Numbers 28:17
And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
Original Language Analysis
עָשָׂ֥ר
H6240
עָשָׂ֥ר
Strong's:
H6240
Word #:
2 of 10
ten (only in combination), i.e., -teen; also (ordinal) -teenth
יָמִ֔ים
day
H3117
יָמִ֔ים
day
Strong's:
H3117
Word #:
3 of 10
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso
הַזֶּ֖ה
H2088
שִׁבְעַ֣ת
seven
H7651
שִׁבְעַ֣ת
seven
Strong's:
H7651
Word #:
7 of 10
seven (as the sacred full one); also (adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by extension, an indefinite number
יָמִ֔ים
day
H3117
יָמִ֔ים
day
Strong's:
H3117
Word #:
8 of 10
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso
Historical Context
Passover/Unleavened Bread was the first of three pilgrimage festivals requiring male Israelites to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 16:16). Jesus was crucified during Passover (John 19:14), fulfilling the festival's typology. The early church maintained this feast (Acts 12:3, 20:6), though controversy arose over Gentile observance (Galatians 4:10; Colossians 2:16).
Questions for Reflection
- How does the seven-day feast (versus one-day Passover) emphasize that redemption requires both initial deliverance and ongoing sanctification?
- In what ways might "leaven" (sin) subtly infiltrate your life, requiring spiritual house-cleaning?
- How does 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 transform this historical feast into a present-tense Christian reality?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
In the fifteenth day of this month (בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם, bachamishah asar yom)—Passover on the 14th was followed immediately by the Chag HaMatzot (חַג הַמַּצּוֹת), the Feast of Unleavened Bread, beginning on the 15th of Nisan/Aviv. While Passover commemorated the death angel's "passing over" Hebrew homes (Exodus 12), the seven days of unleavened bread celebrated Israel's hasty exodus from Egypt.
Seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten—leaven (שְׂאֹר, se'or) symbolized sin and corruption (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). Eating unleavened bread represented purged lives and new beginnings. Paul explicitly connects this feast to Christ as "our Passover" sacrificed for us, calling believers to keep perpetual feast with "the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:7-8).