And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
Ver. 17. Built him an house, and made booths.] So did his posterity, at their going out of Egypt, Exo 12:37 and, for a perpetual memorial thereof, were appointed to keep a yearly feast of booths or tabernacles, Lev 23:34 made of green boughs of trees, in praise of God, who had now vouchsafed them better houses. And here one would wonder, saith a divine, a that all along, during the reign of David and Solomon, who gave a pattern of, and built the temple, and all those succeeding reformers, there should something be omitted about this feast of tabernacles, till their return from Babylon: yet so it was. Neh 8:16-17 This feast was kept, as it is thought, by Solomon, 2Ch 7:8 and by these same Jews, Ezr 3:4 yet not in this manner. Now Neh 8:14 they had learned, by sad experience, to keep it aright, in dwelling in booths, by having been lately strangers out of their own land: to signify which, and profess themselves strangers - as this "Syrian ready to perish their father" Deu 26:5 was, now at Succoth - was the intent of that feast, and that rite of it, dwelling in booths. This is intimated, "They did read also out of the law," &c., Neh 8:17-18 which, till then, they had not done.
a T. Goodwin.