Sukkot Bible Verses: 12 Scriptures for the Feast
Looking for Sukkot Bible verses to read with your family this year? The Feast of Tabernacles is woven through Scripture, from the command in Leviticus 23 to the rejoicing in Nehemiah and the living water of John 7. Below are 12 key scriptures for the feast, each with a short note, plus a simple plan for reading them through the week.
These are the same 12 verses, in the same wording, printed on our Sukkot & Eighth Day Scripture Cards.
Where Is Sukkot in the Bible?
The main passage is Leviticus 23:33 to 44, where Yahuah names the Feast of Booths, sets its dates, and gives the command to dwell in booths and rejoice. Deuteronomy 16:13 to 15 repeats the feast with an emphasis on joy and on including everyone in the household. Nehemiah 8 shows the people rediscovering the feast after the return from captivity, and John 7 records Yahusha at the feast.
The 12 Key Sukkot Bible Verses
1. Leviticus 23:34: The Feast Is Named
"Speak to the children of Yisrael, saying: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to Yahuah." (Leviticus 23:34)
This is where Sukkot begins in the Torah: a set time, on a set day of the seventh month, lasting seven days and belonging to Yahuah.
2. Leviticus 23:36: The Eighth Day
"For seven days you shall bring near a fire offering to Yahuah. On the eighth day you shall have a set-apart gathering, and you shall bring near a fire offering to Yahuah. It is a closing festival. You do no servile work." (Leviticus 23:36)
The feast does not simply stop after seven days. Scripture adds a set apart gathering, a closing festival, on the eighth day. Scripture records offerings for that day; we read them to understand, not to recreate them.
3. Leviticus 23:39: Gather and Rest
"Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of Yahuah for seven days. On the first day there is a rest, and on the eighth day a rest." (Leviticus 23:39)
Sukkot comes when the harvest is in. Notice the two rest days that frame the week: the first day and the eighth day.
4. Leviticus 23:40: Rejoice with Branches
"And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of good trees, branches of palm trees, twigs of leafy trees, and willows of the stream, and shall rejoice before Yahuah your Elohim for seven days." (Leviticus 23:40)
Here the command is joy. Branches, fruit, and leafy boughs are part of the celebration, and many families decorate their booth with them.
5. Leviticus 23:42: Dwell in Booths
"Dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native born in Yisrael dwell in booths." (Leviticus 23:42)
The heart of the feast in one line. Yard, balcony, or blanket fort, the point is to dwell and remember.
6. Leviticus 23:43: Remember Mitsrayim
"So that your generations know that I made the children of Yisrael dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Mitsrayim. I am Yahuah your Elohim." (Leviticus 23:43)
This verse gives the reason for the booths: so every generation knows that Yahuah brought His people out and sheltered them on the way.
7. Deuteronomy 16:14: Rejoice in Your Feast
"And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Lewite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow who are within your gates." (Deuteronomy 16:14)
The whole household is included, and so are the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. Sukkot is a feast to share.
8. Deuteronomy 16:15: Seven Days of Celebration
"Seven days you shall celebrate to Yahuah your Elohim in the place which Yahuah chooses, because Yahuah your Elohim blesses you in all your increase and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be only rejoicing." (Deuteronomy 16:15)
Joy here is not a feeling we wait for. It is a response to Yahuah's blessing on our increase and on the work of our hands.
9. Psalm 27:5: Hidden in His Booth
"For in the day of evil He hides me in His booth; in the covering of His tent He hides me; on a rock He raises me up." (Psalm 27:5)
David uses the same picture of a booth to describe Yahuah's protection.
10. Nehemiah 8:17: Very Great Rejoicing
"And all the assembly of those who had come back from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths, for since the days of Yahusha son of Nun until that day the children of Yisrael had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing." (Nehemiah 8:17)
After the return from captivity, the people read the Torah, found the command, and built booths again. The result was very great rejoicing.
11. John 7:37 to 38: Living Water on the Last Great Day
"And on the last day, the great day of the feast, Yahusha stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his innermost shall flow rivers of living water." (John 7:37 to 38)
On the last great day of the feast, Yahusha invited the thirsty to come to Him. Our cards place this verse on the Eighth Day, though some read it as the seventh day.
12. John 1:14: He Pitched His Tent Among Us
"And the Word became flesh and pitched His tent among us, and we saw His esteem, esteem as of an only brought-forth of a father, complete in favour and truth." (John 1:14)
John describes the Word dwelling among us with the language of a tent, the same picture Sukkot keeps before us every year.
Is Sukkot in the New Testament?
Yes. John 7:2 names the feast of tabernacles, and the whole chapter takes place during it. Yahusha went up to the feast, taught in the middle of the week, and spoke His invitation about living water on "the last day, that great day of the feast" (John 7:37, KJV). John 1:14 uses tent language for the Word dwelling among us, which many believers connect with Sukkot.
How to Use These Verses During the Seven Days
On our calendar, Sukkot runs Wednesday, October 7 through Tuesday, October 13, 2026, with the Eighth Day on Wednesday, October 14. Many calendars differ, and families keep the feast by their own reckoning, so use the plan below with your own dates.
| Day | Read |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Leviticus 23:34 and Leviticus 23:39 |
| Day 2 | Leviticus 23:40 |
| Day 3 | Leviticus 23:42 and Leviticus 23:43 |
| Day 4 | Deuteronomy 16:14 and Deuteronomy 16:15 |
| Day 5 | Psalm 27:5 |
| Day 6 | Nehemiah 8:17 |
| Day 7 | John 1:14 |
| Eighth Day | Leviticus 23:36 and John 7:37 to 38 |
A few easy ways to use them:
- Read one aloud at the evening meal and let a different person read each night.
- Tape the verse of the day inside your booth or stand it in a frame on the table.
- Memorize Leviticus 23:42 as a family. It is short enough for young children.
For more ideas for the week, see How to Celebrate Sukkot at Home: A Family Guide. To understand the closing day, read The Eighth Day (Shemini Atzeret): Meaning & How to Keep It.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main Bible passage for Sukkot?
Leviticus 23:33 to 44 is the core passage. It names the Feast of Booths, sets it on the fifteenth day of the seventh month for seven days, adds the Eighth Day, and gives the commands to rejoice and to dwell in booths. Deuteronomy 16:13 to 15 is the best companion passage.
What Bible verse says to dwell in booths?
Leviticus 23:42 gives the command, and Leviticus 23:43 gives the reason: so that every generation knows Yahuah made the children of Yisrael dwell in booths when He brought them out of Mitsrayim. Nehemiah 8:14 to 17 shows the people obeying it again after the captivity.
Which translation do these verses use?
The 12 verses above use the same wording printed on our Sukkot & Eighth Day Scripture Cards, with the Name and titles restored as Yahuah, Elohim, and Yahusha. When we quote other verses in our articles, we use the King James Version with the same restorations.
Can I print these Sukkot Bible verses?
Yes. The Sukkot & Eighth Day Scripture Cards give you all 12 verses as full page US Letter cards, one verse per page, plus cut apart sheets for smaller cards. Print on cardstock and display them anywhere.
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