Numbers 28:25
And on the seventh day ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work.
Original Language Analysis
וּבַיּוֹם֙
day
H3117
וּבַיּוֹם֙
day
Strong's:
H3117
Word #:
1 of 11
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso
מִקְרָא
convocation
H4744
מִקְרָא
convocation
Strong's:
H4744
Word #:
3 of 11
something called out, i.e., a public meeting (the act, the persons, or the place); also a rehearsal
קֹ֖דֶשׁ
ye shall have an holy
H6944
קֹ֖דֶשׁ
ye shall have an holy
Strong's:
H6944
Word #:
4 of 11
a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity
יִֽהְיֶ֣ה
H1961
יִֽהְיֶ֣ה
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
5 of 11
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
כָּל
H3605
כָּל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
7 of 11
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
מְלֶ֥אכֶת
work
H4399
מְלֶ֥אכֶת
work
Strong's:
H4399
Word #:
8 of 11
properly, deputyship, i.e., ministry; generally, employment (never servile) or work (abstractly or concretely); also property (as the result of labor)
Cross References
Leviticus 23:8But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.Exodus 12:16And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.Exodus 13:6Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD.Numbers 28:18In the first day shall be an holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work therein:
Historical Context
The seventh day concluded the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the 21st of Nisan/Aviv. Between the first day (15th) and seventh day (21st), Israel lived in tension—celebrating redemption while still eating bread of affliction, already free but not yet home. This mirrored their forty-year wilderness journey and prefigures Christian life: saved but not yet glorified, between already and not yet.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the week-long structure (opening and closing with holy convocation) shape the rhythm of celebration and rest?
- What does it mean that redemption's goal is rest/worship, not increased productivity for God?
- How do you live in the tension between redemption already accomplished (Passover) and consummation not yet realized (Promised Land)?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
On the seventh day ye shall have an holy convocation (וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מִקְרָא־קֹדֶשׁ, uvayom hashvi'i miqra-qodesh)—the week-long feast concluded with another sacred assembly and Sabbath rest. The number seven (שֶׁבַע, sheva) signifies completeness, echoing creation's seventh day rest (Genesis 2:2-3). Passover week thus recapitulated creation order: from bondage (chaos) to freedom (rest), from Egypt (disorder) to worship (divine order).
Ye shall do no servile work—the repetition from verse 18 brackets the feast with Sabbath rest, emphasizing that redemption's goal is worship, not productivity. Israel's identity was not defined by labor (as in Egypt's slavery) but by belonging to the God who redeemed them. This rest prefigures Hebrews 4:9-10's rest for the people of God, the ultimate Sabbath entered through faith in Christ.