Passover Lamb and Unleavened Bread the Same Meal
I wanted to show,
1) the day of the passover’s eating, was the day called the passover’s ‘sabbath’, Nisan 15— in Jn19:31 described as “That day being a great-day-sabbath”— and
2) how it is determined in its chronological context, this ‘sabbath’-day was independent of the weekly Sabbath and should not be confused for the ‘weekly’ Sabbath; and
3) then, that when Abib 16 “the day after the sabbath” would occur on the weekly Sabbath, First Sheaf Wave offering would also, and still, occur on Nisan 16, on the selfsame albeit incidental weekly Sabbath.
Deuteronomy 16, Exodus 12, Leviticus 23, Josua 5 and other
Scriptures of the Law
1) Remove leaven on Abib 14, ‘first day’
Ex34: 25Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice (Abib 14) with leaven.... Leaven had to be removed on Abib 14 before the sacrifice was killed on Abib 14. The implication is, Lamb and Leaven were eaten together.
12: 6The fourteenth day.... 14this day ye shall keep.... 15Even the first day ye shall put away leaven.... for whosoever eateth.... from the first day (Abib 14).... shall be cut off.... 20Ye shall eat nothing (of the sacrifice) leavened; in all your habitations shall ye (also) eat unleavened bread....
(The implication is sacrifice and unleavened bread were eaten together on the ‘first’ day of eating or ‘feast’-day. Sacrifice and unleavened bread were not eaten separately ever after the first passover of the exodus, see Ex12:39.)
2) Kill passover on Abib 14 during day
Dt16: 6Thou shalt sacrifice the passover at (or in the) even (‘even’ in the sense of ‘dawning towards’, that is, in the afternoon) at the going down of the sun.... (the fourteenth day implied.)
Nmb28: 16In the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD (killed).
Ex12: 5Your lamb.... 6ye shall
keep until the fourteenth
day....
Lv23: 5 In the fourteenth of the first month at (or in the) even (‘even’ in the sense of ‘dawning towards’, that is, in the afternoon), is the LORD’s passover (killed)....
Jos5: 10The children of
3a) Exodus:- Eat on the fourteenth day
Ex12: 6Keep it until the fourteenth day.... eat the flesh in that night.... 18In the first month on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening (after sunset) ye shall eat unleavened bread....
6.... On the fourteenth day in the evening you shall eat.... 8Eat the flesh in that night roast with fire, and, unleavened bread.... (The implication, again, is sacrifice and unleavened bread were eaten together on the first day of eating or ‘feast-day’. Sacrifice and unleavened bread were not eaten separately ever after the first passover of the exodus, see Ex12:39.)
3b) Later Law:- Eat on the fifteenth day, “Late”
Lv23: 6On the fifteenth day.... is the feast of unleavened bread.... seven days ye must eat unleavened bread; 7in the first day (of eating unleavened bread, Abib 15) ye shall have an holy convocation....
Nmb28: 17In the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shalt unleavened bread be eaten; in the first day (of eat, Abib 15) shall be a holy convocation: ye shall do no manner of servile work therein.
Jos5: 11They did eat.... unleavened cakes.... on the day-after [‘after’ Abib 14, v. 10; on ‘the day’-‘mochorath’, Abib 15; ‘mochorath’, e.g., Lv19: 6It shall be eaten the same day (‘yom’) you offer it, and on the following (next or second) day— ‘mochorath’ (which is not ‘morning’-‘boqer’): but if ought remain until the third day (‘yom’), it shall be burned in the fire. Therefore, in Jos5:11, ‘mochorath’=‘yom’]
Lv23: 6On the fifteenth day.... is the feast (of ‘eating’) of unleavened bread:- seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. 7In the first day (of the seven days of eating unleavened bread, Abib 15), ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
Even Numbers 9 agrees with the passover being killed on Abib 14 and – although not stated in so many words – being eaten in the night of Abib 15, after Abib 14. As in verse 11 implied, “The fourteenth day.... at (or in the) even (‘even’ in the sense of ‘dawning towards’, that is, in the afternoon) at the going down of
the sun they shall keep it (or ‘kill the passover’),
and (in the night after, on Abib 15),
eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; they shall leave none of it unto the morning....” or following day-time .
“At even” in, “The fourteenth day at even”, when they shall kill the passover, or, “keep it”, is from ‘ereb’— simply, ‘late’, like in Ex18:14, Lv11:24 et al, Nmb9:3 et al, Dt28:67, Jdg20:23 et al, and virtually is the equivalent of ‘behn ha arbayim’-‘between the two nights’, like in Ex29:39, 30:8, Lv23:5, Nmb9:5,11, 28:4.
4a) Exodus:- Departed on the fourteenth day
Ex12: 6.... the fourteenth day.... 12I will pass through.... this night.... 14this day shall be unto you a memorial.... 16In the first day an holy convocation.... 17ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of Egypt. 42It is a night to be much observed for.... this is that night of the LORD.... 13: 3Remember this day in which ye came out.... There shall be no leavened bread be eaten; 4 this day (the fourteenth day) came ye out in the month of Abib
4b) Later Law:- Departed on the fifteenth day
Dt16:1Observe the month of Abib and keep the passover.... for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.... 3that thou mayest remember the day....
Nmb33: 3They departed from Rameses in the first month on the fifteenth day of the first
month. On the day after the passover
(was killed) the children of
5a) Lamb Roasted and Eaten on Abib 15
Dt16: 7And thou shalt roast and eat it....
Ex12: 8Eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire....
9Eat not of it raw.... but [eat] roast with fire....
5b) Lamb and Unleavened Bread Eaten Together on Abib 15
Dt16: 3Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith....
4There shall not any of the flesh which thou sacrificedst the first day at even [14 Abib], remain all night (since sunset) until the morning.
Ex12: 8Eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire and unleavened bread....
18In the first month on the fourteenth day of the month at even / in the evening / late (‘ereb’, context demanding, after sunset) ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month in the evening / late (‘ereb’, context demanding, every day and after sunset).
19And that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire [in the following day-time, like with the remains of the lamb].
Lv23: 6On the fifteenth day.... is the feast (of ‘eating’) of unleavened bread:- seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. 7In the first day (of the seven days of eating unleavened bread, Abib 15), ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
The implication is whereas before passover-meal on Nisan 14 after sunset during the night was eaten before midnight, passover-meal now on Nisan 15 after sunset during the night was eaten before midnight.
“Concerning the feasts....”
Further indication and in fact confirmation, of the unmistakable identity of God’s weekly Sabbath Day in clearest distinction from any and all other days-of-‘sabbath’, is their repeated, separate, extraordinary, injunction in the various books of the Law. So in Leviticus, chapter 23, verse 2,
“Concerning the feasts / holy times of the LORD (here ordained), which ye shall proclaim (observe) holy convocations....”, and:-
1) First the Sabbath of God’s creation and redemption, the weekly Sabbath: Verse 3, mentioned before— as most important:-
“Six days shall work be done: but the-Seventh-Day-the-Sabbath-Day-of-Rest, is an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein in all your dwellings— it is the-Sabbath-(Day)-of-the-LORD.”
After it, verse 4 and onwards, follows:-
“These are the feasts / feast days (generally) .... in their seasons....”.
2) In Exodus 34:18-22 the Sabbath Commandment is put in the centre of the feasts of the LORD,
“21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the Seventh Day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest— thou shalt rest” (the Seventh Day Sabbath of the LORD, no matter which season!)
Besides the centrality of the Seventh Day Sabbath, this placing of it shows the Sabbath’s independence of other feasts as well as their independence, of the Seventh Day Sabbath.
3) In Numbers 29, the Sabbath is implied and alluded to at the end of the listing of the various holy convocational days,
“These things ye shall do unto the LORD in your set feasts [‘annual’: “seasons”, “feasts” ‘dated’, according to solar year], beside your vows and your freewill offerings....” under which the hallowing of the Seventh Day Sabbath by the people of God, must have sorted as a vow and freewill offering from a heart dedicated to and trusting in the LORD God.
4) No holy day directly or indirectly connects with the Seventh Day Sabbath of the LORD your God— no other holy or convocational day called a ‘sabbath’—
1) The Seventh Day Sabbath in no way except that it pointed to Christ, connects with the Day of Atonement that in Lv16:31 is called and distinguished a ‘sabbath day’
2) The Seventh Day Sabbath in no way except that it pointed to Christ, connects with “the first day of the month” on which also the People “shall have a sabbath” (Lv23:24).
3) The Seventh Day Sabbath in no way except that it pointed to Christ, connects with even the years of ‘sabbath’ found in the ‘fiftieth year-sabbath’ or Jubilee.
But that eschatological connection between the Seventh Day Sabbath and the Passover and the ‘sabbath’ of the Passover of Yahweh, was predestined for and appointed to the Anointed of the LORD to make in the Yom Yahweh, in that He entered in into the Kingdom of God the Kingdom of his Suffering, to triumph and glory in Victory of resurrection from the dead “In the Sabbath’s fullness” (Mt28:1)— namely, “after the sabbath” of the passover, in fulfilment namely, of the “First Sheaf Wave Offering Before the LORD”:- “It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you.... by a statute for ever”.
Summary
A) Day and Month
1) Deuteronomy mentions no dates;
2) Exodus dates all aspects of ‘the passover’, on Abib 14;
a. Leaven removed, and
b. sacrifice ‘killed’, in the day that it was:-
c. eaten / ‘feasted’, in the night after— on Abib 14, and
d. removed in the night after— on Abib 14.
3) Leviticus and all other Law date on Abib 14:-
a. sacrifice ‘killed’ on Abib 14 in daytime;
c. eaten / ‘feasted’, in the night after— on Abib 15, and
d. removed in the night after— on Abib 15 and burned the next daylight— on Abib 15.
B) “The passover” was eaten
1) while being roasted and
2) together with the first of unleavened bread being eaten;
3) in the night of Nisan 15,
4) on the passover’s own ‘sabbath day’ after Nisan 14
5a) on the ‘sabbath’ associated with passover’s feasting (Jn19:31, Lv23:11,15,16);
5b) on the “great day sabbath” determined according to the determination of the solar year; and
5c) not “The Sabbath according to the (Fourth) Commandment” (Lk23:56).
1) Exodus dates both sacrifice “without leaven” and meal of passover-sacrifice “without leaven”, on Nisan 14;
2) All the rest of the Law dates passover-sacrifice sacrificed on Nisan 14, and passover-sacrifice eaten, on Nisan 15;
3) The acknowledged difference between Exodus and the later Law being of prophetic significance showing how in the end-time the Passover Lamb of God and of us would become Sacrifice Sacrificed, and, Sacrifice Eaten, on Nisan 14, so that all the Scriptures concerning Him might be fulfilled.
Conclusion
“The day after the (passover’s) sabbath”, and day of First Sheaf Wave Offering Before the LORD, Nisan 16, in the year of our Lord’s death and resurrection, fell on the weekly Sabbath, and not on the First Day of the week or ‘Sunday’.
Accordingly:
Passover’s dates in the New Testament
Abib 14: “first day”, Dt 16:4 x Mk14:12, Mt26:17
“passover killed”, Mk14:12, Lk22:7.
“leaven removed”, Mk14:12, Lk22:7, Mt26:17.
Here is where the Christ of God began entrance into the
Now let us have another look at the legitimate arguments of ES to see if they are in conflict with our conclusions,
“....our Lord was in
fact, 'killed' on 14 Nisan (or Abib), just as the Scripture demands. .... 14
Nisan (or 14 Abib) is "Passover"
.... the Feast day
of Unleavened Bread, Nisan 15, which is a Sabbath, and an holy
convocation, according to Leviticus 23.”
“...."fifteenth
day" (of any month) is never even mentioned in Scripture, until the giving
of the Law of the feast days found in Lev. 23. That phrase is not to be found
in any of the three books that are commonly considered to precede Leviticus,
namely Job, as well as (logically) Genesis and Exodus. Hence, there would be no
reason to mention the specific Feast Day of "Unleavened Bread" on 15
Abib/Nisan prior to this. Merely read Lev. 23, (as well as other places that
mention "fifteenth") .... Did you happen to notice that neither
"Passover" nor "first-fruits" are said to be either
"Sabbaths" or an "holy convocation", here? And in fact, the
'wave sheaf' was to be waved specifically, on the day after the Sabbath!
....”
“The verses regarding
"firstfruits" and the 'wave sheaf' (Lev. 23:9-12) merely say "the
day after the Sabbath." I contend that "the day after the Sabbath"
means exactly that....”
“"Passover"
being the 14th day of the first month (23:5);
"Feast of
Unleavened bread" being the 15th day of the same month (23:6); ....
....
It goes without saying
that the "regular Sabbath" was every 7th day (Lev.
23:3).... The reason I said "regular weekly Sabbath" is based on the
NT, where the words "first day of the week" refer to obviously and
logically the day after the regular weekly Sabbath. ....
There was no
Scriptural prohibition, that Pentecost could not fall "on the
sabbath" that I can find in Scripture....” End quotes.
No contradictions!
Further confirmation:-
Matthew Henry
‘Commentary’,
In this chapter (Lv23) we have the institution of holy times. 1. The
weekly feast of the sabbath ver. 3. 2. The yearly feasts, 1. The passover, the
feast of unleavened bread (ver.4-8), to which was annexed the offering of the
sheaf of firstfruits, ver. 9-14. 2. Pentecost, ver. 15-22. ....
Verses 1-3
Here is, 1. A general account of the holy times which God appointed (v.
2).... Concerning the holy times here ordained, observe, 1. They are called
‘feasts’.... 2. They are the feasts of the Lord (‘my feasts’). 3. They were
proclaimed.... 4. They were to be sanctified....
2. A repetition of the law of the sabbath in the first place.... v.3....
Verses 4-14
Here again the feasts are called the ‘feasts of the Lord’, because He
appointed them....
1. A repetition of the law of the passover, which was to be observed on
the fourteenth day of the first month....
2. An order for the offering of a sheaf of the first-fruits, upon the
second day of the feast of unleavened bread; the first (day of the feast of
unleavened bread) is called the ‘sabbath’, because it was observed as a sabbath
(v. 11), and, on the morrow after, they had this solemnity.... a sheaf.... was
brought to the priest who was to heave it up.... We find that when they came in
to
Alexander Cruden,
‘Concordance’, ‘passover’,
The feast (of passover) was kept.... from the 14th to the 21st Nisan.... As the beginning of the month was dependent on the moon there was nearly a month’s difference between the possible times of (its) beginning. This is the reason for the varying dates of our Easter.... There were many rules as to the Passover Supper, some given in Exodus being for the first celebration only. quote end.
Actually the beginning of the “first of the months for you”, ‘Abib’, was dependent on the turn of the year with winter solstice, which was determined astrometrically – it is not stated in the Bible, though it is definitively implied in concepts of “season”, “times”, “new moons”, “harvest”, “proclaimed”, “set”. The day after winter solstice on which between sunset and sunset the new moon occurred (regardless of its visibility), was determined the first day of the First Month (Abib or Nisan). It could occur on any day of the week, naturally. As a result the fourteenth day of the month would also have occurred on any day of the week. Its date simply had nothing to do with the weeks’ cycle. It meant the passover’s “sabbath day” in Lv23:11,15,16, could fall on any ‘week-day’, and occasionally might have coincided with the weekly Sabbath Day.
This has been the universally accepted viewpoint in both Christianity and Judaism until only about a century ago certain ill-informed decided the word ‘sabbath’ in Leviticus 23 refers to the Seventh Day Sabbath. These people relied on documents of the Pharisees who – long after Christ – in their documents disputed the Sadducees’ viewpoint who – allegedly, according to the Pharisees – argued the word ‘sabbath’ in Leviticus 23 referred to the Seventh Day Sabbath. There never existed a source originally the Sadducees’ with this claim. Regardless, the enthusiasts took hold of the Sadducees’ second hand theory to build a case for Sunday-worship on the presumption of a coincidence of Sunday and the Resurrection and Pentecost / First Sheaf Wave Offering and First Loaves Wave Offering.
Needless to say, their theory has been nothing but conjecture and groundless speculation, refuted by every fact of Scripture, science and Christian and Judaic tradition.
This then established, that “the sabbath” and “the day after the sabbath” in Lv23:11,15,16 could have occurred on any week-day, it is established both First Sheaf Wave Offering and First Loaves Wave Offering, in the old dispensation or ministration, occurred on any week-day— the fact of which forces one to completely rely on the information given in the Gospels, to determine on which day of the week First Sheaf Wave Offering and First Loaves Wave Offering in the year of the death and resurrection of Jesus, indeed occurred. Which to find out and illustrate, I have been doing for many years, as far as I could see, from anybody’s every possible angle of approach— besides, having tried to show how the Sabbath Day promised, yea, and indeed was “appointed” in the end to be just the day upon which Christ would rise from the dead.
2 December 2008
Gerhard Ebersöhn,