Beside the sabbaths. — By a figure of speech called metonymy, which is frequently used both in the Old and New Testaments, the expression sabbaths stands here for the sacrifices of the sabbaths, just as in Leviticus 25:6 “sabbath of the land” denotes the produce of the sabbath of the land, or of the sabbatic year, and as the phrase “it is written in the prophets” (Mark 1:2) is used for “it is written in the writings of the prophets.” (Comp. also Matthew 5:17; Matthew 7:12; Matthew 22:40, &c.) The meaning, therefore, of the passage before us is that the sacrifices ordered for each of these festivals are to be in addition to the sacrifices appointed to each weekly sabbath in the year; so that when one of these festivals falls on a sabbath, the sacrifices due to the latter are not set aside by the former. Both must be offered in their proper order.
Beside your gifts. — Nor are they to interfere with the voluntary offerings which each individual brought privately (Deuteronomy 16:10; Deuteronomy 16:17; 2 Chronicles 25:7-8), or with the performance of vows (Deuteronomy 12:6-12).