One of the most pivotal events in Nefite history is King Binyamin’s speech at the temple in the land of Zerach’mla. A careful reading of the text reveals that this event likely occurred at the time of the Fall harvest festival known as Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles. This post will explore the similarities in practice, meaning, and theme between the setting and content of Binyamin’s speech at the temple, and traditional Sukkot observance among ancient Jews.
Dwelling in Sukkot
The festival of Sukkot was instituted by YHWH and recorded in Exodus 33, where the people are required to live outdoors for seven days, with each family dwelling in temporary structures called Sukkot (tabernacles). This was one of three pilgrimage festivals that required all the people to gather into the Temple (Ex. 23:17; Deut. 16:16), where certain specified sacrifices were to be made. It therefore makes sense that King Binyamin would call his people together (Moshiyah 1:2, 4-5) at a time to coincide with their required pilgrimage to the Temple.
In the 1830 translation, we are told that the people dwelt in “tents”:
And it came to pass that when they came up to the temple, they pitched their tents round about, every man according to his family, consisting of his wife, and his sons, and his daughters, and their sons, and their daughters, from the eldest down to the youngest, every family being separate one from another. And they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple, that thereby they might remain in their tents and hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them…
The Hebrew word behind “tent(s)” is probably סכה (Sukkah) which can mean “tent” (as in 2 Sam. 11:11 and 22:12) but can also refer to the Sukkah booths used for the Feast of Tabernacles (as in Lev. 23:34, 43).
[33] And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev. 23:33-43 KJV
[34] Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.
[35] On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
[36] Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.
[37] These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:
[38] Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD.
[39] Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.
[40] And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.
[41] And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
[42] Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:
[43] That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Sacrifices
At Sukkot “fourteen lambs of the first year” served as bunt offerings (Num. 29:13), while at King Binyamin’s gathering the people offered “the firstlings of their flocks” (Moshiyah 1:5).
Blessing and Rejoicing
King Binyamin commemorated the occasion with a blessing very similar to the Shehecheyanu, which is traditionally said at special occasions in the year, such as holidays. The traditional Shehecheyanu reads:
Praise be to You
YHWH our Elohim, King of the Universe,
who has kept us,
and has preserved us,
and enabled us to reach this season.
While Binyamin says:
…render all thanks and praise… to that Elohim
Moshiyah 1:8
who has created you and has kept you
and preserved you
and has caused that you should rejoice.
This may have been a First Temple Era version of the Shehecheyanu, one that may have been unique to Sukkot (at which we are commanded “ye shall rejoice” Lev. 23:40)
Later Binyamin quotes an angelic messenger who brought the message that “I am come to declare unto you glad tidings of great joy. For YHWH has heard your prayers, and has judged of your righteousness, and has sent me to declare unto you that you may rejoice, and that you may declare unto your people that they may also be filled with joy” (Moshiyah 1:13), echoing the traditional Sukkot liturgy.
The Water Libation Ceremony
In ancient times, one of the high points of Sukkot was the Water Libation Ceremony. In this ceremony, priests poured water and wine into two respective vessels. Each had a drain hole sized appropriately so the two liquids, though different consistencies, would flow out at the same rate and mix together equally. This ceremony marked the pinnacle of the people’s rejoicing.
The ceremony is described in the Mishnah as follows:
How was the water libation [performed]? A golden flagon holding three logs [of water] was filled from the Siloam. When they arrived at the water gate, they sounded a tekiah [long blast], a teru’ah [tremulous note] and again a tekiah [logn blast] [the priest then] went up the ascent [of the altar] and turned to his left where there were two silver bowls. Rabbi Judah said, They were of plaster [but they looked silver] because their surfaces were darkened from the wine. They had each a hole like a slender snout, one [hole] being wide and the other narrow so that both emptied themselves together. The one on the west was for water and the one on the east was for wine. If one poured the flagon of water into the bowl for wine, or that of wine into that for water, he has fulfilled his obligation. Rabbi Judah states, With one log he performed the ceremony of the water libation all eight days…
As was its performance on weekdays, so was its performance on the Sabbath, save that on the eve of the Sabbath an unhallowed golden barrel was filled from the Siloam, and placed in a chamber. If it was poured away or uncovered, it was refilled from the laver, for wine or water which has become uncovered is invalid for the altar.
(m.Sukkah 4:9) (b.Sukkah 48a-b)
The water libation ceremony was probably being carried out with water from the river Tzidon in front of Binyamin and his people as he spoke these words:
And behold, even at this time you have been calling on his name and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he allowed that you have begged in vain? No, he has poured out his spirit upon you and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy and has caused that your mouths should be stopped, that you could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.
Moshiyah 2:4
His words “your hearts should be filled with joy,… so exceedingly great was your joy” recall the commandment concerning Sukkot “…and you shall rejoice before YHWH your Elohim seven days.” (Lev. 23:40)
In these words Binyamin not only alludes to the water libation ceremony taking place right in front of the people, but also foreshadows the events in Yochanan (John) 7:37-38 centuries later. The occasion of this event was also Sukkot (John 7:2) and it was likely during this same ceremony that Yeshua stood up and said:
If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.
Whoever believes in me, as the Scriptures have said,
rivers of water of life will flow from his belly.
More Parallels with Yeshua’s Sukkot in John 7-8
In fact King Binyamin’s message has many other parallels with Yeshua’s Sukkot teachings and events in John 7 and 8. For example Binyamin Prophesies:
And he shall be called Yeshua HaMashiach, the Son of Elohim the Father of Heaven and of earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his Mother shall be called Miryam. And lo, he comes unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men, even through faith on his name. And even after all this, they shall consider him as a man and say that he has a demon, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him.
Moshiyah 1:14
This prophecy was fulfilled at Sukkot (John 7:2; 8:48)
Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.
John 8:48-49 KJV
Binyamin also stated:
And if you judge the man who puts up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which does not belong to you, but to Elohim, to whom also your life belongs. And yet you put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which you have done.
Moshiyah 2:5
This parallels Yeshua’s statement at Sukkot (John 7:2; 7:24):
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
John 7:24
Men as Tabernacles
During his Sukkot teaching, many of Binyamin’s statements deal with the Sukkot theme of men as living Tabernacles. For example:
…I say unto you that the man that does this, the same comes out in open rebellion against Elohim. Therefore, he hearkens to obey the evil spirit and becomes an enemy to all righteousness. Therefore, YHWH has no place in him, for he dwells not in unholy temples.
Moshiyah 1:11
The original Temple was the Tabernacle, and the concept here is that of YHWH tabernacling within man. The allusion to the Temple is fitting, since the biblical temples were dedicated at Sukkot (1Kings 8:2, 65; Neh. 8:13-18; 2 Macc. 10:5-8).
The next example deals with Messiah being tabernacled in an earthly body, and dwelling among men:
For behold, the time comes and is not far distant that with power YHWH Omnipotent who reigns, who was and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from Heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth among men, working mighty miracles such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.
Moshiyah 1:14
The text continues with a statement about evil spirits being tabernacled within human bodies:
And he shall cast out demons, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.
Moshiyah 1:14
Dependence upon Elohim
In dwelling outdoors at Sukkot, we are reminded of our complete dependence upon Elohim. This is alluded to by King Binyamin when he says:
For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same being, even Elohim, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?
Moshiyah 2:4
The Millennial Kingdom
Sukkot memorializes the forty years Israel spent in temporary dwellings in the wilderness, before entering the promised land, symbolizing entering his rest in Psalm 40. In the Millennial Kingdom Messiah will “tabernacle” with man for a thousand years. Moreover, during the Millennial Kingdom, the Gentiles will be required to come to Jerusalem each year for Sukkot:
[16] And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
Zechariah 14:16-19
[17] And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
[18] And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
[19] This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
King Binyamin speaks of Millennial Kingdom conditions when he says:
And moreover, I say unto you that the time shall come when the knowledge of a savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
Moshiyah 1:17
And later he says:
But I say unto you, O man, whosoever does this, the same has great cause to repent; and except he repents of that which he has done, he perishes46 for ever and has no interest in the kingdom of Elohim.
Moshiyah 2:4
Types and Shadows
Binyamin also talks about the “types and shadows” of the Torah:
And many signs, and wonders, and types, and shadows showed he unto them concerning his coming; and also holy prophets spoke unto them concerning his coming. And yet they hardened their hearts and understood not that the Torah of Moshe avails nothing except it were through the atonement of his blood.
Moshiyah 1:16
Paul wrote that the Feast Days are a “shadow of things to come.” (Colossians 2:16-17)
Joy and Rejoicing
At Sukkot we are commanded to rejoice: “and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days” (Lev. 23:40), while Binyamin’s message repeatedly references rejoicing (1:5, 8, 13, 15; 2:3; 3:1) and joy (1:13, 15; 2:2, 3, 4; 3:1)
Entering the Covenant
Finally there is the theme of entering the covenant:
And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our Elohim to do his will, and to be obedient to his mitzvot in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never-ending torment as has been spoken by the angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of Elohim. And now these are the words which king Binyamin desired of them, and therefore, he said unto them, You have spoken the words that I desired, and the covenant which you have made is a righteous covenant.
Moshiyah 3:1-2
And now king Binyamin thought it was expedient, after having finished speaking to the people, that he should take the names of all those who had entered into a covenant with Elohim to keep his mitzvot. And it came to pass that there was not one soul, except it were little children, but that had entered into the covenant and had taken upon them the name of Mashiach.
Moshiyah 4:1
Sukkot is a traditional time for renewal of covenants. This feast commemorates the forty years Israel spent in the wilderness, at the end of which, all males were circumcised, entering the covenant, before entering the promised land (Josh. 5:2-8).
Understanding the Sukkot setting of King Binyamin’s Drash gives much fuller meaning to this very important message, and provides us greater insight into the themes, background and setting of this pivotal event in Nefite history.
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