festival day a priest would take a golden pitcher that could contain three log measures, or two pints, of liquid and he would descend from Jerusalem down to what came to be called the Pool of Siloam. Those of our readers who have visited today’s Jerusalem will recall how, when they left the city by the Dung Gate at its southeast corner, they came down to what was called the Virgin’s Well, or the Well of Gihon. From this well, King Hezekiah dug a tunnel during the threat of an Assyrian invasion. Stouthearted visitors will recall how, after feeling their way through the darkness of this tunnel for some time, they came out into the Pool of Siloam.

21. (a) How would the priest get to the Pool of Siloam, and what would he do with the water of Siloam? (b) The rejoicing at this time would remind the Jews of what words of Isaiah’s prophecy?

²¹ Not through Hezekiah’s tunnel, but followed by a great procession, including a band of musicians, the priest with the golden pitcher would go to the Pool of Siloam. After filling the pitcher with water, the priest would return to the city and would go to the courtyard where Jehovah’s altar of sacrifice was situated. On the altar’s southern side two basins had been installed, each with a hole at the bottom. The basin at the altar’s southwest corner was for the water from the Pool of Siloam. When the priest poured in the water, it would flow through and fall at the altar base. On this occasion the observing Jews rejoiced greatly. This may have reminded the joyful celebrators of Isaiah, chapter 12, which describes the pleasure experienced by the Israelites on being released from exile in Babylon in 537 B.C.E. Isaiah 12:3 says: “With exultation you people will be certain to draw water out of the springs of salvation.”

22. (a) How was Jehovah the Source of water of salvation for the forefathers of the Jewish celebrators? (b) How was the rejoicing at the pouring out of the water of Siloam described?

²² Jehovah God was the heavenly Source of their salvation. He was the One who delivered their forefathers from the 70 years of exile in pagan Babylon where they had thirsted for salvation to come after Babylon’s overthrow in 539 B.C.E. (Isa. 44:28 through 45:7; Jer. 2:13) The remembrance of this deliverance was a cause for rejoicing during the festival of booths. An ancient Jewish proverb says: ‘He who has never seen the rejoicing at the pouring out of the water of Siloam has never seen rejoicing in his life.’

1. How did Jerusalem receive special illumination during the festival of booths, and how did Jews act under this illumination?

THE festival of booths was an occasion for special illumination of “the city of the great King,” Jehovah. (Matt. 5:35) Nightly in Herod’s temple, in the Courtyard of the Women that lay to the east of the altar, there was an unusual display. Four giant candelabra were installed there. Each had four large basins. In order to fill the basins with combustible oil, ladders had to be used to reach them. Castaway garments of the priests were used as wicks for the basins of oil. The light cast by these 16 basins of burning oil was strong enough to illuminate all Jerusalem by night. Under this magnified illumination, the Israelite men in the Courtyard of the Women would dance or do acrobatics, while the womenfolk looked down upon the scene from their balcony. Singers entoned the 15 Psalms of Ascent to musical accompaniment by the Levites. This rejoicing kept on till daybreak.

2. Where were the Gentiles who attended the festival located at this time?

² Uncircumcised Gentiles attending the festival were restricted to the Courtyard of the Gentiles, separated from the Courtyard of Israel by the Stone Barrier and the Outer Courtyard.​—Note Acts 21:28, 29, to illustrate restrictions on Gentiles at the temple.

3, 4. (a) How did Jesus attend the festival in autumn of 32 C.E., and what did he there say that could remind Jews of the water of Siloam? (b) According to John 7:39, to what was Jesus there referring?

³ In view of the prominent features that were added to the celebration of the festival of booths, we can appreciate some pertinent remarks of Jesus Christ at the festival. He celebrated this festival for the last time in the autumn of 32 C.E. Because Jews at Jerusalem were seeking to kill him, Jesus left Galilee by himself and went up inconspicuously to the festival. About the middle of it, say, Tishri 18, he stood forth openly and began to teach the people, the throngs of celebrators in the temple.

⁴ The last day of the festival, Tishri 21, was called “the great day of the festival.” On that day Jesus likely reminded the people of the pouring out of the water of Siloam when he said: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He that puts faith in me, just as the Scripture has said, ‘Out from his inmost part streams of living water will flow.’” On what Jesus there said, the apostle John makes this comment: “However, he said this concerning the spirit which those who put faith in him were about to receive; for as yet there was no spirit, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.”​—John 7:37-39.

5. When did those marvelous words begin to come true, and how?

⁵ Those marvelous words began to come true on the day of Pentecost of the following year, when about 120 disciples, assembled in an upper room in Jerusalem, received the outpouring of the holy spirit. From them, indeed, streams of living water began to flow forth when, in many miraculously given languages, they spoke “the magnificent things of God” to the astonished thousands of Jews that gathered together to witness the spectacle.​—Acts 2:1-41.

6. On the last festival day, what did Jesus say that may have reminded his disciples of the special temple illumination?

⁶ On the seventh and last day of the festival of booths, Jesus made a further remark that may have reminded his disciples of the special illumination that featured the celebration, namely, that of the four tall candelabra in the temple’s Courtyard of the Women. Jesus said: “I am the light of the world. He that follows me will by no means walk in darkness, but will possess the light of life.”​—John 8:12.

7. Why was Jesus’ calling himself the light “of the world” very fitting at the festival of the booths?

⁷ Jesus’ calling himself “the light of the world” was very appropriate at this festival of booths, inasmuch as the festival took on the characteristics of a world festival. How so? Because in God’s law the “alien resident” within the gates of the Israelites was named as having the right to take part in the festival, with rejoicing along with God’s chosen people.​—Deut. 16:14.

8. (a) What was unique about the sacrificing of bulls at the festival of the booths? (b) As to number, how does this correspond with what is set out in Genesis chapter 10, indicating what?

⁸ According to Numbers 29:12-34, an unusual number of bulls were offered in sacrifice. On the first day 13 bulls were offered, and on the succeeding six days one less bull was offered each day, down to seven bulls offered on the seventh and last day, on which day Jesus said: “I am the light of the world.” Thus by the last day of the festival 70 bulls had been offered up. The number 70 is a multiple of 7 and 10, both of these numbers representing completeness, perfection, 7 spiritual perfection and 10 secular completeness. On Tishri 10, the Day of Atonement, only one bull had been offered up as an atonement sacrifice. But during the seven-day festival of booths, Tishri 15-21, 70 bulls were offered. As a type, these would provide enough blood for the cleansing and salvation of the whole world of mankind. This corresponds with what is set out in Genesis chapter 10. There the personal names of family heads and of nations are given, beginning with Noah and running down through his three sons to the name of Jobab. These amount to 70 designations, and they appear to cover the world population of that post-Flood period.