Topical Bible: Leaven (Yeast) for Bread

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Definition and Nature:
Leaven, commonly known today as yeast, is a substance used in baking to cause dough to rise. It works through fermentation, a process where yeast converts sugars into carbon dioxide and alcohol, causing the dough to expand and become light and porous. In biblical times, leaven was typically a piece of dough retained from a previous batch, which had naturally fermented.

Biblical References and Symbolism:
Leaven is mentioned numerous times throughout the Bible, often carrying significant symbolic meaning. In the Old Testament, leaven is primarily associated with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a key component of the Passover celebration. During this feast, the Israelites were commanded to remove all leaven from their homes and eat unleavened bread for seven days (Exodus 12:15-20). This act commemorated their hasty departure from Egypt, when there was no time to let their bread rise.

In the New Testament, leaven is frequently used metaphorically. Jesus warns His disciples to "beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees" (Matthew 16:6), which He later explains as their teaching (Matthew 16:12). Here, leaven symbolizes corrupting influence or false doctrine that can permeate and affect the whole.

The Apostle Paul also uses leaven metaphorically in his letters. In 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 , he writes, "Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." Here, leaven represents sin and moral corruption, which can spread through a community if not addressed.

Positive Symbolism:
While leaven often carries a negative connotation, it is not exclusively so. In one of His parables, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to leaven: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour until all of it was leavened" (Matthew 13:33). In this context, leaven symbolizes the transformative power of the kingdom of God, which, though starting small, permeates and influences the whole world.

Conclusion:
Leaven in the Bible serves as a powerful symbol with dual meanings. It can represent sin and false teachings that corrupt and spread, as well as the pervasive and transformative influence of God's kingdom. Understanding the context in which leaven is used is crucial for interpreting its significance in Scripture. The biblical use of leaven challenges believers to examine the influences in their lives and communities, encouraging purity and truth while recognizing the profound impact of God's work in the world.

Nave's Topical Index

Exodus 12:34,39
And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders.
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Hosea 7:4
They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceases from raising after he has kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.
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Matthew 13:33
Another parable spoke he to them; The kingdom of heaven is like to leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
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Strong's Hebrew

4682. matstsah -- unleavened bread or cake
... with yeast); specifically, an unfermented cake or loaf, or (elliptically) the festival
of Passover (because no leaven was then used) -- unleaved (bread, cake ...
/hebrew/4682.htm - 6k

Library

The Parable of the Leaven.
... why yeast is put into dough for making bread or cake. ... is this increase, that if a
single yeast-plant were ... mass of dough it would very quickly leaven the whole ...
/.../anonymous/mother stories from the new testament/the parable of the leaven.htm

Third Withdrawal from Herod's Territory.
... [Leaven, which answered to our modern yeast, was a symbol ... 16 And they reasoned one
with another, ^a among themselves, saying, We took { ^b have} no bread. ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/lxx third withdrawal from herods.htm

Leaven
... is like leaven.' Now of course, leaven is generally ... the heavy lump of dough into
light, nutritious bread. ... be sure that the tiny morsel of yeast will penetrate ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/leaven.htm