When is the "Last Great Day" (John 7:37): Seventh or Eighth Day?

THE question of whether “the last day, that great day of the feast” (John 7:37) refers to the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles or the following Eighth Day (Shemini Atzeret) has long stirred discussion.

When the biblical text, Jewish practice, and first-century context are carefully examined, it becomes clear that Jesus’ declaration occurred on the seventh and final day of the Feast of Tabernacles, not on the separate Eighth Day.

Contrary to the common Churches of God tradition on the subject (originating from the old WCG doctrine), here's why we respectfully differ based on unbiased appreciation of various Scriptural and respected Jewish sources--

1. The Bible Defines the Feast of Tabernacles as 'Seven Days'

Scripture plainly distinguishes between the seven-day Feast and the subsequent Eighth Day.

“The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.” (Leviticus 23:34)

“Seven days you shall offer an offering… on the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation.” (Leviticus 23:36)

The Feast itself therefore lasts seven days (cf. Deuteronomy 16:13–15), while the Eighth Day is a separate festival with its own offerings and purpose (Numbers 29:12–38).

John 7:37 specifically says Jesus spoke “on the last day, that great day of the feast”—a clear reference to the final day within the Feast, not to a separate festival afterward.

To claim otherwise contradicts the Torah’s structure: the Feast of Tabernacles ('Sukkot') is seven days; the Eighth Day ('Shemini Atzeret') stands alone as a distinct closing assembly.

2. “That Great Day” Refers to the Climax of the Feast—'Hoshana Rabbah'

In Jewish practice both ancient and modern, the seventh day of the Feast was and is called Hoshana Rabbah, meaning “the Great Hosanna.” It was the climactic day of the Feast of Tabernacles, marked by processions, rejoicing, and the famous water-pouring ceremony at the Temple.

The Mishnah—codifying earlier Second-Temple customs—states that during Tabernacles, “one would pour the water with a vessel that had a capacity of one log on all seven days of the festival” (Mishnah, Sukkah 4:9).

This ritual ended on the seventh day; it was not performed on the Eighth Day.

The Talmud later elaborates on this joy:

“He who has not seen the rejoicing at the place of the water-drawing has never seen rejoicing in his life.” (Talmud Bavli, Sukkah 48b)

This ceremony symbolized God’s provision of both rain and the outpouring of His Spirit (cf. Isaiah 12:3; Zechariah 14:16–18).

Therefore, when Jesus cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37–38), He did so at the very moment this ceremony reached its height—the last day of the Feast, when water imagery filled Jerusalem.

The symbol met its spiritual reality: Christ Himself was the source of living water (John 4:14; 7:39).

3. The Eighth Day Was Not Part of the Feast nor Associated with Water

The opposing view claims that since the Eighth Day was a Holy Convocation, it must be “the great day.” However, while holy, the Eighth Day ('Shemini Atzeret') was distinct in purpose. The word “atzeret” means a “solemn assembly” or “closing gathering.” It was not a continuation of Tabernacles but a separate festival, with its own sacrifices and meaning (Numbers 29:35–38).

Moreover, no ancient Jewish source—biblical or extra-biblical—connects the Eighth Day with the water-pouring ceremony or any “great day” climax. In fact, the water ritual ended before the Eighth Day began.

If Jesus had made His proclamation on the Eighth Day, the powerful symbolism of the “living water” would have been out of context. The crowds would no longer have been celebrating the water ceremony—its meaning would have already concluded.

4. John’s Wording Supports the Seventh Day

John wrote, “On the last day, that great day of the feast.” (John 7:37).

The Greek phrase: τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἐσχάτῃ τῇ μεγάλῃ τῆς ἑορτῆς literally means “on the last, the great day of the feast.”

If John had meant the Eighth Day, he could have said “after the feast” or "the next day" as he does elsewhere (cf. John 1:29; 12:12).

But he specifically ties the event to the feast itself—confirming that it occurred within its seven days.

5. Dismissal of the 'Water-Pouring Ceremony'?

Some writers are dismissive of the 'nisuch hamayim' (water libation) ceremony as post-Temple practice, and purely conjecture.

The Mishnah (Sukkah 4:9–10) and Talmud (Sukkah 48a–b) are reliable witnesses of Second Temple-era customs, not merely late inventions.

The water-pouring was an established temple tradition by Jesus’ time—as supported by Jewish and Christian scholars (see: Alfred Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services; Craig S. Keener, Gospel of John commentary).

Therefore, Jesus’ words about “living water” (John 7:37–38) were likely connected to that ceremony — which gives more context to His teaching rather than undermining the Eighth Day argument.

6. Historical and Jewish Testimony

Even Philo and Josephus, cited in the opposing view, recognized the Eighth Day as a different observance—a “closing assembly,” not a continuation of the Feast. Philo’s description of the Eighth Day as a “seal” confirms it was distinct, not the same as the Feast’s “great day.”

Philo of Alexandria wrote:

“After the feast has lasted seven days, he adds an eighth as a seal, calling it a kind of crowning feast… the last feast of the year.” (The Special Laws II.33)

Philo’s “seal” is a separate closure, not the “great day of the feast.”

Furthermore, early rabbinic sources refer to the seventh day—Hoshana Rabbah—as the day of “great salvation” ('yeshuah rabbah'), aligning beautifully with Jesus’ proclamation of living water and salvation (John 7:37–39). Thus, treating the seventh day as “the Great Hosanna” (Hoshana Rabbah)—literally the great day—precisely matching John’s description (Megillat Ta’anit 1:9; Talmud Sukkah 45a).

7. Faithful to the Church of God Theology?

The belief in most COGs that the Eighth Day ('Shemini Atzeret') typifies the 'Great White Throne Judgment' (cf. Rev. 20:11–13) as the final phase of God’s plan, while consistent with its traditional teachings, is clearly mistaken for two critical reasons:

1) The Feast of Tabernacles (7 days) pictures the Millennial reign of Christ (Rev. 20:4–6) and is still inclusive of the 'Great White Throne Judgment' (cf. Rev. 20:11–13), when the rest of mankind is still subject to judgment. The presence of physical beings aligns with the meaning of the Tabernacles, where humans still live (Millennium).

2) The Eighth Day (Shemini Atzeret') is separate in both typology and prophetic meaning. It typifies new creation. The “new heavens and a new earth” (Rev. 21:1–3), where all physical things are gone (2 Pet. 3:10-13) God the Father, who alone is immortal, dwelling in 'unapproachable light' (1 Tim. 6:16), will finally come down from heaven to dwell with His glorified children (Rev. 21-22). By then everyone will also be immortal and spirit; hence, it stands for Eternity!

Conclusion

The idea that the “Last Great Day” refers to the Eighth Day collapses under biblical and historical scrutiny.

The Feast of Tabernacles lasts 'seven days' (Leviticus 23:34).

The Eighth Day is a distinct convocation, not part of the Feast (Leviticus 23:36).

The “great day”—'Hoshana Rabbah'—was the seventh day, climaxed by the water-pouring ceremony.

Jesus’ timing and words in John 7:37–38 perfectly aligned with that ritual, revealing Him as the true source of living water.

The 'Last Great Day' was therefore the seventh day, the joyful culmination of the Feast of Tabernacles—not the separate 'Shemini Atzeret'.

On that climactic day, Jesus offered the Spirit to all who thirst—transforming the water-drawing celebration into a living prophecy of eternal life.

***Notes

Atzeret (עֲצֶרֶת) means “closing assembly” or “restraint.” See Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, p. 782.

Mishnah Sukkah 4:9–10, in The Mishnah: A New Translation (Trans. Jacob Neusner, 1988).

Talmud Bavli Sukkah 48b, The Babylonian Talmud (Soncino ed.).

Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 3.10.4.

Philo of Alexandria, The Special Laws II.33.

Megillat Ta’anit 1:9; Talmud Sukkah 45a —describing the seventh day as Hoshana Rabbah, the “great day.”