Topical Bible: Seven: Days: The Passover Lasted For

◄ Seven: Days: The Passover Lasted For ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

The Passover, a pivotal event in the history of Israel, is commemorated annually as a seven-day festival. This observance is rooted in the biblical narrative of the Exodus, where God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. The Passover is not only a remembrance of liberation but also a time of spiritual reflection and renewal.

Biblical Foundation

The institution of the Passover is detailed in the Book of Exodus. God commanded Moses and Aaron regarding the observance of this feast: "For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day, you are to remove the leaven from your houses. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel" (Exodus 12:15). This command underscores the importance of purity and separation from sin, symbolized by the removal of leaven.

The seven-day duration of the Passover is reiterated in Leviticus 23:6: "On the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread." This period begins with the Passover meal on the 14th day of the first month, followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which lasts until the 21st day.

Historical and Theological Significance

The seven-day observance of Passover is rich in historical and theological significance. Historically, it marks the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage, a foundational event that shaped their identity as God's chosen people. Theologically, the Passover foreshadows the ultimate deliverance from sin through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

The number seven in biblical literature often signifies completeness and perfection. In the context of Passover, the seven days represent a complete cycle of purification and dedication to God. The removal of leaven, which symbolizes sin and corruption, is a call to holiness and a reminder of God's sanctifying work among His people.

Observance and Rituals

During the seven days of Passover, Jewish families engage in various rituals that reinforce the themes of the festival. The Seder meal, held on the first night, includes the retelling of the Exodus account, the eating of symbolic foods, and the singing of hymns. The consumption of unleavened bread, or matzah, throughout the week serves as a tangible reminder of the haste with which the Israelites left Egypt, unable to wait for their bread to rise.

The prohibition against leaven extends beyond dietary restrictions; it involves a thorough cleansing of the home to remove any trace of leavened products. This practice is a physical manifestation of the spiritual cleansing that Passover represents.

New Testament Connections

In the New Testament, the Passover's significance is deepened through its connection to Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul writes, "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7). This identification of Christ with the Passover lamb highlights the fulfillment of the festival's symbolism in His sacrificial death and resurrection.

The seven-day observance of Passover, therefore, not only commemorates a historical event but also points to the redemptive work of Christ, offering believers a profound opportunity for reflection on God's deliverance and grace.

Nave's Topical Index

Exodus 12:15
Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Preparation for Passover. Disciples Contend for Precedence.
... lasted seven days, but this was the fourteenth Nisan, the day on which the paschal
lamb was slain. However, it was common to blend the slaying of the passover, ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cxvii preparation for passover disciples.htm

The Signs which Preceded the War.
... over the city, and a comet, which lasted for a ... took place six days before the Passover,
which began ... seventh month of the Jewish year, and continued seven days. ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter viii the signs which preceded.htm

Anointed for Burial.
... (John 12:1). 1. Then Jesus six days before the passover. The passover meal was the
beginning of the feast of unleavened bread, which lasted for seven days. ...
/.../johnson/the new testament commentary vol iii john/anointed for burial.htm

The Morning of Good Friday.
... from entering a heathen house would not have ceased in the evening (so as to allow
them to eat the Passover), but have lasted for seven days, as being ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xiv the morning of.htm

The Feast of Tabernacles.
... answered to October 11th, and continued eight days, seven of which ... from the 15th
to the 22d days of the ... and was about six months after and before the passover. ...
/.../johnson/the new testament commentary vol iii john/the feast of tabernacles.htm

From the Birth to the Ascension of Jesus.
... At the close of the marriage feast, which usually lasted six or seven days, Jesus
went ... 1) The incidents at Jerusalem during the first Passover of Christ's ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter xviii from the birth.htm

The Jewish Institutions and Laws of Far Higher Antiquity than the ...
... oracles were effected; and the passover of deliverance ... till the death of Commodus,
lasted for two ... two years, three months, and seven days; Marcus Aurelius ...
/.../the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xxi the jewish institutions and.htm

The Book of Jubilees
... The Passover and the feast of Tabernacles lasted each of them seven days; seven
weeks after the Passover came Pentecost; the great Day of Atonement occurred in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the book of jubilees.htm

Note 1
... first Passover of Jesus' teaching was the Passover of AD ... year of Herod's reign lasted
for 365 days from the ... of Agrippa and Gallus (BC.37), twenty-seven years to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/ramsay/was christ born in bethlehem/note 1 2.htm

Ten Reasons Demonstrating the Commandment of the Sabbath to be ...
... and so many weeks of years as the world had lasted jubilees ... 61] One of the seven
days of the ... as he substituted the Lord's Supper instead of the Passover, so did ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/ten reasons demonstrating the commandment.htm