by Walter Kenaston
through the grace of IAUE Aleim (the Lord God)
Exodus 12:
1* ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2* This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
3* Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
4* And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
5* Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6* And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in <0996> the evening <>.
7* And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
8* And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9* Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
10* And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11* And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover.
12* For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
13* And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
14* And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
15* Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
16* And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
17* And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
18* In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.
19* Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.
20* Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
21* ¶ Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.
22* And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
23* For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
24* And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.
25* And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.
26* And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?
27* That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.
28 And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
29* ¶ And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
30* And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.
32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.
33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.
34* And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
35* And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:
36* And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.
37* ¶ And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.
38* And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.
39* And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.
40* Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.
41* And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.
42 It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.
43 ¶ And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:
44 But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.
45 A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.
46* In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.
47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
48* And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
49* One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
50 Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
51* And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.
The Passover and the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread must be considered together to know when Passover occurs. It is seen that the killing of the passover lamb is near evening of Abib 14 but not until the next day (at night) is the eating of the passover meal and the start of the feast of unleavened bread, which are on the same day.
Examining Exodus 12, it is seen that the passover lamb is to be selected on Abib 10 (verse 6), keeping it until Abib 14 when it is slain between <0996> the evens (plural, verse 6) and then eaten at night with unleavened bread (verse 8), not letting anything remain at morning by burning any remainder with fire (verse 10). A seven day long feast of unleavened bread was instituted (verse 15), the first and seventh days being holy with no manner of work done therein (verse 16). No unleavened bread was to be eaten from the even of Abib 14, till the even of Abib 21 (verse 18). During these seven days no leaven was to be found in the houses (verse 19).
On this first Passover, at midnight, IAUE smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt (verse 29) (save the sons of Israel). And the children of Israel rose in the night (verse 31) and left Egypt (verses 31-37). This all happened in one night, which is to be observed throughout all the generations of the children of Israel (verse 42). It is the same day of this first Passover that IAUE brought the children out of Egypt (verses 17, 43 and 51).
The passover was killed (verse 21) and blood spattered on the door lintel and posts (verse 22) and therefore could not be a day wherein no manner work was to be done. The Passover (meal), which is holy, includes the eating of unleavened bread, indicating it the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. So the day the lamb was killed and the eating of it were on different days - Abib 14th and 15th respectively.
The command for passover and the feast of unleavened bread is repeated in Leviticus 23:
Leviticus 23:
5* In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover.
6* And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
7* In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
8* But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
It is observed at mount Sinai:
Numbers 9:
1 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
2* Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season.
3* In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it.
4* And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover.
5* And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.
In Numbers 28, the 14th is called the Lord's passover (verse 16), and in the 15th day is the feast (verse 17); this would include the actual eating of the passover lamb, which was to include unleavened bread and which started the week-long feast of unleavened bread.
Numbers 28:
16* And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD.
17* And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
18* In the first day shall be an holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work therein:
Again in Number 33 is recorded keeping the Passover, the morrow after the Hebrews leaving Rameses on the 15th of the first month:
Numbers 33:3* And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians.
In coming to the promised land, the children of Israel kept the feasts of passover and unleavened bread, the eating of which happened on the "selfsame" day.
Joshua 5:
10* And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.
11 And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day.
"In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept." - 2 Chronicles 35. The lamb was killed and flayed (verse 11) on the 14th day; again this is work which is prohibited on the start of the feast of unleavened bread.
2 Chronicles 35:1* Moreover Josiah kept a passover unto the LORD in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
2 Chronicles 35:11* And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hands, and the Levites flayed them.
2 Chronicles 35:17* And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.
In Ezra is recorded the killing of the passover lamb on the 14th, it being eaten at the same time of the keeping of the feast of unleavened bread:
Ezra 6:
19* And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month.
20* For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
21* And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat,
22* And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
In Ezekiel the passover and the feast of unleavened bread are equated:
Ezekiel 45:21 In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.
In the New Testament, Christ and His disciples kept the passover. Here are verses pertaining to these feasts:
The language in Matthew 26 seems to fly in the face of the Old Testament directives that the preparation and killing of the passover was before the holy feasts of the eating of the passover and the first day of the feast of unleavened bread (wherein any manner of work is prohibited):
Matthew 26:
17* ¶ Now the first <4413> day of the feast of unleavened bread <106> the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
18* And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
19* And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.
20* Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.
But Mark 14:1 and Luke 22:1 equate the feast of passover with that of unleavened bread:
Mark 14:1* After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.
[It is an interesting side note that the added, italicized words say "The feast of him," being of Christ.]
Luke 22:1 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.
Subsequent passages in Mark and Luke echo the words of Matthew 26:
Mark 14:
12* ¶ And the first <4413> day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?
13* And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.
14* And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
15* And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.
16* And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
17* And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.
Luke 22:
7* ¶ Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed.
8* And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.
9* And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare?
10* And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in.
11* And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
12* And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready.
13* And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.
The apparent conflict in these New Testament English renderings can be reconciled by looking at the root of protos <4413>, being pro <4253>. By interpreting this word to mean not the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, but rather the day before the feast of unleavened bread, the apparent conflict with Mark 14:1 and Luke 22:1 and the Old Testament (especially Exodus 12) is avoided.
1 Corinthians 5:7* 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:
Jesus Christ had kept the Passover. Did He not keep it on the correct day? Of course He did. But the Pharisees kept theirs the following day. While Jesus was before Pilate, he asks:
John 19:14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
After Christ died, these verses show that it was a Pharisee passover/sabbath; but also that the preparation day was before the Passover and that the Passover was a sabbath.
Mark 15:42* ¶ And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
Luke 23:54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
Christ had eaten His passover meal already the night before – the same Biblical day – and now the Pharisees were preparing for theirs.
If for certain limited reasons a man cannot keep the Passover at the appointed time, he is commanded to keep it on a second date:
Numbers 9:
1 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
2* Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season.
3* In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it.
4* And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover.
5* And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.
6* And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day:
7* And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel?
8* And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you.
9* And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
10* Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD.
11* The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
12* They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it.
13* But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin.
14* And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.
2 Chronicles 30:15 Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought in the burnt offerings into the house of the LORD.
To be completed later...
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It is curious that ...
Numbers 1:
1* ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
2* Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls;
seems to record an event after ...
Numbers 9:
1 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
2* Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season.
3* In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it.
4* And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover.
5* And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.
=========== Strong's Definitions ============
0996 beyn {bane}
(sometimes in the pl. masc. or fem.) properly, the constructive form of an otherwise unused noun from 0995; TWOT - 239a; subst m (always used as a prep)
AV - between, betwixt, asunder, within, between, out of, from; 32
1) between, among, in the midst of (with other preps), from between
106 azumos {ad'-zoo-mos}
from 1 (as a negative particle) and 2219; TDNT - 2:902,302; adj
AV - unleavened bread 8, unleavened 1; 9
1) unfermented, free from leaven or yeast
1a) of the unleavened loaves used in the paschal feast of the Jews
1b) metaph. free from faults or the "leaven of iniquity"
4253 pro {pro}
a primary preposition; TDNT - 6:683,935; prep
AV - before 44, above 2, above ... ago 1, or ever 1; 48
1) before
4413 protos {pro'-tos}
contracted superlative of 4253; TDNT - 6:865,965; adj
AV - first 85, chief 9, first day 2, former 2, misc 7; 105
1) first in time or place
1a) in any succession of things or persons
2) first in rank
2a) influence, honour
2b) chief
2c) principal
3) first, at the first