"...ye shall put away leaven out of your houses."  Just what is leaven?

by Garry D. Pifer  

 

Exodus 12:15 records the instruction given to the Israelites in Egypt.  They were to eat unleavened bread for seven days and they were to put the leaven out of their houses.  Verse 19 says that there was to be no leaven found in their houses for seven days and verse 20 says they were not to eat anything leavened.  These same injunctions are stated again in chapter 13 and verse 7.  Just what was to be put out?  What is “leaven?” I for one accepted a definition given by the religious organization I was a part of for many years without ever questioning if it was correct or not.  The same definitions given in old church literature of 40+ years ago was recently repeated in the publication of one of the larger spin-off groups from that organization.  Let me share with you a couple of quotations.  The first one is from a major booklet, written by the now deceased leader of that organization, copyright 1957.  “And, as leaven is also a type of sin (1 Cor. 5:8)-leaven puffs up, and so does sin....”  From a 1959 article written by one of the leaders, “A leavening agent is any substance that is used to puff up or produce fermentation causing dough to rise.  Yeast, soda, baking powder, cream of tartar when combined with a leavening agent are such products.”  And, a few sentences later he states, “Cakes with beaten egg whites used purposely as a substitute for leaven should not be used.”

Those definitions have been with me and many others for years and years, but sadly they are incorrect.  The picture of leaven “puffing up” is NOT the picture the Bible reveals.  Yes, leavened products are “puffed up.”  Yes, vanity, which is a sin, does “puff up.”  But, all things used to “puff up” dough is not leaven.  It helps to look at what the Bible says about leaven and come to understand the true picture.  We then can understand what was to be “put out” of the houses and not to be eaten.

Let’s begin by looking at what the Hebrew words translated “leaven” mean.  There are two primary words used.  The first one is s@or or seor, (#07604 in Strong’s).  It is used 5 times and the lexicon merely says “leaven.”  Easton’s Bible Dictionary shows this word meant “the remnant of dough from the preceding baking which had fermented and become acid.”  The second Hebrew word is chametz or hamets (#02557 in Strong’s) used 11 times.  Again the lexicon says “the thing leavened, leaven.”  Easton’s gives us a more complete definition.  “Heb. hamets, properly ‘ferment.’  In Numbers 6:3, ‘vinegar of wine’ is more correctly ‘fermented wine.’  In Exodus 13:7, the proper rendering would be, ‘Unfermented things [Heb. matstsoth] shall be consumed during the seven days; and there shall not be seen with thee fermented things [hamets], and there shall not be seen with thee leavened mass [seor] in all thy; borders.’  The chemical definition of ferment or yeast is ‘a substance in a state of putrefaction, the atoms of which are in a continual motion.’”

Young’s Literal Translation renders Exodus 13:7 very much as Easton’s gives.  “Unleavened things are eaten the seven days, and any thing fermented is not seen with thee; yea leaven is not seen with thee in all thy border.” 

In the New Testament the Greek word translated “leaven’” is zume (#2219 in Strong’s).  The lexicon again defines it as leaven but also indicates that it is used in a metaphorical way and “is viewed in its tendency to infect others.” Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, in the article on leaven, says, “zume (2219), ‘leaven, sour dough, in a high state of fermentation’, was used in general in making bread.  It required time to fulfill the process.  Hence, when food was required at short notice, unleavened cakes were used, e.g., Gen. 18:6; 19:3; Exod. 12:8.  The Israelites were forbidden to use ‘leaven’ for seven days at the time of the Passover, that they might be reminded that the Lord brought them out of Egypt ‘in haste,’ Deut. 16:3, with Exod. 12:11; the unleavened bread, insipid in taste, reminding them, too, of their afflictions, and of the need of self-judgement, is called ‘the bread of affliction.’  ‘Leaven’ was forbidden in all offerings to the Lord by fire, Lev. 2:11; 6:17.  Being bred of corruption and spreading through the mass of that in which it is mixed, and therefore symbolizing the pervasive character of evil, ‘leaven’ was utterly inconsistent in offerings which typified the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ.”

The definition given in other Bible dictionaries is much the same.  A Dictionary of the Bible by John D. Davis, article Leaven, says, “A substance used to produce fermentation in dough and make it rise (Ex. 12:5, 19; 13:7).  In Scripture times leaven generally consisted of a little old dough in a high state of fermentation.”  He mentions the fact that leaven was forbidden to be used in offerings made by fire to the Lord.  He states, “The principal reason for the prohibition was that fermentation is incipient corruption, and was emblematic of corruption.”  Smith’s Bible Dictionary gives much the same information.  In the article on Leaven it is stated, “Various substances were known to have fermenting qualities; but the ordinary leaven consisted of a lump of old dough in a high state of fermentation, which was mixed into the mass of dough prepared for baking.”  He adds, “The most prominent idea associated with leaven is connected with the corruption which it had undergone, and which communicated to bread in the process of fermentation.”  Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology is in agreement.  In the section on Leaven it says, “leaven symbolized corruption, defilement, and sin.”

In none of these works does it indicate the connection of “puffing up” but emphasizes the fact of fermentation and corruption.  Let us understand.  Some of the newer translations have “yeast” instead of “leaven.”  This is a much better rendering.  Yeast, as defined in the Illustrated World Encyclopedia, One Volume Deluxe Edition, “is a kind of very simple plant.  It is a FUNGUS,...”  It further states, “Young plants are formed by a process called budding.  Part of the cell grows outward, forming a new area that looks somewhat like a bud on a plant stem.  After some time the new bud breaks off and becomes a separate yeast plant.”  The New Lexicon WEBSTER’S ENCYCLOPEDIC DICTIONARY of the English Language says yeast “is a substance found on the surface of fermenting sugary liquids containing ascomycetes of fam. Sacchaaromycetaceae, that multiply by budding and cause the fermentation of sugars, with the production of alcohol and carbon dioxide.”

A number of Scriptures in the New Testament confirm “leaven” to be yeast, a living organism.  Let’s notice.  Jesus spoke a parable (recorded in Matt. 13 and Luke 13) in which He speaks of a woman placing leaven into meal “till the whole was leavened.”  Let us read and understand His words.

Matthew 13:33  Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. 

He says she “hid” the leaven in the meal.  The Greek word translated “hid” is ekgrupto (#1470 in Strong’s).  It can mean to “conceal in something” but a second definition is “to mingle one thing with another.”  He says that eventually the “whole was leavened.”’ “Leavened” is the English translation of the Greek zumou (#2220 in Strong’s).  The lexicon says, in addition to “leaven,” it means “to mix leaven with dough so as to make it ferment.”  This is exactly what yeast does when placed into the mass or the lump.  The one celled yeast plants feed on the organic matter, reproducing themselves by “budding.”  As more and more yeast cells are being produced they spread further and further throughout the dough.  As explained in the dictionary quote above, they cause the fermentation of the sugars which produces carbon dioxide gas.  The carbon dioxide gas is being released and causes the dough to rise.  The fermentation, the corruption, spreads completely through the mass.

We could paraphrase Jesus’ words.  “The kingdom of heaven is like unto yeast, or a bit of sour dough starter, which a woman took, and mixed into three batches of dough, till the whole was fermented and had raised.”  In this parable Jesus didn’t continue to the next step in bread making, placing the fermented dough into the oven and baking it.

The Apostle Paul’s words to the Church at Corinth corroborates our understanding.  In the 5th chapter of 1 Corinthians he addresses a problem within the congregation.  It was well known that one individual was having an illicit affair with his step-mother.  Paul say that they were very arrogant and proud of the way in which they were handling the situation, showing the individual “love” and tolerance, rather than putting him out of the fellowship.  He uses the analogy of putting the leaven out of the home to illustrate.  Notice what he says.

1 Corinthians 5:6  Your glorying [is] not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? (KJV) Other translations help make this very clear. 

From the Weymouth Translation: Do you not know that a little yeast corrupts the whole of the dough?  The Bible in Basic English says: Do you not see that a little leaven makes a change in all the mass?  From the Amplified Bible: Do you not know that [just] a little leaven will ferment the whole lump [of dough]?  And, from the New International Version: Do you not know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?

Paul continues, verse 7.    “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:”   Paul is continuing to speak of the incestuous situation in the church.  He says to purge out this “old leaven,” this corruption which will spread through the congregation, just like yeast fermenting the whole of the dough.  Then, he says, you as a congregation may be a “new lump,” without corruption.  And then, he states a very powerful spiritual truth.  “As ye are unleavened.”  How are we unleavened?  “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.”  It is through Christ’s shed blood that we have our sin, our corruption, removed.  We are “unleavened,” without the corruption that we had previously.

Then in verse 8 Paul says, “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened [bread] of sincerity and truth.”  He tells them that the spiritual lesson from the act of putting leaven, yeast, out of the house each Feast of Unleavened Bread needs to be with us daily, year around.   It is symbolic of the corruption that is purged, removed, through the cleansing  blood of Christ.  By that corruption, that sin, being “borne away” we are “a new lump,” and we “are unleavened,” no longer full of corruption and sin.  He concludes this instruction by saying, “but with the unleavened (azumos [#106 in Strong’s], unfermented, free from leaven or yeast) of sincerity and truth.” 

In Matthew 16 Jesus warned His disciples to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”  And in verse 12,  “then understood they how he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”  They finally understood that He was using “leaven” metaphorically to warn them of the corrupt teaching of these religious groups and its pervasiveness.  The lexicon gives as a definition for zume (#2219 in Strong’s) used here and translated “leaven,” “metaph. of inveterate mental and moral corruption, viewed in its tendency to infect others.”

Now, back to our original definitions for leaven, as taught for years by many.  Does baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, etc. constitute substances that “produce fermentation in dough?”  The answer is a resounding NO!  Notice what the dictionary has to say about these items.  “Baking powder   essentially a carbonate and an acidic agent which on moistening react to give carbon dioxide.”  “Baking soda    sodium bicarbonate.”   “Sodium bicarbonate     a weakly basic salt which liberates carbon dioxide on heating and when combine with acids.  It is used in baking powder, effervescent salts, as an antacid and in fire extinguishers.”

Nothing about fermentation.  Why?  Because these items are inorganic chemicals, not a live organism as is yeast.  They do not reproduce themselves and spread throughout the mass or the lump of dough.  When brought into contact with water a chemical reaction produces carbon dioxide gas.  I remember as a small boy I had a small plastic toy submarine that came as a prize in a cereal box.  It had a small area at the bottom that a bit of baking powder was put into.  A cap with a small hole was fitted into it.  The toy was placed into a container of water.  It would sink to the bottom of the container.  As water entered through the small hole in the cap a carbon dioxide bubble formed bringing the submarine to the surface. The gas would escape and the toy would sink to the bottom again to have a new bubble form.

When baking powder, baking soda, etc. is used in baking “quick breads” they must be thoroughly mixed into the dry ingredients before the liquid is stirred in.  Why?  They will not spread through the lump.  Carbon dioxide will be produced all in the one location where the baking powder (or soda, etc.)was placed.  Also, the reaction begins as soon as these chemicals come in contact with the water.  It is not a slow process as with the yeast spreading throughout the lump. 

What is our conclusion?  Due to a totally wrong picture of what “leaven” pictures (i.e. puffing up) we had an entirely wrong definition of what “leaven” is.  “Leaven” as spoken of in the Bible refers to yeast, a living plant that causes fermentation and corruption.  It truly is a picture of sin and corruption  in our lives. When we come under the blood of the Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, that sin and corruption is washed away leaving us a “new lump.”  We don’t put leaven out of our houses to picture “putting sin out” of our lives.  We can’t put sin out.  Jesus has washed us clean through His blood and bore our sins in His body (1 Pet. 2:24).  We put leaven out of our houses and symbolically live in a corruption free dwelling for seven days, seven being the number of completion.  Jesus bore our sin and corruption  and totally and completely removed it from us.  He now has come to live and tabernacle within each of us, an “unleavened” and corruption free habitation, a new lump.