Numbers 28:17
A focused desk for reading, commentary, cross-references, original language notes, and your own observations.
Numbers 28:17
17 And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
Chapter Context
Numbers 28 is a mixed narrative and legal chapter in the Old Testament that explores themes of sacrifice, discipleship, judgment. Written during Israel's wilderness period (c. 1446-1406 BCE), this chapter should be understood within its historical context: The wilderness journey occurred between Egypt's dominance and the Canaanite tribal systems.
The chapter can be divided into several sections:
- Verses 1-5: Introduction and setting the context
- Verses 6-12: Development of key themes
- Verses 13-20: Central message and teachings
- Verses 21-31: Conclusion and application
This chapter is significant because it demonstrates God's faithfulness despite human unfaithfulness. When studying this passage, it's important to consider both its immediate context within Numbers and its broader place in the scriptural canon.
Verse Study
Numbers 28:17
17 And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
Analysis
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).
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).
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?
Cross-References
- Parallel theme: Leviticus 23:6