* eighth day.
Though this day was properly a distinct festival, and esteemed
the chief or high day of the feast, yet fewer sacrifices are
appointed for it than for any of the foregoing seven. On
every one of them two rams and fourteen lambs were offered;
but on this day there were but half as many; and whereas seven
bullocks were the fewest that were offered on any of those
days, on this there was only one. At this feast, there was an
extraordinary ceremony of which the rabbins inform us, namely,
the drawing water out of the pool of Siloam, and pouring it,
mixed with wine, on the sacrifice as it lay on the altar.
This they are said to have done with such expressions of joy,
that it became a common proverb, "He that never saw the
rejoicing of drawing of water, never saw rejoicing in all his
life." The Jews pretend to ground this custom on the
following passage of Isaiah, (ch. 12:3,) "With joy shall ye
draw water out of the wells of salvation;" and to this
ceremony Jesus is supposed to refer, when "in the last day,
the great day of the feast, he stood and cried, saying, If any
man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink: he that believeth
on me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow
rivers of living water," (Joh 7:37, 38:) thereby calling off
the people from their carnal mirth and festive and pompous
ceremonies, to seek spiritual refreshment for their minds.
Le 23:36 Joh 7:37-39 Re 7:9-17
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