Topical Bible: The Feast of the Passover: Lasted Seven Days

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Topical Encyclopedia

The Feast of the Passover, also known as Pesach, is one of the most significant and ancient festivals in the Jewish calendar, commemorating the Israelites' deliverance from slavery in Egypt. This event is foundational to the Jewish faith and is also of great importance in Christian theology, symbolizing redemption and foreshadowing the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.

Biblical Foundation

The institution of the Passover is detailed in the Book of Exodus. God commanded Moses and Aaron to instruct the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb and mark their doorposts with its blood, so that the Lord would "pass over" their homes during the final plague—the death of the firstborn (Exodus 12:1-13). This act of faith and obedience spared the Israelites and led to their liberation from Egyptian bondage.

Duration and Observance

The Feast of the Passover is observed for seven days, as outlined in the Scriptures. The first day is marked by the Passover meal, followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which lasts for seven days. During this time, the Israelites were commanded to eat unleavened bread, symbolizing the haste with which they left Egypt, as there was no time for the dough to 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. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel."

Leviticus 23:5-8 further emphasizes the duration and observance of the feast: "The Passover to the LORD begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of the same month begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day, you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any regular work. For seven days you are to present an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day, there shall be a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work."

Spiritual Significance

The seven-day duration of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread holds deep spiritual significance. It serves as a period of reflection and purification, reminding the faithful of God's deliverance and the call to holiness. The removal of leaven from the home is symbolic of removing sin from one's life, as leaven often represents sin and corruption in biblical typology.

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, the Passover is intimately connected with the passion of Jesus Christ. The Last Supper, which Jesus shared with His disciples, was a Passover meal. During this meal, Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper, identifying the unleavened bread with His body and the wine with His blood, signifying the new covenant (Matthew 26:17-28). The Apostle Paul refers to Christ as "our Passover lamb" who has been sacrificed (1 Corinthians 5:7), drawing a direct parallel between the Passover lamb and Jesus' atoning death.

Cultural and Historical Observance

Throughout history, the observance of Passover has been a central aspect of Jewish life, with various traditions and customs developing over time. The Seder meal, which includes the retelling of the Exodus account, is a key component of the celebration. The Christian observance of Easter is also closely linked to Passover, as it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, which occurred shortly after the Passover festival.

In summary, the Feast of the Passover, lasting seven days, is a profound biblical festival that celebrates God's deliverance, calls for spiritual reflection, and finds its ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

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.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Leviticus 23:6
And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread to the LORD: seven days you must eat unleavened bread.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Preparation for Passover. Disciples Contend for Precedence.
... bread began properly on the fifteenth of Nisan, and lasted seven days, but this ... it
was common to blend the slaying of the passover, the passover feast and the ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cxvii preparation for passover disciples.htm

The Feast of Tabernacles.
... While it lasted the Jews gave themselves up to festivity and rejoicing. ... quite
differently from his last entry at the feast at the passover." He seems not to ...
/.../johnson/the new testament commentary vol iii john/the feast of tabernacles.htm

The Signs which Preceded the War.
... stood over the city, and a comet, which lasted for a ... case this event took place six
days before the Passover, which began ... 662] That is, the Feast of Tabernacles ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter viii the signs which preceded.htm

In the Temple at the Feast of Tabernacles.
... [As the feast lasted eight days, the ... proceeding for so great a day, but no more
extraordinary than that assembly at the feast of the Passover which met and ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/lxxviii in the temple at.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

From the Birth to the Ascension of Jesus.
... At the close of the marriage feast, which usually lasted six or ... under three heads,
(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 Morning of Good Friday.
... To Herod, therefore, who had come for the Feast to Jerusalem, and there ... in the evening
(so as to allow them to eat the Passover), but have lasted for seven ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xiv the morning of.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
... early in that year, and the crucifixion at the Passover of 29 ... founded on his false
impression that the teaching lasted only one ... 86] Reading "a feast" instead of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/ramsay/was christ born in bethlehem/note 1 2.htm

The Jewish Institutions and Laws of Far Higher Antiquity than the ...
... inspired oracles were effected; and the passover of deliverance ... dedication was held,
as also the feast of tabernacles ... till the death of Commodus, lasted for two ...
/.../the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xxi the jewish institutions and.htm