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In the previous chapter, we learned that the commanded time for slaying the Passover lambs was ben ha arbayim—”between the two evenings,” or “between the setting-times.” The slaying of the lambs was the first of nine ordinances to be fulfilled on the Passover day. When we examined the interpretation of ben ha arbayim given by rabbis and scholars, we saw that they define “between the two evenings” as the period from a short time after noon until sunset. To support their definition, they point to the historical example of the temple sacrifice of the Passover lambs, which occurred in the afternoon of the 14th day of the first month.
It is evident that the rabbis and scholars are relying on the traditions of Judaism to interpret the meaning of ben ha arbayim rather than the Scriptures. But we do not have to depend on the traditions of men to understand the meaning of this Hebrew phrase. God has given us an easy-tounderstand, chronological sequence of events in His Word that reveals the true meaning of ben ha arbayim. When we examine the Scriptural usage of this Hebrew phrase, we will see that the Bible does not support Judaism’s traditional interpretation of “between the two evenings” as the afternoon of the day.
In order to understand the Scriptural usage of ben ha arbayim, we must first understand the meaning of the Hebrew phrase ba erev, which is used numerous times in the Old Testament to denote time. The Scriptural definition of ba erev is the key that unlocks the true meaning of ben ha arbayim. When we understand the Scriptural meaning of these two Hebrew terms, we will be able to determine the precise time that the Passover was to be kept, beginning with the slaying of the lambs.
Leviticus 23 Defines BA EREV
Chapter 23 of the book of Leviticus will help us to understand the Scriptural meaning of ba erev. This chapter lists all the days that God set apart for His people to assemble before Him—including the weekly Sabbath, the Passover and the seven annual holy days of God. Each of these commanded convocations has a special meaning and significance, but it is God’s commands for the Day of Atonement that are of particular importance to our understanding of ba erev. Let us examine His commands:
“Also, on the tenth day of this seventh month, is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation to you. And you shall afflict your souls [by fasting without food or water; see Psa. 35:13, Ezra 10:6] and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.
“And you shall do NO WORK in that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, in order to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God, for whoever is not afflicted [fast without food and water] in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.
“And whoever does any work in that same day, the same one WILL I DESTROY from among his people. You shall do NO MANNER OF WORK. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings” (Lev. 23:27-31).
Notice how important the Day of Atonement is! NO FOOD OR WATER COULD BE CONSUMED AND NO MANNER OF WORK COULD BE DONE WHATSOEVER! DEATH AND DESTRUCTION WOULD STRIKE THOSE WHO DID NOT FAST AND AFFLICT THEIR SOULS, OR WHO DID ANY MANNER OF WORK ON THE DAY OF ATONEMENT.
Because of the severe punishment for violating the Day of Atonement, God did not want the children of Israel to be in any doubt whatsoever as to when that day would begin and when it would end! What a tragedy it would have been if some had claimed that the Day of Atonement began in the late afternoon, before sunset, and others had claimed that the Day of Atonement began when a person could see three stars at night, after sunset. There would have been as much as a six-hour difference in observing the Day of Atonement, if it were based on these differing interpretations and opinions of the rabbis. What confusion it would have created! Those poor souls who happened to follow the wrong opinion would have broken the Day of Atonement, which would have cost them their lives!
Since the punishment for breaking the Day of Atonement was DEATH, God left absolutely no room for doubt as to the exact time of the beginning and ending of the day. It is for this very reason that God issued a specific command pinpointing the exact beginning and ending of the Day of Atonement. Here is how God defines the day:
“It shall be unto you a sabbath of solemn rest, and ye shall afflict your souls; IN THE NINTH DAY OF THE MONTH AT EVEN, FROM EVEN UNTO EVEN, shall ye keep your sabbath” (Lev. 23:32, JPSA).
The words “at even” in this verse are translated from the Hebrew phrase ba erev, meaning “at sunset.” This Hebrew phrase is formed from the preposition ba and the noun erev. The Hebrew noun erev literally means “the entering.” Its specific meaning depends on the context in which it is used and the form in which it appears in the text. When used with the preposition ba, erev specifically refers to sunset. This definition is established by its usage in numerous Old Testament passages and has traditionally been acknowledged in the Jewish observance of the Day of Atonement.
The Schocken Bible reflects the precise meaning of ba erev in Leviticus 23:32: “It is Sabbath, a Sabbath-ceasing for you, you are to afflict yourselves; on the ninth (day) after the New-Moon, at sunset [Hebrew ba erev], from sunset to sunset, you are to make-a-ceasing of your ceasing!” (SB)
“At sunset,” or ba erev, is a very short period of time. It begins when the sun appears to touch the horizon, and ends when the sun drops below the horizon. The total duration of its setting is no more than 3-5 minutes. The term ba erev is very specific! This is why God commanded that the Day of Atonement be observed from ba erev to ba erev. The use of the preposition ba with the Hebrew noun erev eliminates any doubt or confusion as to the time at which the day begins and ends: “...in the ninth day of the month at even [Hebrew ba erev, beginning at sunset], from even [Hebrew mn erev, from sunset] unto even [Hebrew ad erev, to sunset], shall ye keep your Sabbath” (Lev. 23:32, JPSA). The use of the preposition ba with the Hebrew noun erev eliminates any doubt or confusion as to the time at which the day begins and ends.
That each day begins and ends at sunset is clearly established in Leviticus 23. In verse 27, we find a specific command that the Day of Atonement be observed on the tenth day of the month. In verse 32, ba erev on the ninth day of the month is clearly designated as the beginning of the Day of Atonement. These two Scriptural commands make it absolutely clear that ba erev marks the end of the ninth day and the beginning of the tenth day. The tenth day of the seventh month is from sunset, or mn erev, of the ninth day, until sunset, or ad erev, of the tenth day. There is no room for any other interpretation of Leviticus 23:32. The beginning and ending of the Day of Atonement is firmly established by the Scriptural record of God’s command.
According to the Scriptural method of reckoning time, each day extends from sunset to sunset. This principle applies to the weekly Sabbath day. The Bible clearly teaches that the SEVENTH DAY is the Sabbath of the Lord. From sunset of the sixth day until sunset of the seventh day is the weekly Sabbath day. This is the true definition of the Sabbath day as reckoned Scripturally, from sunset to sunset.
Let’s apply the Scriptural method of reckoning time to God’s instructions for observing the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as recorded in Exodus 12. Using the Scriptural definition of ba erev, we can determine the precise time at which the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins and ends.
Fox’s translation of this verse confirms that ba erev is referring to sunset: “In the first (month), on the fourteenth day after the New-Moon, AT SUNSET, you are to eat matzot [unleavened bread], until the twentyfirst day of the month, AT SUNSET” (Ex. 12:18, SB).
“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month AT SUNSET[ Hebrew ba erev], you shall eat unleavened bread, until [up to that point in time] the twenty-first day of the month AT SUNSET [Hebrew ba erev]” (Ex. 12:18).
This verse clearly shows that the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins at sunset, or ba erev. The command of God in Leviticus 23:6 shows that it is the sunset which ends the 14th and begins the 15th day of the month. Counting forward seven days from the sunset ending the 14th, we arrive at the sunset ending the 21st day, or ba erev “on the one and twentieth day.” That is when the Feast of Unleavened Bread ends or a duration of seven full days.
By letting the Scriptures interpret God’s command in Exodus 12, we can see how God Himself defines the duration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. God’s Word reveals the beginning point and the ending point of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There is no doubt or confusion when the Scriptural method of reckoning time is understood and correctly applied. The phrase ba erev removes any doubt as to when the seven days of unleavened bread begin and end.
The use of ba erev in Exodus 12 in the command for the Feast of Unleavened Bread is consistent with its use in Leviticus 23 in the command for observing the Day of Atonement. The use of ba erev in both commands confirms that this Hebrew term marks the beginning and end of each day.
Jews Understand that BA EREVEnds One Day and Begins the Next Day
The manner in which the Jews have traditionally harvested the wave sheaf shows their understanding of the Scriptural meaning of ba erev, or “at sunset.” Their traditional practice requires absolute confirmation that the sun has set before the one who has been appointed to cut the sheaf can raise his sickle.
The wave sheaf was offered in conjunction with the Feast of Unleavened Bread. God’s instructions for this special wave offering are found in Leviticus 23: “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel and say unto them, “When you have come into the land which I give to you, and shall reap the harvest of it, then you shall bring the premier sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD to be accepted for you. On the next day after the Sabbath [in conjunction with the Feast of Unleavened Bread] the priest shall wave it” (Lev. 23:9-11).
Note: There was a dispute between the Pharisees and the Sadducees as to which Sabbath this verse is designating. The Pharisees applied this command to the first holy day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is the 15th day of the first month, or Nisan. In their view, the “morrow after the Sabbath”—the day for harvesting the wave sheaf—was always the 16th of Nisan. On the other hand, the Sadducees, who were in charge of the temple during the days of Jesus Christ, understood that God’s command in Leviticus 23:11 was referring to the weekly Sabbath which occurred in conjunction with the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In years when the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread fell on the weekly Sabbath, both the Sadducees and the Pharisees would observe the 16th of Nisan as the day for the wave sheaf offering. Although the Sadducees and the Pharisees generally disagreed over the correct DAY for the wave sheaf offering, there was never any question about the correct TIME of the day for harvesting it.
Alfred Edersheim, a converted Pharisaic rabbi, records the details of the harvesting of the wave sheaf in his book The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. His description of the traditional practice shows that the Jews have from ancient times understood and acknowledged that the day ends at sunset, or ba erev. They are fully aware that as soon as the sun has dropped below the horizon, it is the beginning of the next day.
As the children of Israel had done in Old Testament times, the Jews in New Testament times waited until the sun had gone down before harvesting the wave sheaf. They knew that “the next day after the Sabbath” began at sunset. The sunset that ended the Sabbath began the new day, “the next day after the Sabbath,” on which the harvesting of the wave sheaf was to be done. No harvesting was permitted until the Sabbath was over. Once the sun dropped below the horizon, the Sabbath was past. It was the first instant of next day, by Scriptural reckoning, and harvesting could be done.
Here is Edersheim’s description of the harvesting of the wave sheaf: “This Passover-sheaf was reaped in public the evening before it was offered, and it was to witness this ceremony that the crowd had gathered around the elders. Already on the 14th [of] Nisan the spot whence the first sheaf was to be reaped had been marked out, by tying together in bundles, while still standing, the barley that was to be cut down, according to custom, in the sheltered Ashes-Valley across Kidron. When the time for cutting the sheaf had arrived—that is, on the evening of the 15th [of] Nisan [by Pharisaic reckoning], even though it were a Sabbath [the journey to harvest was undertaken before the end of the Sabbath, but was within the prescribed traditional “Sabbath day’s journey”], just as the sun went down, three men, each with a sickle and basket, set to work.
“Clearly to bring out what was distinctive in the ceremony, they first asked of the bystanders three times each of these questions: ‘HAS THE SUN GONE DOWN?’ ‘With this sickle?’ ‘Into this basket?’ ‘On this Sabbath? (or first Passover-day)’—and lastly, ‘Shall I reap?’ Having each time been answered in the affirmative, they cut down barley to the amount of one ephah, or about three pecks and three pints of our English measure” (The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, p. 619).
Remember that it takes only 3-5 minutes for the sun to set from the time that it first appears to touch the horizon. Considering the short duration of sunset, or ba erev, it is evident that the sun had dropped below the horizon by the time the traditional questions were answered and before the sheaf for the wave offering was cut. Edersheim confirms this fact by going on to state that the sun had fully set and that it was, at the time of the cutting, the next day, the 16th of Nisan.
In another book, which also describes the harvesting of the wave sheaf, Edersheim inserts the following footnote: “It was really done after sunset on the 15th, which was the beginning of the 16th of Nisan” (The Temple, Its Ministry and Services, As They Were at the Time of Christ, p. 258).
Edersheim’s statements show conclusively that ba erev, “at sunset,” was fully understood by the Jews as the point at which the present day ended and the next day began. His description of the ceremony for harvesting the wave sheaf also verifies that ba erev was a very short duration of time. The time of ba erev is correctly translated by Everett Fox and Coulter as “at sunset.”
In summarizing this chapter on the phrase ba erev, or “at sunset,” it is evident that, although the leaders of Judaism dispute the meaning of some Hebrew terms used in Scripture, the meaning of ba erev is without controversy: The Hebrew phrase ba erev, or “at sunset,” designates the end of one day and the beginning of the next day. Judaism acknowledges, in both teaching and practice, that as soon as the sun has set below the horizon, a new day has begun.
We have seen that the Scriptures define ba erev, or “at sunset,” as the point at which one day ends and the next day begins. In the following chapter we will examine the use of ba erev in context with ben ha arbayim, or “between the two evenings.” By applying the Scriptural definition of ba erev in this context, we will be able to determine the meaning of the much disputed term ben ha arbayim.
Ba erev, or “at sunset” is the three-to-five minute period of time that begins when the sun appears to touch the horizon until the sun disappears below the horizon.
