Biblical references
Text: World English Bible (public domain). The ESV and NKJV are the preferred study translations and are referenced, not reproduced.
13 On the second day, the heads of fathers’ households of all the people, the priests, and the Levites were gathered together to Ezra the scribe, to study the words of the law. 14 They found written in the law how the LORD had commanded by Moses that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month; 15 and that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and get olive branches, branches of wild olive, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make temporary shelters, as it is written.” 16 So the people went out and brought them, and made themselves temporary shelters, everyone on the roof of his house, in their courts, in the courts of God’s house, in the wide place of the water gate, and in the wide place of Ephraim’s gate. 17 All the assembly of those who had come back out of the captivity made temporary shelters and lived in the temporary shelters, for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day the children of Israel had not done so. There was very great gladness. 18 Also day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. They kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.
Biblical account
Layer: Biblical text
On the second day the heads of houses, priests and Levites gathered to Ezra to study the law and found the command to dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month and to fetch branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm and leafy trees. The people made booths on roofs, in courts, in the courts of the house of God and in the squares of the Water Gate and the Gate of Ephraim; since the days of Joshua son of Nun Israel had not done so, and there was great joy. The law was read daily; the feast lasted seven days with a solemn assembly on the eighth.
Historical overview
Layer: Historical reconstruction · Period: 15–22 Tishri; 21–28 October 445 BC on the narrative-sequence reading
If the reading of 8:2 fell on 7 October 445, the feast (Lev 23:34–36) ran from 21 October with the eighth-day assembly on 28 October.[1, 2]
- Artaxerxes I (Longimanus): King of Persia
Kingdoms: Achaemenid Persian Empire, Kingdom of Judah
Date and chronology derivation
Ranges are computed by the project's deterministic chronology engine from the biblical statements and each model's reign anchors. They are reconstructions, not independent dates.
446 BC – 444 BC
Model-independent (applies under every chronology model) · precision: regnal year
How this range was derived
Earliest bound
- “on the first day of the seventh month” — Ezra reads the Law on the first day of the seventh month (Neh 7:73b–8:12) in regnal year reign of Artaxerxes I (Longimanus) (year 20) [reckoned accession, nisan new year] (Nehemiah 8:2)[1, 2]Assumption: The year is unstated; Keil takes it as the seventh month following 25 Elul of the twentieth year (6:15). On Parker & Dubberstein's table month VII of year 20 began 7 October 445. Batten and 1 Esdras 9 place the reading within Ezra's own story instead (see the disputed claim); this constraint records the narrative-sequence reading only.
- “On the second day … in the feast of the seventh month” — The Feast of Booths kept "as it is written" (Neh 8:13–18) days later Ezra reads the Law on the first day of the seventh month (Neh 7:73b–8:12) (Nehemiah 8:13–18)Assumption: From the second day of the month (study) to the end of the feast on the 22nd (Lev 23:34–36).
Latest bound
- “on the first day of the seventh month” — Ezra reads the Law on the first day of the seventh month (Neh 7:73b–8:12) in regnal year reign of Artaxerxes I (Longimanus) (year 20) [reckoned accession, nisan new year] (Nehemiah 8:2)[1, 2]Assumption: The year is unstated; Keil takes it as the seventh month following 25 Elul of the twentieth year (6:15). On Parker & Dubberstein's table month VII of year 20 began 7 October 445. Batten and 1 Esdras 9 place the reading within Ezra's own story instead (see the disputed claim); this constraint records the narrative-sequence reading only.
- “On the second day … in the feast of the seventh month” — The Feast of Booths kept "as it is written" (Neh 8:13–18) days later Ezra reads the Law on the first day of the seventh month (Neh 7:73b–8:12) (Nehemiah 8:13–18)Assumption: From the second day of the month (study) to the end of the feast on the 22nd (Lev 23:34–36).
What else was happening? (model-independent)
- Daniel's refusal of the king's food and the ten-day test (Dan 1:8–16): 606 BC – ?
- Nebuchadnezzar's golden image on the plain of Dura (Dan 3:1–7): 603 BC – ?
- Nebuchadnezzar's decree honouring the God of the three Judeans (Dan 3:28–30): 603 BC – ?
- The refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace (Dan 3:8–27): 603 BC – ?
- The thirty-day decree and Daniel in the lions' den (Dan 6:4–23): 539 BC – ?
- Darius appoints 120 satraps and three chief officials (Dan 6:1–3, 28): 539 BC – ?
- The accusers punished; Darius's decree honouring the God of Daniel (Dan 6:24–27): 539 BC – ?
- Artaxerxes sends Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem, Nisan of his twentieth year (Neh 2:1–8): 446 BC – 444 BC
- Artaxerxes I (Longimanus) (reign): 465 BC – 423 BC
- Hanani's report at Susa and Nehemiah's prayer (Chislev, Artaxerxes's 20th year): 447 BC – 445 BC
- Gedaliah governs from Mizpah and is assassinated (2 Kgs 25:22–26): 589 BC – ?
- Accusations to Ahasuerus and the Rehum–Shimshai letter to Artaxerxes; the city's rebuilding stopped (Ezra 4:6–23): 537 BC – ?
- Nehemiah arrives, inspects the walls by night and calls for rebuilding (Neh 2:9–20): 446 BC – 444 BC
- The rebuilding of Jerusalem's wall and gates, section by section (Neh 3): 446 BC – 444 BC
- Mockery, threats and the armed builders (Neh 4): 446 BC – 444 BC
- The debt crisis and the remission of pledges (Neh 5:1–13): 446 BC – 423 BC
- Plots against Nehemiah: Ono, the open letter, Shemaiah (Neh 6:1–14): 446 BC – 444 BC
- The wall completed on 25 Elul after fifty-two days (Neh 6:15–19): 446 BC – 444 BC
- Nehemiah's first governorship: twelve years, 20th–32nd year of Artaxerxes (445–433 BC): 446 BC – 444 BC
- Jerusalem guarded under Hanani and Hananiah; the registry of the first returnees found (Neh 7:1–5): 446 BC – ?
- Ezra reads the Law on the first day of the seventh month (Neh 7:73b–8:12): 446 BC – 444 BC
- The sealed covenant to keep the law and support the temple (Neh 9:38–10:39): 446 BC – 444 BC
- The fast of the twenty-fourth day and the Levites' confession (Neh 9): 446 BC – 444 BC
- Jerusalem repopulated: one in ten by lot (Neh 11): 446 BC – ?
- The dedication of the wall of Jerusalem (Neh 12:27–13:3): 446 BC – 423 BC
- The priestly and Levitical registers to the days of Jaddua (Neh 12:1–26): 446 BC – ?
- The first "burden" of Zechariah 9–11 (undated oracle collection): 518 BC – ?
- The second "burden" of Zechariah 12–14 (undated oracle collection): 518 BC – ?
- Malachi's disputations with priests and people (Mal 1–4; undated, mid-fifth century BC): 465 BC – 423 BC
- The institution of Purim; Mordecai second to the king (Esth 9:20–10:3): 474 BC – ?
Ancient and modern geography
Location confidence assumes the event as described. Whether it occurred is assessed in the claims below.
| Place | Connection to this event | Location identification |
|---|---|---|
| JerusalemJerusalem (Old City / City of David) | JerusalemLocation confidence: certain | Pleiades representative point: certain[3] |
Claims, evidence and classifications
Each claim is classified on its own. A classification describes the evidence for that specific claim, not for the event as a whole.
The Feast of Booths was kept by the whole community dwelling in booths, in Tishri of the same year as the reading.
No independent corroboration foundMachine-proposedExternal evidence
Known only from Neh 8:13–18; 1 Esdras ends before this section. The year depends on the dispute over the reading.
Context
Research date 2026-10-13
Evidence by type
The same evidence regrouped by kind of source. Each item names the claims it bears on.
Archaeological evidence
None recorded for this event.
Scientific findings
None recorded for this event.
Ancient documents
None recorded for this event.
Modern news and announcements
None recorded for this event.
Reference works and summaries
- Not since Joshua had the whole community dwelt in booths; Booths had been kept (Ezra 3:4).[2]Bears on: context — “The Feast of Booths was kept by the whole community dwelling in booths…”
- 1 Esdras ends with v. 12; "unto Ezra the scribe" in v. 13 probably an editorial link.[4]Bears on: context — “The Feast of Booths was kept by the whole community dwelling in booths…”
Historical disputes and competing reconstructions
Related passages and events
| From | Relationship | To | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| this event | Preceded byhigh · Biblical text | Ezra reads the Law on the first day of the seventh month (Neh 7:73b–8:12) | Found in the law while studying it on the second day. |
| this event | Thematic parallelmedium · Biblical text | The altar rebuilt in Jerusalem and the Feast of Booths kept (Ezra 3:1–7) | Booths was kept in the first year of the return (Ezra 3:4). |
| this event | Thematic parallelhigh · Biblical text | Leviticus 23:39–43 | The command to dwell in booths seven days. |
| this event | Thematic parallelmedium · Biblical text | 2 Chronicles 7:8–10 | Solomon's feast of the seventh month — cited by Keil against a literal reading of 8:17. |
Prophetic relationships
No prophecy or proposed-fulfillment relationships have been recorded for this event.
Commentary references
Layer: Interpretation. This is commentary, not historical evidence.
Guzik notes that the people kept the feast because Scripture said so rather than from tradition.[6]
Unanswered questions and research gaps
Research process
3 logged searches
| Date | Query | Where | Useful |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-13 | Keil 1873 on Neh 8:13–18 (local OCR) | local text | 1 |
| 2026-10-13 | Batten 1913 on Neh 8:13–18 | web fetch | 1 |
| 2026-10-13 | 1 Esdras 9 (WEB) | web fetch | 1 |
Sources
- 1.Parker, Richard A., Dubberstein, Waldo H.. Babylonian Chronology 626 B.C.–A.D. 45 (SAOC 24). University of Chicago Press (Oriental Institute). archive.orgClaim checkedAcademic monographRead through the Internet Archive OCR text of the Oriental Institute PDF; OCR has digit errors (e.g. "589" for 539) checked against context. The 1956 revised edition was not consulted.Verification log
- 2.Keil, C. F., Taylor, Sophia (trans.). Biblical Commentary on the Books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther (Clark's Foreign Theological Library). T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh, 1873. archive.orgClaim checkedScholarly commentaryRead through the Internet Archive OCR text.Verification log
- 3.Pleiades contributors. Ierusalem/Hierosolyma — Pleiades place 687928. Pleiades (pleiades.stoa.org). pleiades.stoa.orgClaim checkedInstitutional databaseRepresentative point read from the Pleiades JSON record: lon 35.234978, lat 31.7771895.Verification log
- 4.Batten, Loring W.. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah (International Critical Commentary). T. & T. Clark / Scribner, 1913. archive.orgClaim checkedScholarly commentaryRead through the Internet Archive OCR text.Verification log
- 5.World English Bible (translators). World English Bible — Apocrypha/Deuterocanon (1 Esdras 9). eBible.org. ebible.orgClaim checkedAncient primary textGreek parallel to Ezra 10 and Neh 7:73–8:12.Verification log
- 6.Guzik, David. Nehemiah 8 — Enduring Word Bible Commentary. Enduring Word. enduringword.comClaim checkedTheological commentaryInterpretive resource — not historical corroboration.Verification log