Passover: A Memorial For All
Time
A Memorial of His Supreme Sacrifice
Shortly after the resurrection of the
Messiah and the death of the early Apostles, a great change took place among
those called out to be followers of the Messiah Yahshua*. Generally not realized today is that New
Testament worship sprang from roots firmly planted in the Old Testament and it
grew from the practices of
Instead
of paralleling worship founded in the Old Testament, today’s worship is far
removed from Israelite practices and, perhaps more significantly, from the
teachings of the early assembly established at Pentecost. When questioned about this disparity, today’s
average church member pleads ignorance. Generally unfamiliar with worship found in the Old Testament, today’s
churchgoer may contend that modern worship is based on the New Testament
only. Hasty appeal is made to Paul’s
writings.
Peter
warns about indiscriminate use of what Paul wrote, “And account that the long suffering of our Master is salvation; even as
our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote to
you; as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are
some things hard to be understood, which the ignorant and the unlearned wrest
as they do also the other scriptures to their own destruction, “ 2Peter 3:15-16.
*The
Messiah was a Hebrew. His name reflects His role as Savior and means, “Yahweh
is salvation.” He never had a Latinized-Greek name. Write for our free ministudy,
How the Savior’s Name Was Changed.
New Testament Passover Is Commanded
Perhaps out of ignorance, or more likely by design, there followed a deliberate mistranslation of key
words, errors that survive today, in the venerated King James Bible. Partly because of these, churchianity has substituted and twisted the meaning of some plain statements of the Bible.
Remember that the early Apostles and the
Messiah Himself based their teachings and authority on the Old Testament (Mat.
4:4). A blatant example of churchianity’s attempt to
divest the King James Bible of what it considered Judaism is found in Acts
12:4, where the word “Easter” appears. The Greek is “Pascha,” meaning the
Passover. It has no connection at all
with the pagan Saxon deity Eastre or Astarte (Easter),
the Syrian Venus, who is the abominable idol Ashtoreth in the Old Testament.
This grave error demonstrates the early
Christian’s goal to have nothing to do with the Jews. Pascha means
Passover and newer translations have acknowledged this mistake by translating
the word in Acts 12:4 as Passover and not Easter.
The King James Bible’s problem with
Passover does not stand alone. Passover,
which marks the beginning of Yahweh’s seven annual Feasts, continues to
generate more than its share of controversy not only among those of churchianity, but also among many sincere Bible believers.
Roman Catholics observe their own version
of this memorial every day in the form of “
Those who understand that this observance
is a commanded memorial to be kept once a year in the spring, recognize it as
the commemoration of the Passover of Exodus chapter 12. They also realize that it is a memorial of
our Savior’s death, to which the Old Testament observance pointed, and call it
Passover as did Yahshua and the disciples.
The Passover (and the other festivals) are to be kept as a statute “forever,” Leviticus 23:14. Passover will continue to be observed in the
coming Kingdom, Ezekiel 45:21. It was
kept by both the disciples and Yahshua Himself, in the evening, before His
impalement the following morning (Luke 22:11). Paul refers to that Passover night as “the same night in which He was
betrayed,” 1Corinthians 11:23-26. Peter
tells us to walk in the steps of Yahshua, doing what He did, when He did it,
1Peter 2:21.
Yahshua said He would partake of the
Passover again with His resurrected disciples in the Kingdom, Matthew 26:29: “But I say unto you, I will not drink
henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with
you in My Father’s kingdom” (see Mark 14:25, Luke 22:18).
These undeniable facts should leave us
without any question that the Passover is ongoing and is for us today in the
New Testament! Easter is an erroneous substitute for the true observance of
Passover. (See more about Easter at the end of this booklet.)
Evening Proper for Passover
The Passover memorial is to be observed in
the evening and not in the morning as if for breakfast, as some do with their
communion. It is to be observed in that
month in which green ears of barley appear in the Northern Hemisphere. Passover falls in the Hebrew month of Abib, a word meaning “green ears.” It is a spring month when green ears form on
the barley grain, Exodus 9:31.
The example of our Savior is that Passover
is to be determined by the lunar calendar. It is kept shortly after the day begins, which occurs at sunset and not
midnight as the custom in the world today. (Write for our ministudy,
When Does the Scriptural Day Begin?)
While some contend that Passover should be
kept as the thirteenth ends and the fourteenth begins, other maintain that it
should be held as the fourteenth ends and the fifteenth begins. Let us review the entire picture and see what
the Bible itself teaches. We must take
the Bible for what it says and not force our own interpretation upon the plain
statements of Scripture. If our
traditional practice is proved wrong by the Scriptures, then we must be willing
to change.
A cardinal rule for attaining clearer Bible
understanding is to take the first mention of a topic and learn all we can from
that introduction. For example, we must
understand that scripturally, days begin with evening or sunset. This fact it
told us in the first chapter of Genesis.
It makes sense that the day would end at
sunset and a new day would then begin. Not in the middle of darkness or midnight, as in our Roman
calendar. With a clear understanding of
the beginning and ending of Biblical days we can better perceive Yahweh’s plan
for mankind.
The sun and moon are to serve as signs for
the “moed” or the “appointed seasons,” times that are
set aside for the worship of Yahweh. In
Genesis 1:14 Yahweh says, “Let there be
lights in the expanse of the sky to separate day from the night; they shall
serve as signs for the set times [moedim]—the days and the years,” Tanakh.*
Even today we should be able to determine
when to observe the Annual Holy Days by the heavenly luminaries and how they
act upon the earth.
*[Except where noted, quotations from the
Old Testament will be from the Tanakh, the Jewish
Publications Society 1985 edition. We
will use the Jew’s own translation to present Bible truth, which may contradict
present Rabbinical teaching. However,
the accuracy and integrity of their Old Testament is readily acknowledged by
Bible scholars. Their hand-written
copies of the Old Testament were meticulously tested and checked down through
the centuries, and their English translation is excellent. Rabbinical teachings are often the traditions
of men, Mark 7:7.]
Tradition and the Real Thing
We recognize that many erroneous opinions
are generated when writers quote or rely upon the customs and traditions of the
Jewish Rabbinic teachers who naturally will defend their misguided practices
and customs. Neither can we place trust in authors who are ignorant of the Holy
Days of Leviticus 23 and who rely upon Pharisaical writings and traditions
without further inquiry.
Many attempt to establish the proper time
and custom for observing Passover from the New Testament, thinking perhaps it
is proper to see how the early disciples and church fathers observed it. This is not the best way. Serious study of Passover must begin in the
Old Testament to get the history and background to better understand the
momentous event. Jumping to the New
Testament to study Passover is like attempting to resolve a mystery novel
beginning with the third chapter, ignoring all previous chapters.
For a clear understanding of the Passover
commanded by Yahweh Himself, let us begin at square one—the Old Testament.
Exodus 12 reveals that the first Passover
kept by Israel was in Egypt. It is here
that we will glean our basic understanding of that great event. Exodus 12 is the cornerstone of everything
that occurred during the original Passover, and the basis for all other celebrations
of Passover.
Exodus 12:2 tells us, “[Yahweh] said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month
shall mark for you the beginning of the months, it shall be the first of the
months of the year for you.”
Still in Egypt, Israel was to observe “this
month” as the beginning of months or the first “moon’ of the year. This likely was a special saucer-shaped moon,
which it generally is this time of year near the equinox. Israel observed the first Passover in pagan
Egypt, not in Jerusalem, and could not for more than 40 years keep it in the
Promised Land.
“Speak
to the whole community of Israel and say that on the tenth of this month each
of them shall take a lamb to a family, a lamb to a household. But if the household is too small for a lamb,
let him share one with a neighbor who dwells nearby, in proportion to the
number of persons: you shall contribute for the lamb according to what each
household will eat,” Exodus 12:3-4,
Instructions are made for families or
households to prepare for the Passover by selecting a proper lamb (the Hebrew
word “she” also allows a kid goat) on the tenth day, which was to be kept four
days. Ten to twenty people were
considered proper for each lamb.
"Your
lamb shall be without blemish, a yearling male; you may take it from the sheep
or from the goats. You shall keep watch
over it until the fourteenth day of this month; and all the assembled
congregation of the Israelites shall slaughter it at twilight,” Exodus 12:5-6.
The animal was to be without defect, no
spot or blemish, signifying the sinless character of Yahshua, our Passover
Lamb. Later, a lamb instead of a goat
was always selected. It was to be cared for
until the fourteenth day of the month of Abib. The head of the household in the congregation
of Israel was responsible for killing the lamb for his family.
Note that the lamb was to be kept UNTIL the
fourteenth (“until” is the Hebrew “ad,” meaning “as far as,” “even unto,”
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance No. 5704) It was not to be kept through to the
END of the fourteenth, but up to the beginning of the fourteenth.
The concept is the same when a store takes
inventory and posts a sign reading, “closed until Thursday,” it means that when
Thursday morning comes, the store is reopened. Stickers placed on packages in December reading, “Don’t open until Xmas”
means that the minute that day arrives the packages may be opened.
Protected by the Blood of the Lamb
The time to slaughter the Passover lamb was
at twilight (or dusk) at the beginning of the fourteenth. Twilight is from the Hebrew beyn-ha-arbayim meaning literally “between the two evenings.” The first evening was sunset and the second
was dark. There was much to be
accomplished in the first six hours before midnight of the fourteenth, and no
time could be wasted. The consequence of
dallying was death. The new day
(fourteenth) started at sunset and the lamb was immediately slaughtered at this
twilight hour. More on this later.
“They
shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel
of the houses in which they are to eat it. They shall eat the flesh that same night; they shall eat it roasted over
the fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs,” Exodus 12:7-8.
Israel was to mark their doorposts and
lintels with blood for protection from the destroying angel the night of the
fourteenth. They were to eat of the
roasted flesh on that same night along with unleavened bread and bitter
herbs. Not the next night, or the following
night, but “that SAME night” it was killed, on the fourteenth. (Note that the
fifteenth has not been mentioned yet.)
“This
is how you shall cut it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your
staff at your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly: it is a Passover offering
unto [Yahweh]. For that night I will go through the land of Egypt, both man and
beast; and I will mete out punishments to all the [deities] of Egypt, I
[Yahweh],” Exodus 12:11-12.
Yahweh is still discussing the fourteenth.
So when He say He will go through the land of Egypt “that night,” He means on
the fourteenth, at midnight, in the same evening the Passover lamb was
killed. At Passover the angel “passes
over” the land. The blood marks the
outside doors of the obedient Israelites. Inside they are worried, apprehensive, and anxious as they nervously eat
the Passover lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
Had Israel waited until the end of the 14th
to slay the lamb and keep the Passover, their firstborn would already have been
killed by the death angel just as the Egyptians firstborn were killed because
they lacked the protecting blood?
Passover Kept as a Solemn Festival
“This
day shall be to you one of remembrance: you shall celebrate it as a festival to
[Yahweh] throughout the ages; you shall celebrate it as an institution for all
time,” Exodus 12:14.
Passover falls on Abib fourteen, and is not a holy day, but is to be celebrated along with the annual
festivals through the ages. It is to be
kept by the people of Yahweh forever. Israelites are huddled in their houses, prepared to leave, but fearful
and apprehensive. They do not go out of
their houses until morning for the destroying angel is about and busy this
night.
Daylight
brings a sigh of relief and thankfulness as obedient Israel has survived the
destruction of the night. The destroying
angel “passed over” their blood-protected houses. Now they can go outdoors to burn the Passover
lamb leftover, Exodus 12:10 and 22.
Now the Israelites tend to their flocks,
gather up their belongings, and prepare to move their families and herds from
Goshen to the gathering point at Ramses. They take their dough before it is leavened, and spoil of the Egyptians
objects of silver and gold, and clothing, which they are to put on themselves.
Those who have traveled with their families
to Yahweh’s Feasts know that in spite of preparation, schedules are hard to
meet. Not only did the Israelites have
to ready the family, but they also had to gather their herds and flocks and
meet at Rameses, some 10 or 20 miles distant,
according to Bible atlases. Exodus 12:37
reveals that 600,000 men of military age left Goshen. Adding wives, children, grandparents and the
aged to that number brings the total to 2-3 million people. It was a monumental task, comparable to
moving all the residents of a city like greater Dallas-Fort Worth to a staging
area.
Moses was recognized as an outstanding
military leader and was appraised of this great undertaking when he was called
by Yahweh back in Exodus chapter 3. With
Moses’ experience and guidance from Yahweh, he was able to move this vast
throng from Goshen to Rameses during daylight of the
fourteenth.
The Israelites evidently were not told
prior to this time to “spoil the Egyptians.” This is a very important point, namely, Yahweh gave prior information to
Moses only, Exodus 3:21-22. He outlines
His plan of deliverance to His servant Moses who would know what was to
come. Notice, Moses was told to relay
this information only to the elders of Israel—not the general—population—at
that time. Exodus 3:16-22 includes all
the words Yahweh gave to His servant Moses to prepare him for carrying out his
task, Amos 3:7.
The people were not told to spoil the
Egyptians until later, just before the last plague fell, as we read in Exodus
11:1-2:
“And
[Yahweh] said to Moses, I will bring but one more plague upon Pharaoh and upon
Egypt; after that he shall let you go from here; indeed, when he lets you go,
he will drive you out of here one and
all. Tell the people to borrow, each man
from his neighbor and each woman from hers, object of silver and gold.”
This is the first time that Moses is
allowed to tell the entire congregation of Israel that they are to spoil the
Egyptians. Moses told only the elders of
Yahweh’s plan before this time, Exodus 3:16. Later, the King James reads, “Speak now in the ears of the people…”
Exodus 11:2. Up to this point Moses had
not made this known, but now—just before Passover—the people shall learn that
they are to borrow from the Egyptians.
Unlike Passover, the Following Feast Is
Joyful
At Rameses all
Israel congregated in joyful anticipation, preparing to leave after sunset at
the beginning of the fifteenth, Numbers 33:3. Happily they finally leave Rameses for the
Promised Land on a full moon night, Deuteronomy 16:1.
Their attitude and outlook had
brightened. Passover had been solemn and
anxious. The fifteenth of Abib is an entirely different celebration, for this high
day is marked by joy and jubilation. The
Israelites were spared; their firstborn were alive, in contrast to the dead
firstborn throughout Egypt. The
Egyptians showered them with jewelry and clothing, and the atmosphere now
became festive and exciting.
The first day of Unleavened Bread
commemorates the gathering of Israel as a body at Rameses,
and on the last day of Unleavened Bread Israel marched through the Red Sea,
free of Egypt. The first and last days
of Unleavened Bread are memorials of these special days and are High Sabbaths.
A revealing admission is found in the
prestigious Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol. 13, article
“Passover,” page 169: “The feast of Passover consists of two parts: namely,
Passover ceremony, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Originally, both parts existed separately;
but the beginning of the exile they were combined.”
The Jewish Encyclopedia on page 553 dealing
with Passover and the days of Unleavened Bread says, “Two festivals, originally
distinct, have become merged.”
Hastings Bible Dictionary says on page 686,
article “Passover,” “Passover is always carefully distinguished from mazzoth [unleavened], which begins on the following
day. The celebration is domestic, and
not apparently at all connected with the central sanctuary.” Hastings points out that Passover is a family
affair, not connected with worship at the central sanctuary. They constitute two separate observances,
each on an entirely different night.
The Theological Wordbook of the Old
Testament, page 729, article, “Passover, “ states:
“Originally, both were separate feasts…”
Sadducees Reject Tradition of 15th
Passover
Because of their proximity and the fact
that Passover immediately preceded the days of Unleavened Bread, the entire
celebration became known as the “Feast of Passover.” Just as in our culture “Xmas holiday”
includes the entire season. By their own
admission, Jewish authorities confess that their customs in observing Passover
a day late on the fifteenth are not Biblical, but are traditions of men. In the Hebrew text, Passover is not called a
Feast.
Interestingly, most Jews now keep what they
call “Passover Dinner” at the synagogue, as the fifteenth begins, with a bare shankbone on the table. However, many also observe a family ceremony at home called the “Seder”
the night before. This is a vestige of
the correct Passover time, Abib fourteen. During the Seder service, a ceremony
described in Exodus 12:25-27 is enacted by the family even today.
The Sadducees were of the priestly tribe
and were in control of Temple worship while the Messiah sojourned upon this
earth according to a number of historians. They are reported as keeping Passover on the fourteenth and the first
day of Unleavened Bread on the fifteenth. The Sadducees are known for their conservatism, accepting only the
written laws of the Pentateuch. They
rejected the oral law based on human authority and clashed with the Pharisees
over the correct time for both Passover and Pentecost.
An argument is sometimes presented that the
proper observance should follow the tradition of the Pharisees, to keep
Passover at the end of the 14th as the 15th begins. Supporters of this erroneous teaching go to
Matthew 23:2-3: “The scribes and
Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe,
that observe and do; but do not after their works: for they say, and do not.”
The whole context of this chapter is
Yahshua’s castigating the hypocritical Pharisees for not doing what the Bible
says. They rightly bid the people to
observe the laws of Torah written down by Moses, but in practice they
themselves disobey. At least eight times
Yahshua scornfully denounced them for being hypocrites in reading the Scripture
and following their own customs. In the
closing verses of this chapter He says, “Behold, your house [Temple] is left
unto you desolate.”
The later custom of the Pharisees in
combining both Passover and Unleavened Bread into a single observance was
gaining in acceptance during the time of the Savior. John traces the Savior’s steps after He and
the Disciples had partaken of the Passover in John 13. Seized in the Garden, Yahshua was led into the praetorium to be judged. Notice the account given to us:
“Then
led they [Yahshua] from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgement:
and it was early: and they themselves [Jews] went not into the judgement hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they
might eat the Passover,” John 18:28.
Here the Jews were carefully keeping
themselves from defilement before they ate their Passover. But the Savior along with His disciples had
already kept Passover between the evenings on the fourteenth. The Jews, following the teachings of the
Pharisees, were a day late. Today’s
Judaism is an extension of the religion of the Pharisees. The Jewish customs of the Pharisees was to
observe Passover at the end of the fourteenth and the beginning of the
fifteenth.
We will now pursue a deeper study of the
Bible’s fourteenth Passover to learn of Yahweh’s unmistakable instruction.
Day Ends and Begins at Sundown
As we have already see, days begin
scripturally at sundown. Now let us
examine the very beginning of the created day in the Bible, returning to
Genesis for foundational understanding.
With the setting of the sun, ereb (evening) arrives and the new day begins. Evening begins the 24-hour day, Genesis 1:5b;
“And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.” Genesis 1:8b; “And there was evening and
there was morning, a second day,” Genesis 1:13; “And there was evening and
there was morning, a third day,” etc.
Thus it is clear that Biblical days begin
at evening with the setting of the sun and not at sunrise as in ancient
Egypt. Deuteronomy 23:10-11 shows that a
man is unclean until the day is over and the sun has set. Other verses are Leviticus 11:24-25, 22:6-7
and Deuteronomy 23:10-12, showing that one is unclean until he bathes and at
the setting of the sun he is clean. As
the sun sets and a new day begins, the man is clean.
As further proof, Leviticus 23:32 clearly
describes the proper time to observe the day of Atonement, which begins on the
tenth as soon as the ninth ends, “in the ninth day of the month at even, from
even unto even, shall you celebrate your Sabbath.” Evening to evening means
sunset to sunset.
Here’s more proof that sundown ends one day
and begins another day again, taken from the Book of Judges.
For seven days of the wedding feast the
people of Timnah were unable to solve the riddle
proposed by Samson. However, just before
sunset, which ended the seventh day, they guessed his riddle, Judges 14:13-18.
Note verse 18:
“And the men of the city said unto him on
the seventh day BEFORE THE SUN WENT DOWN, What is sweeter than honey? And what
is stronger than a lion…”
The men gave Samson the answer to the
riddle at the last minute, at the close of the seventh day just before the
sunset. Samson lost out in the last few
minutes of the day.
When the Timnah townsmen succeeded in guessing the riddle at the very sunset end of the final
day, an angered Samson killed 30 men of Ashkelon to obtain the promised
clothing.
Joshua 8:28-29; 10:26-27; John 19:31 are in
harmony with Deuteronomy 21:23, “You must not let his corpse remain on the
stake overnight, but must bury him the same day.”
The beginning of each day is at sunset
bringing in the evening, giving some 12+ hours of darkness preceding
daylight. Technically, we can say that
every day has only one evening (or dusk or twilight) and it comes first,
followed by night and then sunrise and daylight until the next sunset.
Passover on the Fourteenth, Feast on the
Fifteenth
A careful reading of the words of the Tanakh reveals that the Passover and first day of
Unleavened Bread are not combined, but are distinguished as separate:
“In
the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, there shall
be a Passover offering to [Yahweh],” Leviticus 23:5.
Notice that the Passover offering is made
when twilight arrives, which is after sunset at the beginning of the new day of
the fourteenth. Verse five concludes the
instruction for Passover. The next day,
the fifteenth, is the Festival.
Reflecting upon the events of that first
Passover, we must perceive there was much to do on the fourteenth. No time could be lost and much preparation
had to be carried out beforehand. Preparing the lamb was no easy matter. The lamb had to be eviscerated and the stomach and entrails emptied and
washed as commanded in Leviticus 1:9, then stuffed back into the body cavity
before being roasted whole.
If it is not cleaned out, methane gas
builds up in the lamb’s digestive tract. Those who have ignorantly insisted upon killing a lamb even today for
Passover have had their lamb explode when pent-up gas ignited from the roasting
fires!
Israelites also had to gather fuel for the
roasting fire and prepare a bed of coals for immediate cooking of the entire
lamb. There was much preparation to be
done and a busy time. Little wonder
Yahweh had them start as soon as the fourteenth began at sundown to allow His
people maximum preparation time.
The following morning they removed the
Passover leftovers, looked after their herds and flocks, and spoiled the
Egyptians, all the while preparing to gather at the Rameses staging area. The day of Passover ends
at sunset, and now Israel prepares to leave Egypt from Rameses on the fifteenth. For a better idea of
all that took place, see the chart in the center of this booklet.
“And on the fifteenth day of the month [is
Yahweh’s] Feast of Unleavened Bread. You
shall eat unleavened bread for seven days. On the first day you shall celebrate a sacred occasion: you shall not
work at your occupations,” Leviticus 23:6-7.
Note the fifteenth starts the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, which lasts seven days. The first day is a special meeting or gathering of Yahweh’s people just
as all Israel gathered as a body at Rameses the next
night following Passover. The fourteenth
ends at sunset bringing on the fifteenth, which is the first day of Unleavened
Bread.
Between the Evenings, Beyn-ha-Arbayim
The Tanakh states
the Passover was offered to Yahweh at TWILIGHT, which is from the Hebrew “Beyn-ha-arbayim.” The King James Version has “at even,” a very poor translation of a
critical Hebrew idiom. “Beyn-ha-Arbayim” literally is “between the evenings.” The first evening is said to start with the
setting of the sun, and the second is total darkness. Between sunset and darkness is a period of
some 40+ minutes, called dusk or twilight. Later tradition erroneously says that “between the evenings” is any time
between noon and sunset. But that is not
the definition of “beyn-ha-arbayim.
The Hebrew expression, “Beyn-ha-arbayim”
is not found outside the Bible, according to authorities. It does not appear at least 11 times in the
Bible and is clearly that period of time after sunset when there is enough
light to perform necessary tasks such as lighting the lamps just before dark
when Aaron burns the incense, Exodus 30:8: “And
Aaron shall burn it at twilight [beyn-ha-arbayim]
when he lights the lamps—a regular incense offering…” One would hardly
expect the Tabernacle lamps to be lit at noon or even 3 p.m. to burn the
precious olive oil needlessly in the brightest part of the day before 6 p.m. or
sunset!
As
has already been shown, The Jewish Publication Society’s Bible distinguishes
between Passover and Unleavened Bread in Leviticus 23:5-6b, “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of
the month at dusk is [Yahweh’s] Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same
month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto [Yahweh].”
Passover is to be held after sunset, the
beginning of the fourteenth. Competent
Bible translators agree that the Hebrew expression “Beyn-ha-arbayim”
does not mean in the afternoon, but the time of twilight after sunset and
before dark at the day’s very beginning. This fact is borne out in the following translations of Leviticus
23:5-6a:
The Septuagint: “In the first
month, on the fourteenth of the month, between the two evenings, is the
Passover for [Yahweh].”
The
Torah, JPS: “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at
twilight, there shall be a Passover offering to [Yahweh], and on the fifteenth
day of that month [Yahweh’s] Feast of Unleavened Bread.”
The
New English Bible: “In the first month on the fourteenth between dusk and
dark is Yahweh’s Passover. On the
fifteenth day of this month begins [Yahweh’s] pilgrim-feast of Unleavened Bread.”
Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible: “In the first
month, on the fourteenth of the month, between the evenings is a Passover unto
Yahweh; and on the fifteenth day of this month is the festival of unleavened
cakes unto Yahweh.”
The
New International Version: “[Yahweh’s] Passover begins at twilight on the
fourteenth day of the first month. On
the fifteenth day of that month [Yahweh’s] Feast of Unleavened Bread begins…”
Smith
and Goodspeed: “On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the
Passover to [Yahweh]. On the fifteenth
day of the same month is the feast of unleavened cakes to Yahweh…”
James Moffatt: “On the fourteenth day of the first
month towards evening the Passover of [Yahweh] begins. On the fifteenth day of the same month the
festival of unleavened bread in honour of [Yahweh]
begins…
Just what Moffatt means by “toward evening” is clarified by his translation of Exodus 12:6, “But
you must keep it till the fourteenth day of the same month, when every member
of the community of Israel shall kill it between sunset and dark.”
The
Catholic Confraternity: “The Passover of [Yahweh] fall on the fourteenth
day of the first month, as the evening twilight. The fifteenth day of this month is [Yahweh’s]
Feast of Unleavened Bread…”
The
Jerusalem Bible: “The fourteenth day of the first month, between the two
evenings is the Passover of Yahweh; and the fifteenth day of the same month is
the feast of Unleavened Bread for Yahweh…”
The
New American Standard: “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the
month at twilight is [Yahweh’s] Passover. Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of
Unleavened Bread unto [Yahweh]…’
The
New World Translation: “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the
month, between the two evenings is the Passover to [Yahweh]. And on the
fifteenth day of this month is the festival of unfermented cakes to [Yahweh]…”
The
Amplified Bible: “On the fourteenth day of the first month between evening
is [Yahweh’s] Passover. On the fifteenth
day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to [Yahweh]…”
The
New Revised Standard Version: “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of
the month, at twilight, there shall be a Passover offering to [Yahweh]; and on
the fifteenth day of the same month is the festival of unleavened bread to
[Yahweh]…”
Jay
P. Greene’s Interlinear: “In the first month, on the fourteenth of the
month, between the evenings, (is) the Passover to [Yahweh]; and on the
fifteenth day of this month (is) the feast of unleavened things to [Yahweh].”
All good translations tell us the Passover
lamb was to be slain on the fourteenth, between sunset and dark, between the
evenings. That period was called dusk,
twilight, evening, which must be at the very beginning of the fourteenth. On the fifteenth is the Feast of Unleavened
Bread. The Bible translators were not
out to uphold a doctrine, but simply to render the Hebrew phrase into the most
scholarly, faithful English possible.
To
force the expression “Beyn-ha-arbayim” to mean any
time after 12:00 noon until sunset, which was foisted upon us by later
rabbinical teaching, simply is not acceptable, but is rejected by scholarly
Hebrew translators. “Beyn-ha-arbayim”
means the time between sunset and darkness. Thus, Passover is after the setting sun ends the thirteenth and brings
in the fourteenth. Biblical days begin
with evening.
Furthermore, the related Hebrew word “arab” (Strong’s No. 6150) is a prime root in the sense of
covering with a texture, meaning “to grow dusky at sundown.” How can it possibly mean the brightest part
of the day—early afternoon—when the sun is brightest? Even the “Arab” peoples
are known as a “dusky” or dark peoples.
Eating Quail at Dusk, Exodus 16
Exodus 16 relates Israel’s arrival at the
wilderness of Sin on the fifteenth of the second month. Most commentaries acknowledge that this was a
likely a Sabbath, for Israel is told to count six days, verse five. The grumbling Israelites are informed that
their complaining has reached Yahweh and He says in Exodus 16:12:
" have heard the grumbling of the
Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you
will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am Yahweh Elohim,’” NIV.
Israel is promised that at beyn-ha-arbayim they will eat flesh. In verse six Yahweh says Israel will witness
“in the evening” (Hebrew “ba-ereb”) that it was
Yahweh Who brought them out of Egypt. At
evening He will perform a miracle.
In
verse 13 we see the miracle happen at “ba-ereb”
(evening). The Sabbath was over and
Yahweh went to work, providing quail for the Israelites after sunset. “That
evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer
of dew around the camp. When the dew was
gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor,” verses
13-14, NIV.
Here is proof positive. Notice that at evening (“ba-ereb”)
at sunset the quail came in and covered the camp. The Israelites cleaned, skinned and roasted
the birds and ate them “beyn-ha-arbayim” at dusk,
just as Yahweh had said. Evening arrived
at sunset, and the quail covered the camp, and the Israelites ate meat “between
the evenings,” at twilight before it was completely dark. Thus, we can see that “beyn-ha-arbayim”
takes place after sunset, at dusk, and before complete darkness.
“Ba-ereb” (at
even, evening) is found in Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, and 31 to mark the days
in the beginning of creation. It is also
found in Leviticus 23:32, “from even unto even shall you celebrate your
Sabbath.” “Beyn-ha-arbayim”
follows “ba-ereb,” and comes after sunset.
Strangely, the Tanakh translates Exodus 16:12 as evening, not the more correct “twilight.”
However, their 1955 Bible reads
“dusk.” The allegation that “beyn-ha-arbayim” refers to that period of time from noon to
sunset is completely false, as this verse proves. Exodus
16 is proof that between the evenings occur only after sunset, “ba-ereb.” This is the time they were to sacrifice the lamb
on the 14th of Abib.
Jewish Writers Confirm Dusk, Twilight
Ben Yehudah’s English and Hebrew Dictionary, page 98, says
“dusk” is English for the Hebrew phrase “beyn-ha-arbayim.”
J.H. Hertz, a Jewish commentator who edited
the Pentateuch and Haftorah, translated “between the
two evenings” as “dusk,” in Leviticus 23:5, Exodus 12:6, Numbers 9:1 and 11.
The
Jewish Family Bible according to the Masoretic text (editors Rabbi Morris A. Gutstein, Ph.D.,
D.H.L. and Rabbi David Gravbart D.D., Ph.D.) translates “between the two evenings”
as “dusk.”
Dictionaries define dusk as the time after
sunset and before total darkness. Never
can dusk be anytime after noon until sunset.
The Interpreter’s Bible confirms that the Hebrew expression, “beyn-ha-arbayim”
has been reinterpreted by the Jews. The
Rabbinical teaching from noon onward is a newer and erroneous teaching. Notice:
“The usage of the time referring to that
after sunset and before darkness is the older practice,” page 919.
“Bo”---Going Down of the Sun, Sunset
There was much to be done the night before
the destroying angel came over Egypt, and no time was wasted. The lamb was slain at the very beginning of
the new day, at sunset when one day ended and the new day began. The evidence for the exact time for slaying
the lamb at the beginning of the fourteenth is very clear from Deuteronomy
16:6:
“But
at this place where [Yahweh] your Elohim will choose
to establish His name, there alone shall you slaughter the Passover sacrifice,
in the evening, at sundown [“Bo”], the time of day when you departed from
Egypt,” Tanakh. Isn’t this translation admitting that Israel left Egypt at “sundown,”
which was the next night after Passover on the fifteenth Abib?
The word “sundown” is translated from the
Hebrew “Bo” (Strong’s No. 935). When
used in association with the sun it has the sense or meaning of set (go in,
enter), and is the opposite of sunrise, (go forth, arise). “Bo” is the proper time to sacrifice the
Passover lamb. Israel left Rameses the next night after sundown at the beginning of
the fifteenth of Abib.
Clearly the Passover was to be killed as
the setting sun ended the thirteenth and also started the next day, the
fourteenth.
The following verses illustrate the
translation of the Hebrew word “Bo,” which clarify it as sunset or when the sun
goes into the horizon according to Brown, Driver and Briggs Hebrew Lexicon:
Genesis 15:12, the sun was about to set,
and verse 17; when the sun set; Genesis 28:11, the sun had set; Exodus 17:12,
until the sun set; Exodus 22:26, before the sun sets; Leviticus 22:7, as soon
as the sun sets; Deut. 23:11, at sundown; 24:13, at sun down; 24:15, same day
before the sun sets; Joshua 8:29, at sunset; 10:13, did not press on to set –
[hasted not to go down]; 10:27, at sunset; Judges 19:14, the sun set; 2Samuel
2:24, the sun was setting; 2Samuel 3:35, before sundown; 1Kings 22:36, as the
sun was going down.
Thus, Deuteronomy 16:6 in explaining that
the Passover Lamb was to be killed at “Bo,” clearly means as the sun sets and
another day has begun. Passover starts
as the sun sets ending the thirteenth and dusk brings on the fourteenth.
Numbers Proves Passover is the
Fourteenth
Yahweh commands Moses: “Let the Israelite people offer the Passover
sacrifice at its set time: you shall offer it on the fourteenth day of this
month, at twilight, at its set time; you shall offer it in accordance with all
its rules and rites. Moses instructed
the Israelites to offer the Passover sacrifice and they offered the Passover
sacrifice in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight,
in the wilderness of Sinai…” Numbers 9:2-5.
Notice Israel was to offer the Passover
sacrifice “on the fourteenth day of this month [Abib],
at twilight.” This means the Passover
lamb was to be sacrificed following the setting sun of the thirteenth, for
twilight came and the fourteenth had begun. Had they sacrificed the Passover as the fourteenth ended at twilight,
the lamb would have been killed on the fifteenth.
And it was to be offered in “accordance
with all its rules and rites.” This mean
EVERYTHING dealing with the Passover sacrifice was to be done on the
fourteenth, “at its set time”: the killing of the Passover lamb, the
disemboweling, cleaning of the entrails, stuffing them back in the body cavity,
and the roasting thereof. The rites and
ceremonies included even more than that.
The eating of it and the unleavened bread
all had to be completed on the fourteenth, its “set time.” In no way can one kill it on the fourteenth,
roast it on the fifteenth and eat it on the fifteenth and be in accord with
Yahweh’s direct command. The fifteenth
is a high Sabbath and Passover is the “preparation day” for the first day of
unleavened bread. Nowhere are we told we
can roast or eat any of the Passover on the fifteenth.
Passover is to be kept:
· By all Israelite people
· At its set time
· On the fourteenth day of Abib
· At twilight
· In accord with all its rules
· According to all ceremonies
Numbers 9:3 in the King James reads: “In the fourteenth day of this month, at
even, you shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites
[No. 2708 in Strong’s chuqqah = enactment] of it, and
according to all the ceremonies [No. 4941 Mishpat =
verdict] thereof, you shall keep it.”
Unless you obediently keep the Passover
with all the rites and ceremonies and keep them all on the fourteenth, you are
disobeying Yahweh! The rites are the “chuqqah”
(feminine of No, 2706, from No. 2710), enactment as laws, and rendered:
appointed, custom, ordinance, site, statute. Anything commanded by Yahweh
dealing with the Passover it to be accomplished on the fourteenth. Anything left over was to be disposed of in
the morning (“boqer”) or daylight of the fourteenth.
The “ceremonies” are from Strong’s No.
4941, “mishpat,” from No. 8199, “verdict.” It means a
verdict pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree…including
the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty. Both words carry the meaning of judicial
enactment of those things involved in Passover. There is no middle ground in keeping the Passover. It is to be done
exactly as Yahweh has commanded and to be completed on the fifteenth of Abib.
Numbers 9:11 reads if one is defiled or on
a long journey, he then “shall offer it in the second month, on the fourteenth
day of the month at twilight.” Similarly,
the second month’s Passover is offered at twilight (after sunset of the
thirteenth) as the fourteenth begins. Clearly, the Passover is a very important rendezvous with Yahweh, which
He fully expects His people to observe.
Notice Numbers 28:16-17:
"In
the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, there shall be a Passover
sacrifice to [Yahweh], and on the fifteenth day of that month a festival. Unleavened Bread shall be eaten for seven
days. The first day shall be a sacred
occasion: you shall not work at your occupations.”
On the fourteenth of Abib is the Passover sacrifice. On the
fifteenth of the month is the festival. There are two separate observances, the Passover sacrifice to Yahweh
followed by the festival (feast) of Unleavened Bread (Hebrew chag, No. 2282, from No. 2287, a joyful, merry time).
Hezekiah kept the Passover in the second
month because there was not sufficient time to sanctify the priests. We read in 2Chronicles 30:15, “They
slaughtered the Paschal sacrifice on the fourteenth of the second month…” verse
21 reveals, “The Israelites who were in Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened
Bread seven days, with great rejoicing…”
They were so joyful, they kept the Feast an
additional seven days---Passover not included! ---seven more joyous days verse
23.
In Josiah’s time we learn, All the
Israelites present kept the Passover at that time, AND the Feast of Unleavened
Bread for seven days,” 2Chronicles 35:17. Please note that they kept the Passover first, followed by the Feast of
Unleavened Bread for seven days.
When the Jews returned from Babylon, we
read, “The returned exiles celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth day of the
first month,” Ezra 6:19. In verse 22 we
read they then “joyfully celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven
days.” These are two separate occasions.
‘Asah’ and the Erroneous
Fifteenth Passover
To cling to the erroneous concept of
keeping Passover on the end of the fourteenth, some seize upon the word Hebrew Asah, Strong’s No. 6213. They wrongfully maintain that Asah does not
mean to celebrate, but to prepare or kill. They contend Asah means only prepare or kill
and does not mean to eat or partake of the Passover meal. With this false premise they build a case saying
the Passover lamb was killed or prepared on the fourteenth but eaten on the
fifteenth.
Asah is variously
translated and emphatically stated in Strong’s that it is used in the widest
application from preparing to the broadest sense of feasting, keeping, perform,
practice and many other meanings.
Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew Gesenius has almost four complete columns given to the
meaning of Asah. It is used much like our English word “do.” Asah appears in
2Chronicles 30 dealing with king Hezekiah keeping the Passover in verses 1, 2,
3, 5, all referring to celebrating the Passover, not merely killing or
preparing the Passover.
Verses 13 and 23 use Asah in reference to the days of Unleavened Bread with no killing mentioned. Exodus 31:16 and Deuteronomy 5:15 both use Asah referring to the Sabbath, with no slaughter
mentioned. We cannot limit Asah only to mean kill or prepare. It means to observe, keep, celebrate, do, and
perform.
Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies says Asah means “to do, make, &c., to observe; see observe.”
Under “observe” we read, “to do; to observe the Sabbath, &c., implies those
active duties required on the Sabbath.”
If we are told someone does not keep or
“do” Xmas, does that means he just does not eat Xmas candy? Or does it mean he has nothing to do with
this pagan holiday? If we are told someone does not keep or "“do”
birthdays, does that mean he refrains just from eating birthday cake? Or does
it mean he dispenses with the entire affair? As we have clearly seen in Numbers
9:1-5, Israel observed EVERYTHING connected with the Passover on the
fourteenth—killing, roasting, eating…
Unleavened Bread and Passover Are
Separate
When Yahweh made the covenant with Israel,
not only did He give them the Ten Commandments, but also commanded they observe
the Feast days as a part of that Covenant. The celebrations of these High Sabbaths begin with the days of
Unleavened Bread, which follow Passover, and continues with Pentecost and
Tabernacles. Notice Exodus 23: 14-17.
“Three
times a year you shall hold a festival for Me. You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread—eating unleavened bread
for seven days as I have commanded you—at the set time in the month of Abib, for in it you went forth from Egypt; and none shall
appear before Me empty-handed; and the Feast of Harvest of the first fruits of
your work, of what you sow in the field; and the Feast of the Ingathering at
the end of the year, when you gather in the results of your work from the
field. Three times a year all your males
shall appear before the Sovereign [Yahweh].”
Interestingly, Passover is not mentioned
here at all! To be sure, Yahweh expects His people to keep the Passover first,
that is understood. Yahweh starts with
the Feast of Unleavened Bread to commemorate their gathering at Rameses on the first day of the crossing through the Red
Sea on the final day of Unleavened Bread. He then follows with Pentecost and the fall feasts to emphasize His plan
of salvation.
The daylight portion of Abib 14 was spent spoiling the Egyptians as families of the redeemed gathered their
flocks and herds as a body at Rameses some 10 –20
miles away. They were stationed in a
military marching order by Moses (“ordered host, “ Ex. 12:41) with their flocks
and herds, readied for their trek out of Egypt. On the last day of the seven
days of Unleavened Bread they crossed over the Red Sea and were completely free
of Egypt.
The days of Unleavened Bread are very
important to Yahweh. Notice that in
Exodus 34 where He rewrote the tablets of the Covenant, Yahweh again commands
Israel,
“You
shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread—eating unleavened bread for seven
days, as I have commanded you—at the set time of the month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you went forth from Egypt,” Exodus 34:18. Here we again find that Passover as in Exodus
23:14-17 is not mentioned. Passover is a
separate celebration kept as a family and has a different meaning. These two are not to be combined as a
unit. The Feast of Unleavened Bread,
which follows, is a gathering of all Israel.
The above in no way is meant to imply that
Passover is to be ignored or forgotten. It is actually so important that it is the sole observance one can keep
later if for some reason one is unable to participate in its observance. Obviously Israelites are so dedicated in
keeping Passover that it was a foregone conclusion that it would be celebrated,
followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread. If an Israelite did not keep it, he was cut off, Numbers 9:13.
Because of the ignorance of the early Bible
translators, the King James Bible lacks the finer definition or better
translation of some very important Hebrew words. The translators were not schooled in Hebrew,
and cared little for the religion of ancient Israel. In fact, we read that they detested the Jews.
Seven Days, Not Eight
Let us carefully examine the allegation
that we teach that we are to have eight days of unleavened bread. The issue is that if we eat unleavened bread with
the Passover, and then eat unleavened bread for seven more days, then we eat
bread for a total of eight days, while the Bible demands only seven days of
unleavened bread.
Deuteronomy 16:2-3 answers and clarifies
the issue. The Bible teaches that we are
to eat unleavened bread with the Passover, and an additional seven days
following of unleavened bread.
The Tanakh and Torah, two Jewish publications, clearly
show that Passover is followed by seven days of Unleavened Bread:
“You
shall slaughter the Passover sacrifice for [Yahweh] your [Elohim],
from the flock and the herd, in the place where [Yahweh] will choose to
establish His name. You shall not eat
anything leavened with it; for seven days thereafter you shall eat unleavened
bread, bread of distress—for you departed from the land of Egypt hurriedly—so
that you may remember the day of your departure from the land of Egypt as long
as you live,” Deuteronomy 16:2-3.
The
Jewish Publication Society’s Torah (The five books of Moses) emphasizes,
“You shall not eat anything leavened with it (Passover); for seven days
thereafter you shall eat unleavened bread, bread of distress—for you departed
from the land of Egypt hurriedly—so that you may remember the day of your
departure from the land of Egypt as long as you live,” Deuteronomy 16:3.
The
King James reads, “Seven days shalt thou eat
unleavened bread therewith,” (therewith meaning seven days in addition to the
Passover). Seven additional days eating unleavened bread following Passover!
The Passover with a family gathering,
eating the lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The days of Unleavened were spent in
convocation with the entire nation of Israel. These are two separate observances.
After partaking of the Passover on the
fourteenth, for seven days thereafter-unleavened bread is to be eaten. The first day of Unleavened—fifteenth—and the
last day of Unleavened—the twenty-first—are High Sabbaths.
It should be noted that this is the second
giving of the law to a new generation going into the Promised Land, spoken to
as if they had themselves been in Egypt. Celebrating the Passover brings us a sense of having been there with
them.
Sunrise? Sunset? Midnight
Does it matter when the day begins, scripturally? Of course it does. Feast and Sabbath observances depend on it. And so does Almighty Yahweh. Discover how your Creator determines the beginning and ending of the day. Send for your free copy of the booklet, When Does the Sc