Numbers 9:2
Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season.
Original Language Analysis
וְיַֽעֲשׂ֧וּ
also keep
H6213
וְיַֽעֲשׂ֧וּ
also keep
Strong's:
H6213
Word #:
1 of 6
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
בְנֵֽי
Let the children
H1121
בְנֵֽי
Let the children
Strong's:
H1121
Word #:
2 of 6
a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or
יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל
of Israel
H3478
יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל
of Israel
Strong's:
H3478
Word #:
3 of 6
he will rule as god; jisral, a symbolical name of jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
4 of 6
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
Cross References
Leviticus 23:5In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover.2 Chronicles 35:1Moreover Josiah kept a passover unto the LORD in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.Mark 14:12And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?Luke 22:7Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed.Joshua 5:10And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.Numbers 28:16And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD.Ezra 6:19And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month.
Historical Context
The fourteenth day of Nisan (first month) began at sunset, following Jewish reckoning where days ran from evening to evening (Genesis 1:5). This precise timing commemorated the exact night of deliverance from Egypt. Later, Christ was crucified on Passover day, fulfilling the typology as our Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Questions for Reflection
- How does God's appointed timing for worship challenge contemporary 'relevance'-driven services?
- What dangers arise when we prioritize convenience over God's prescribed means?
- How does Christ's death on Passover demonstrate God's sovereignty over redemptive history?
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Analysis & Commentary
The command to keep Passover 'in his appointed season' emphasizes timing prescribed by God, not human convenience. The Hebrew mo'ed (appointed time) indicates divinely fixed occasions. The specificity—'the fourteenth day of this month at even'—teaches that worship follows God's calendar, not ours. This principle opposes worship innovations where churches replace God-ordained means with human preferences. New Testament worship maintains divine appointment—Word and sacrament instituted by Christ, not left to individual taste or cultural adaptation.