BACK A CALENDAR OF THE HEBREW PASSOVER
A suggested chronology for the events in the Hebrew Passover		 BACK

FROM THE OBVIOUS TO THE OBSCURE

The following passages provide information on the Hebrew Passover: Exodus 12:1-51, 13:3-10, 23:14-19, 24:18-26, Leviticus 23:4-14, Numbers 9:1-14, 28:16-25, Deuteronomy 16:1-6. In these passages the timing of some events is not precise. This has frustrated many Bible commentators. This study is an attempt to first ascertain what is definite and then interpret the obscure in the light of what is obvious. In the chart below events for which the timing is clearly given and for which the dates are clearly fixed are used to decide where the less obvious slot in.

I) THE FOLLOWING ARE OBVIOUS

HEBREW DAYS

NIGHT-TIME PRECEDES DAYTIME

Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

* In a Hebrew day the evening comes before the morning.  Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31.

TIMING OF PASSOVER EVENTS

THE PASSOVER WAS COMMEMORATED  IN THE MONTH ABIB

Deuteronomy 16:1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.

IT WAS TO BE OBSERVED IN JERUSALEM

Deuteronomy 16:2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there.

THERE WAS A TOTAL OF SEVEN DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD

Exodus 12:19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: ...

STARTING ON THE EVENING OF THE 14th OF THE FIRST HEBREW MONTH - CALLED ABIB -

Exodus 12:18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even*, ye shall eat unleavened bread ...

[This is also how it was understood by Edersheim ( See below )]

TERMINATED AT THE ONSET OF THE 21st OF ABIB.

Exodus 12:18 ... ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even*.

So the total of seven days of unleavened bread  were complete by the end of the 20th. day of Abib.

THE 15th. OF ABIB WAS A SABBATH HIGH DAY

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: ...

INCLUDING THE 15TH. THERE WERE SIX DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD

Deuteronomy 16:7 And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents. 8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.

This confirms that the total of seven days of unleavened bread terminated before the 21st.

SPECIAL SACRIFICES WERE MADE FROM THE 15th. SABBATH HIGH DAY TO THE 21st. SABBATH HIGH DAY

Leviticus 23:7 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.

THESE WERE FOLLOWED BY A SABBATH HIGH DAY - ON THE SEVENTH DAY

Deuteronomy 16:7 And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents. 8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.

So the 21st. of Abib was also a Sabbath High Day.

THE CHART BELOW ILLUSTRATES HOW THESE FACTORS FIX THE TIMING OF EVENTS

Copyright © 2003
Simply Christians		 CALENDAR OF THE HEBREW PASSOVER WEEK UK Charity Registration no.1056418
BACK THE MONTH OF ABIB [Also known as Nisan] BACK
13th. 14th. 15th. 16th. 17th. 18th. 19th. 20th. 21st.
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PREPARING
FOR
THE
PASSOVER		 THE
LAMB
SLAIN		 SEVEN DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD "EVEN" A
FEAST
THE PASSOVER SIX DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD
LAMB
EATEN		 PREPARING FOR THE HIGH DAY SEVEN DAYS OF SPECIAL SACRIFICES
1st.BORN SLAIN "A HIGH DAY" SABBATH THE WAVE OFFERING Lev.23:9-15   "A HIGH DAY" SABBATH
13th. 14th. 15th. 16th. 17th. 18th. 19th. 20th. 21st.

MORE FACTORS FROM THE FIRST PASSOVER (ALSO KNOWN AS THE EGYPTIAN PASSOVER).

THE PASSOVER WAS TO BE EATEN AT NIGHT AND BEFORE DAYBREAK

Exodus 12:6 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 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.

Exodus 12:10 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.

THE ANGEL OF DEATH 'PAST OVER' ON THE 14th. OF ABIB AND THE EGYPTIAN FIRSTBORN WERE SLAIN IN THE NIGHT OF THE 14th. OF ABIB

Exodus 12:11 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, ...[ see Edersheim - below ]

THE 14th OF ABIB WAS TO BE A FEAST DAY

Exodus 12:14 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..

II) THE WORDS "EVEN" AND "EVENINGS" ARE IMPRECISE

Young's Literal Translation is used in the quotations below. The King James' Authorised Version has "at even" for "between the evenings". The Hebrew noun is plural. [The Masoretic text has it marked as dual]. So a literal translation should be "at the evenings". What were "the evenings"?

The setting of the sun at the end of the 13th. of Abib would be the evening of the 14th. However, consider the logistics. Thousands of animals would be brought to the Priests for examination and dipping in the water tanks to be slain by the head of the household before the sun disappeared below the horizon. This could not be done in the short period from the sun beginning its dip below the horizon and total darkness. So this could not be what is meant by "within the evenings".

The doors of the Temple faced east. Each day after 12 noon, when the sun passed its zenith, being deprived of direct sunlight, the inside of the temple would rapidly become dark. So the lamps were lit soon after midday, then the officiating priest prepared and offered the evening sacrifice. This was done "within the evenings". See the examples below.

So from the lamps being lit to the setting of the sun was known as the evenings. So even though the lamb of the initial "Egyptian Passover" was most likely slain as twilight ushered in the 14th. of Abib, the commemorative Passover lamb was slain after mid-day of the 13th. of Abib as the declining sun progressed towards the night of the 14th. when the lamb was eaten being the commemoration of the night when the Egyptian firstborn were slain and the Hebrew firstborn were spared.

For historical evidence on this aspect of the subject see the article: "The Lord's Passion and His Resurrection"

EXAMPLES OF THE USE OF THE HEBREW WORDS TRANSLATED "AT EVEN"

Exodus 12:6 ‘And it hath become a charge to you, until the fourteenth day of this month, and the whole assembly of the company of Israel have slaughtered it between the evenings;

Exodus 16:12 ‘I have heard the murmurings of the sons of Israel; speak unto them, saying, Between the evenings ye eat flesh, and in the morning ye are satisfied with bread, and ye have known that I am Jehovah your God.’

Exodus 29:39 the one lamb thou dost prepare in the morning, and the second lamb thou dost prepare between the evenings;

Exodus 29:41 ‘And the second lamb thou dost prepare between the evenings; according to the present of the morning, and according to its libation, thou dost prepare for it, for sweet fragrance, a fire-offering, to Jehovah: —

Exodus 30:8 and in Aaron’s causing the lamps to go up between the evenings, he doth perfume it; a continual perfume before Jehovah to your generations.

Leviticus 23:5 in the first month, on the fourteenth of the month, between the evenings, is the passover to Jehovah;

Numbers 9:3 in the fourteenth day of this month between the evenings ye prepare it in its appointed season; according to all its statutes, and according to all its ordinances ye prepare it.’

Numbers 9:5 and they prepare the passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, between the evenings, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that Jehovah hath commanded Moses, so have the sons of Israel done.

Numbers 9:11 in the second month, on the fourteenth day, between the evenings they prepare it; with unleavened and bitter things they eat it;

Numbers 28:4 the one lamb thou preparest in the morning, and the second lamb thou preparest between the evenings;

Numbers 28:8 ‘And the second lamb thou dost prepare between the evenings; as the present of the morning, and as its libation thou preparest—a fire-offering, a sweet fragrance to Jehovah.

CONSIDER GOD'S RESPONSE TO THE MURMURING OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL

Exodus 16:10 ... 12 'I have heard the murmuring of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, Within the evenings you will have eaten flesh, and in the morning you will have been satisfied with bread. Then you will have known that I am YHWH your God.' 13 And it happened that in the evening, quail came along, and covered the camp, and in the morning there was dew lying round about the camp. [DIRECT TRANSLATION]

The logistics of collecting enough birds to feed many thousands of Israelites, preparing them and eating them is not a problem if the explanation given above for what is meant by "within the evenings" is accepted.

BIBLE HISTORY, OLD TESTAMENT VOL. 2 , THE EXODUS & THE WANDERINGS   by Alfred Edersheim

Chapter 6

"3. ... the killing of the firstborn and the Passover occurred in the night of the fourteenth, Abib (or Nisan),"

Notes to Chapter 7

"8 ... The feast of unleavened bread, which followed the Passover night, lasted seven days, ..."
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