Leaven, commonly known as yeast, is a substance used to ferment dough, causing it to rise and become light and porous. In biblical times, leaven was a small portion of fermented dough retained from a previous batch, which was then mixed into a new batch to initiate fermentation. The concept of leaven is frequently used in the Bible, both literally and metaphorically, to convey various spiritual truths and lessons.

Old Testament References

In the Old Testament, leaven is most notably associated with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which immediately follows the Passover. During this feast, the Israelites were commanded to remove all leaven from their homes and eat unleavened bread for seven days. This practice commemorated the haste with which the Israelites left Egypt, not having time to let their bread rise. Exodus 12:15 states, "For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day, you are to remove the leaven from your houses, for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day must be cut off from Israel."

Leaven, in this context, symbolizes sin and corruption, which must be purged to maintain purity and holiness. The removal of leaven is a physical act that represents a spiritual cleansing, a theme that resonates throughout the Scriptures.

New Testament References

In the New Testament, leaven continues to carry symbolic meaning. Jesus Christ uses leaven metaphorically to describe the pervasive nature of sin and false teaching. In Matthew 16:6 , Jesus warns His disciples, "Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Here, leaven represents the corrupting influence of the Pharisees' and Sadducees' teachings, which could spread and contaminate the truth of the Gospel.

The Apostle Paul also employs the metaphor of leaven in his epistles. In 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 , Paul admonishes the Corinthian church, saying, "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." Paul emphasizes the need for the church to rid itself of sin, using leaven as a metaphor for the corrupting influence of immorality within the community.

Symbolism and Spiritual Lessons

Leaven, as a symbol, serves as a powerful reminder of the insidious nature of sin and false doctrine. Just as a small amount of leaven can permeate an entire batch of dough, so too can sin and error infiltrate and corrupt an individual's life or a community of believers. The biblical injunctions to remove leaven during the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the warnings against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees underscore the importance of vigilance and purity in the life of faith.

In contrast, Jesus also uses leaven in a positive sense in the Parable of the Leaven, found in Matthew 13:33 : "He told them still another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.'" Here, leaven symbolizes the transformative power of the Kingdom of God, which, though starting small, grows and influences the world in a profound and pervasive way.

Thus, leaven in the Bible serves as a dual symbol, representing both the potential for corruption and the transformative power of God's Kingdom. The believer is called to discern and apply these lessons, striving for purity and allowing the influence of God's truth to permeate every aspect of life.2220. zumoo -- to leaven
... F.)]. Word Origin from zume Definition to leaven NASB Word Usage leavened (2), leavens
(2). leaven, ferment. From zume; to cause to ferment -- leaven. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2220.htm - 6k

Justification by Faith.
... the Son of God to be justified by him, cannot but bring forth good works; because
Christ, who is now received and embraced by faith, leavens and seasons the ...
/.../bunyan/the riches of bunyan/ix justification by faith.htm

How a Man's Conduct Comes Home to Him
... The evil leaven in the backslider leavens his entire being and sours his existence,
while the gracious fountain in the sanctified believer saturates his whole ...
/.../spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/how a mans conduct comes.htm

Upon Our Lord's SermonOn the Mount
... mingle with all our tempers! Are they not the leaven which leavens, more
or less, the whole mass of our affections? May we not, on ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 31 upon our lords.htm

His Past Work.
... The higher criticism, so called, is Satan's leaven which leavens the theological
institutions of Christendom and is fully preparing an empty Christian ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gaebelein/the work of christ/i his past work.htm

Easter Sunday
... stepmother. In such matters as these, Paul says, a little leaven leavens
and ruins the whole lump"the entire Christian life. These ...
//christianbookshelf.org/luther/epistle sermons vol ii/easter sunday.htm

Matt. xiii. 24-30.
... As therefore the leaven then leavens the lump when it comes close to the meal, and
not simply close, but so as to be actually mixed with it (for He said not ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily xlvi matt xiii 24-30.htm

The Signs of the Times
... Nay, it is not in this manner that a grain of mustard seed grows up into a great
tree. It is not thus that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 66 the signs of.htm

Hymns on the Nativity. Hymn i. This is the Day that Gladdened Them ...
... these were made by separating the curd from the whey with rennet, a small quantity
of which will curdle much milk, as a little leaven leavens the whole lump. ...
/.../ephraim/hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/hymns on the nativity hymn.htm

The Church as She Should Be
... injury may be done to a church ere it knows it, if it shall tolerate error here
and there; for false doctrine, like the little leaven, soon leavens the whole ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/the church as she should.htm

The Leaven.
... in some cases utterly destroys. These creeping leavens stain the beauty
and waste the strength of nations. Some tribes of Indians ...
//christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/iv the leaven.htm

Leavens (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Leavens (2 Occurrences). 1 Corinthians 5:6 Your boasting
is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast leavens the whole lump? ...
/l/leavens.htm - 6k

Leavening (1 Occurrence)
... n.) of Leaven. 2. (n.) The act of making light, or causing to ferment, by means
of leaven. 3. (n.) That which leavens or makes light. Multi-Version Concordance ...
/l/leavening.htm - 7k

Yeast (48 Occurrences)
... WEY NIV). 1 Corinthians 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that
a little yeast leavens the whole lump? (WEB WEY NIV). 1 ...
/y/yeast.htm - 21k

Lump (7 Occurrences)
... 1 Corinthians 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast
leavens the whole lump? (WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV). ...
/l/lump.htm - 8k

Boasting (42 Occurrences)
... (WEY). 1 Corinthians 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little
yeast leavens the whole lump? (WEB WEY DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV). ...
/b/boasting.htm - 18k

Batch (4 Occurrences)
... branches. (See NIV). 1 Corinthians 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you
know that a little yeast leavens the whole lump? (See NIV). 1 ...
/b/batch.htm - 7k

Leaves (55 Occurrences)

/l/leaves.htm - 24k

Leaven (24 Occurrences)
... 1 Corinthians 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast
leavens the whole lump? (Root in WEB KJV ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV). ...
/l/leaven.htm - 21k

Works (379 Occurrences)
... brother. (See NIV). 1 Corinthians 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you
know that a little yeast leavens the whole lump? (See NIV). 1 ...
/w/works.htm - 40k

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