{
  "id": "dict_000707",
  "term": "Booths, Feast of",
  "slug": "booths-feast-of",
  "letter": "B",
  "entry_type": "biblical_festival",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "An appointed Israelite festival also called the Feast of Tabernacles, marked by rejoicing, thanksgiving for the harvest, and remembrance of the wilderness journey in temporary shelters.",
  "simple_one_line": "An annual Israelite feast celebrating God’s provision and Israel’s wilderness sojourn.",
  "tooltip_text": "Also called the Feast of Tabernacles; an appointed feast of Israel that combined harvest rejoicing with remembrance of the wilderness booths.",
  "aliases": [
    "Booths, Feast of (Tabernacles)"
  ],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Feast of Trumpets",
    "Day of Atonement",
    "Passover",
    "Pentecost",
    "Wilderness wanderings"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Tabernacle",
    "Sukkot",
    "John 7",
    "Zechariah 14",
    "Nehemiah 8"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "The Feast of Booths, also called the Feast of Tabernacles, was one of Israel’s major annual festivals. It celebrated the Lord’s provision in the land and recalled the time when Israel lived in temporary shelters during the wilderness journey.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "An Old Testament pilgrimage feast in the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot",
    "Remembered Israel’s wilderness life in booths",
    "Celebrated God’s provision and the harvest",
    "Included public rejoicing before the Lord",
    "Appears in key New Testament scenes, especially John 7"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "The Feast of Booths, or Tabernacles, was one of the annual feasts appointed by God for Israel under the Mosaic law. Celebrated in the seventh month, it combined joyful thanksgiving for the harvest with remembrance of the time when the Israelites lived in temporary shelters after the exodus. The feast therefore pointed both to the Lord’s faithful provision in the wilderness and to His ongoing blessing in the land. In the New Testament, it is especially important as the setting of John 7, where Jesus teaches publicly during the feast.",
  "description_academic_full": "The Feast of Booths, often called the Feast of Tabernacles, was one of Israel’s appointed annual festivals under the Mosaic law. Held in the seventh month, it was a time of rejoicing before the Lord that combined harvest thanksgiving with memorial remembrance of Israel’s wilderness life in temporary shelters. By living in booths, the people reenacted the fragile dwelling of the exodus generation and confessed that the Lord had sustained them by His covenant faithfulness. The feast therefore joined memory, gratitude, and public worship. In later biblical history it continued to function as a significant act of covenant renewal and celebration. In the New Testament, the feast provides the setting for Jesus’ teaching in John 7, where the imagery of water and light also becomes the backdrop for His public claims. Christians are not bound to keep the feast as a covenant ordinance, but it remains important for understanding Israel’s worship and the ministry of Jesus.",
  "background_biblical_context": "The feast was established in the Torah as one of Israel’s appointed times and was tied both to the ingathering of the harvest and to the remembrance of the exodus wilderness period. It was a pilgrimage feast marked by rejoicing, sacrifice, and the public acknowledgment of God’s sustaining provision.",
  "background_historical_context": "By the time of the monarchy and especially after the exile, the Feast of Booths remained an important marker of national and covenant identity. Nehemiah records its observance after the return from exile, showing that it continued to serve as a major festival of obedience, memory, and joy.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Second Temple and later Jewish tradition developed the feast as one of the great pilgrimage celebrations. It was associated with dwelling in booths, thanksgiving for the harvest, and communal rejoicing before the Lord. In Jewish life it became a vivid reminder of both wilderness dependence and covenant blessing.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Leviticus 23:33-43",
    "Deuteronomy 16:13-15",
    "Nehemiah 8:13-18",
    "John 7:2, 37-39"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Exodus 23:16",
    "Exodus 34:22",
    "Zechariah 14:16-19"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew: סֻכּוֹת (sukkot), usually rendered “booths,” “tabernacles,” or “shelters.” The feast is also called ḥag ha-sukkot, “Feast of Booths.”",
  "theological_significance": "The feast highlights God’s covenant provision, the importance of remembering redemption history, and the pattern of joyful worship in response to divine blessing. It also provides a biblical backdrop for messianic and eschatological themes, especially in Zechariah 14 and John 7.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "The feast embodies memory-shaped worship: people are called not merely to experience present blessing, but to interpret it in light of past deliverance and dependence on God. It also shows how symbolic actions can preserve communal identity and moral gratitude across generations.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not confuse the Feast of Booths with the Feast of Dedication or other later Jewish observances. Do not read Christian typology so broadly that the feast’s original covenant meaning is lost. The feast is significant for Christian interpretation, but it is not a binding ordinance for the church.",
  "major_views_note": "Evangelical interpreters generally agree that the feast primarily memorialized wilderness dwelling and celebrated harvest blessing. Many also see a forward-looking dimension in Zechariah 14 and in the Gospel of John, where Jesus’ teaching during the feast deepens its symbolism.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This feast belongs to Israel’s Mosaic covenant life and is not required of Christians under the New Covenant. Its typological and messianic connections should be grounded in Scripture, not speculative symbolism.",
  "practical_significance": "The Feast of Booths calls believers to gratitude, remembrance, and dependence on God. It reminds readers that material provision should lead to worship and that God’s past faithfulness should shape present joy.",
  "meta_description": "Feast of Booths: Israel’s annual festival of rejoicing, harvest thanksgiving, and remembrance of the wilderness journey.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/booths-feast-of/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/booths-feast-of.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}