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The advocates of a 15th Passover claim that the commands of God in Deuteronomy 16 support the temple sacrifice of the Passover lambs. On the surface, it appears that these commands required the sacrificing of the Passover at the temple, and that the Passover and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread were combined into one feast. This interpretation of Deuteronomy 16 is taught by Jewish and Christian scholars alike. As the Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible states, “The section in Deut. 16:1-10 was interpreted as an attempt to abolish the private Passover celebrations...” (p. 668).
Is this interpretation of Deuteronomy 16 correct? Did God abolish the domestic Passover by commanding that the Passover sacrifice be offered at the temple? If that is the meaning of God’s commands in Deuteronomy 16, then these commands are clearly contradicting His commands in Exodus 12, Numbers 9 and Leviticus 23 concerning the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Why do the commands in Deuteronomy 16 appear to be in conflict with all other commands of God for keeping the Passover? That is the question we will address in this chapter.
As we seek the answer to this question, we will apply the rules of Bible study that are listed in Chapter One of this book. We will come to understand the true meaning of Deuteronomy 16 by letting the Scriptures interpret the Scriptures. We will approach our study and analysis very methodically, comparing Scripture with Scripture. As we complete our study of Deuteronomy 16, we will find that the commands in this chapter are for sacrifices that were offered during the Feast of Unleavened Bread—not for the sacrifice of the Passover lambs.
Please note: Since this study requires a technical analysis, more than one reading may be required to completely understand the material that is presented, especially if the reader is not familiar with the Old Testament passages that are explained in this chapter.
Comparison of the Commands in Exodus and Numbers with Those in Deuteronomy 16
Parallel columns showing the related commands in the books of Exodus and Numbers have been provided to assist the reader in comparing these Scriptures with the commands in Deuteronomy 16. The related passages contain commands that clearly refer to the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Let us begin our study by examining the commands in Deuteronomy 16:1:
“Keep the month of Abib, and observe the Passover to the LORD your God. For in the month of Abib, the LORD your God brought you forth out of Egypt by night”
The command to “keep the Passover” has led many to assume that this verse is referring to the sacrifice of the Passover lambs. Let us test this interpretation by applying the rules of Bible study and examining the context of this command.
When we analyze the entire verse, it is clear that the command to “keep the Passover is linked with “the month Abib” and going “forth out of Egypt by night.” But remember what we have learned about the meaning of the Passover. What did God say the Passover commemorates? As the Scriptures clearly show, the Passover does not commemorate leaving Egypt. It commemorates the Lord’s passing over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt! On the other hand, what does the Feast of Unleavened Bread commemorate, especially the first day? It commemorates the Exodus— the day that God brought them forth out of Egypt!
The children of Israel did NOT leave Egypt on the Passover night! They stayed in their houses until the next morning, as God had commanded. The leaving, or being brought forth out of Egypt, was the beginning of the Exodus itself, which occurred the following night, the night after the Passover night. We have proved this fact beyond any shadow of doubt!
When we examine the related commands in the books of Exodus and Numbers, we find that Deuteronomy 16:1 is the only Scripture which uses the term “Passover” in conjunction with “the month of Abib” and being brought forth out of Egypt. Every other Scriptural command to observe “the month of Abib” is clearly and unmistakably referring to the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As the parallel columns show, the related passages in Exodus 13, 23, and 34 all refer to “the month Abib” and the Exodus from Egypt. But in each case, it is a command to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, not the Passover.
Why does Deuteronomy 16:1 use the term “Passover” in the context of commemorating the Exodus? What is the reason for this apparent discrepancy between Deuteronomy 16:1 and other Scriptural references to leaving Egypt in the month Abib? In order to answer these questions, we need to examine the Scriptural instructions that are recorded in the following verses in Deuteronomy 16, and the related instructions in the book of Exodus.
When we compare the instructions in Exodus 23:14-17 and 34:18-24 with the instructions in Deuteronomy 16:1-17, we find that these three passages have the same theme. They all pertain to the three major feasts of God:
A. Feast of Unleavened Bread
B. Feast of Firstfruits or Weeks, now called Pentecost
C. Feast of Tabernacles or Ingathering
These sections of Scripture give specific instructions for observing these three major feasts. The commands that are given for these three festivals do not necessarily apply to the Passover, which is also a feast but not a holy day. The focus in such passages is on the annual holy days that were observed at the tabernacle/temple.
When we understand the context of the commands in Deuteronomy 16, it appears that the word Passover is entirely out of place. The commands in this chapter do not relate to the Passover sacrifice but to the observance of the annual holy days, at which time the heads of households were commanded to assemble before God. In Deuteronomy 16:16 we read, “Three times in a year shall all your males appear before the LORD your God in the place which He shall choose: in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks, and in the Feast of Tabernacles....”
As this verse shows, the underlying theme of Deuteronomy 16 is the annual feast days which were commanded assemblies for the children of Israel. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is included among these annual holy convocations, but not the Passover. Deuteronomy 16:16 does not command any assembling for the Passover, as it does for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Although the Passover was instituted by God as a memorial and commanded feast, the Passover day itself was never designated as a commanded assembly.
When we let the Scriptures interpret the Scriptures, it is clear that the commands in Deuteronomy 16, which on the surface appear to be instructions for the Passover, are in reality instructions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. These commands do not apply to the sacrifice of the Passover lamb on the Passover day. Rather, they are specific instructions for “the night to be much remembered,” which begins the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread—the 15th day of the first month. As the Scriptural account shows, “the night to be much observed” was the night after the Passover— not the same night.
Although Deuteronomy 16 contains instructions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the two other holy days seasons, the fact that the word “Passover” appears in Verse 1 has caused great confusion in the minds of many Bible students and scholars. They are not aware that these verses were edited by Ezra long after the book of Deuteronomy was originally written, and that in Ezra’s time the entire eight-day observance of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread was called “Passover.” When we understand that the term “Passover” was used for the Feast of Unleavened bread, the seeming discrepancy between Deuteronomy 16 and other Scriptural passages is eliminated. The Word of God stands sure.
Twelve Major Differences in the Commands in Deuteronomy 16
The commands that are given in Deuteronomy 16 differ greatly from the Passover instructions that are recorded in Exodus 12 and in Numbers 9 and 28. When we analyze the commands in Deuteronomy 16, we find twelve major discrepancies between these commands and the ordinances that God gave for the Passover. These differences all point to the fact that the word “Passover” in Deuteronomy 16 is not referring to the sacrifice of the Passover lambs but to the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Let’s take a close look at these differences to verify which feast is being named in Deuteronomy 16:
1) The word “Passover” is linked with the month of Abib only in Deuteronomy 16:1, which was edited by Ezra at a time when the Feast of Unleavened Bread was called Passover. In all other Scriptures, the phrase “the month of Abib” is clearly referring to the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
2) Deuteronomy 16:1 appears to link the Passover with leaving Egypt, but Exodus 12 specifically states that the Passover commemorates God’s PASSING OVER the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He executed judgment upon the firstborn of the Egyptians. The Passover does not commemorate the Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt, but the Lord’s passing over the children of Israel the night before they left Egypt. On the Passover night, at midnight, the Lord passed through the land of Egypt, killing the Egyptian firstborn, man and beast, but sparing the firstborn of the Israelites, man and beast. The houses of the children of Israel were passed over because the blood of the Passover lambs was sprinkled on the side posts and lintels of the doors. As the Scriptures clearly show, the children of Israel stayed in their houses until morning. They did not leave their houses during the night of the Passover. It is an undeniable Scriptural fact that the Exodus did not occur on the Passover night!
3) Deuteronomy 16:6 gives the time setting for the “Passover offering” as “at even [Hebrew ba erev], at the going down of the sun.” This command differs from the commands in Exodus 12 and Numbers 9 that the Passover lamb be killed at ben ha arbayim— “between the two evenings,” or between sunset and dark. The account in Exodus 16 of the miracle of the quail, which we studied in Chapter Five, PROVES ABSOLUTELY, WITH NO ROOM FOR DOUBT, that ben ha arbayim begins IMMEDIATELY AFTER sunset; ben ha arbayim DOES NOT OCCUR BEFORE SUNSET, NOR DURING THE SETTING OF THE SUN. The command to sacrifice “at the going down of the sun” does not apply to the killing of the Passover lambs, which were slain at the beginning of ben ha arbayim, after the sun had gone down. Therefore, the “passover-offering” that is referred to in Deuteronomy 16:6 cannot be the sacrifice of the Passover lambs.
4) The phrase “brought thee forth out of Egypt by night” in Deuteronomy 16:1 directly conflicts with the Passover command in Exodus 12:22 that “none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.” However, the phrase “brought thee forth out of Egypt by night” does not conflict with leaving the next night, as recorded in Exodus 12:37-42 and Numbers 33:3-5. When we understand that the Feast of Unleavened Bread commemorates the Exodus, then the phrases “at the going down of the sun” and “brought you forth out of Egypt by night” fit perfectly. As we learned in Chapter Eight of this book, the children of Israel gathered at Rameses during the day portion of the 14th, after eating the Passover on the night of the 14th. They began to leave Egypt “at the going down of the sun,” or ba erev, which ended the 14th and began the 15th. As the Scriptural account shows, the Exodus from Egypt continued on into the night of the 15th.
The Scriptures show very plainly that the children of Israel were brought forth by night, but NOT the same night that they kept the Passover. Numbers 33 records, “And they set out from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the next day after the Passover day, the children of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians, while the Egyptians were still burying all their firstborn whom the LORD had stricken among them” (Num. 33:3-4, JPSA). For a technical exegesis of Numbers 33:3, see Appendix M.
Some scholars apparently believe that the Egyptians were burying their dead in the dark hours shortly after midnight, because they claim that the Exodus took place shortly after midnight on the Passover night—only an hour or two after the destroyer had passed—which would truly have been “in the dead of the night!” But these verses in Numbers 33 show that after gathering at Rameses in the daylight hours following the Passover, the children of Israel began leaving Rameses “at the going down of the sun,” or ba erev of the 14th, which was the beginning of the 15th. They departed from Rameses as the night of the 15th was beginning. When their march began, the Egyptians were still burying their firstborn, who were slain in the middle of the previous night.
5) The “Passover offering” that is commanded in Deuteronomy 16:2 could be taken from the herd as well as the flock. The Hebrew word that is translated “herd” is baqar, which specifically refers to bovine animals such as calves and bullocks. But no calf or other bovine was allowed to be used for the Passover sacrifice. Exodus 12:3-5 clearly records that the children of Israel were to select a lamb or a goat kid, a male less than a year old. The animal for the Passover sacrifice was to be taken from the flock only, NOT from the herd. THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS A PASSOVER CALF! Jesus, Who fulfilled the Passover by sacrificing His own body, was not called the calf of God, but “THE LAMB OF GOD, Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Unlike the Passover sacrifice, which was selected only from the sheep or goats, the sacrifices that were offered during the Feast of Unleavened Bread specifically included bovine animals. The commands for these sacrifices are found in Numbers 28:17-24. During the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, these sacrifices were offered from both the flock and the herd, or baqar. Offerings from the herd, or baqar, were the most expensive offering that could be offered. They, like the lambs and kids from the flocks, were offered as burnt offerings, peace offerings and thank offerings.
The account of Josiah’s Passover in II Chronicles 35 shows that these offerings for the Feast of Unleavened Bread were called “Passover offerings.” In II Chronicles 35:7-9, the term “Passover offerings” is not referring to the Passover sacrifice, but to the lambs and bullocks which were offered as additional sacrifices on each of the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. These “Passover offerings” are clearly distinguished from the Passover sacrifice itself by the details that are recorded in II Chronicles 35.
Ezra’s use of the term “Passover offering” in II Chronicles 35 gives us a firm Scriptural foundation for understanding the meaning of Deuteronomy 16. When we let the Scriptures interpret the Scriptures, it is clear that the term “Passover offering” in Deuteronomy 16:2 is not referring to the sacrifice of the Passover lambs, but to the sacrifices for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which were taken from both the flock and the herd.
6) Deuteronomy 16:5-6 gives these instructions concerning the “Passover offering”: “You may not sacrifice the Passover offering within any of your gates which the LORD your God gives you, but at the place which the LORD your God shall choose to place His name in, there you shall sacrifice the Passover offering at sunset [ba erev], at the going down of the sun, at the time that you came out of Egypt.”
This command directly contradicts the Passover commands that are recorded in Exodus 12, which show that the sacrifice of the Passover lamb was a domestic observance. In Numbers 9 we read that these Passover commands were established as lasting ordinances and statutes for the children of Israel. Our study of the Old Testament records has demonstrated that God did not change the time or the place of the Passover sacrifice. It was not God but the kings of Judah who instituted the temple sacrifice of the Passover lambs. Moreover, Numbers 28:16 shows that before the temple was built, there was no Passover sacrifice at the tabernacle on the Passover day, the 14th day of the first month. However, there were sacrifices at the tabernacle every day during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. (See Num. 28:17-24.) Unlike the sacrifice of the Passover lamb, these offerings were NEVER A DOMESTIC OBSERVANCE. The children of Israel were forbidden to offer them within their gates. This command adds to the Scriptural evidence that the term “Passover offering” in Deuteronomy 16 refers to the sacrifices for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which were offered by the priests at the tabernacle.
7) Deuteronomy 16:3 commands, “...Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it....” When we read the preceding verse, we find that the antecedent of “with it” is “the Passover offering.” The command in Verse 3 shows that unleavened bread was eaten with the “Passover offering” for SEVEN DAYS! Since the Passover lambs were eaten on only one day, the 14th day of the first month, it would be IMPOSSIBLE to eat unleavened bread with it for seven days. The fact that the “Passover offering” in Deuteronomy 16 continued for seven full days, makes it unmistakably clear that this term refers to the sacrifices that were offered during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
8) In the King James Version in Deuteronomy 16:7 we read, “And thou shalt roast and eat it....” This command has been interpreted as referring to the Passover lamb because it matches God’s command for observing the Passover (Exodus 12:8-9). However, the word “roast” is not a correct translation of the Hebrew text. The Hebrew word that is translated “roast” is bashal, which means “boil.” Bashal is generally translated “seethe” in the KJV. It is translated “boil” in Leviticus 8:31, and “sod” or “sodden” in the following verses in the Pentateuch: Exodus 12:9, Leviticus 6:21 and Numbers 6:19. It is translated “seethe” in the following verses: Exodus 16:23; 29:31 and 34:26, and Deuteronomy 14:21. In Numbers 11:8 it is translated both “seethe” and “baked with oil,” which probably means boiled in oil or deep fried.
It is wholly incorrect to translate the Hebrew word bashal as “roast,” as the translators of the JPSA and KJV have done in Deuteronomy 16:7. This verse should read “And you shall boil and eat it....” The Revised Standard Version, New English Version, and Berkeley Translation all correctly translate bashal as “boil” in Deuteronomy 16:7.
Some Jewish authorities acknowledge that the word “roast” in Deuteronomy 16:7 is a mistranslation. In his Hebrew interlinear, Magil footnotes the correct translation of bashal as “boil.” Bashal is also translated correctly in The Schocken Bible, which states, “You are to boil it and you are to eat it...” (Deut. 16:7). On the other hand, in what is considered the most authoritative Hebrew version and Jewish commentary, The Pentateuch and Rashi’s Commentary, with the linear translation by Rabbis Abraham Ben Isaiah and Benjamin Sharfman, bashal is translated “roast.” However, a commentary notation states that bashal “usually denotes ‘cooking.’ ” This commentary note cleverly masks the mistranslation of bashal as “roast.”
Whether the mistranslation of Deuteronomy 16:7 was done deliberately or by oversight gives the appearance that this passage applies to the sacrifice of the Passover lambs. When correctly translated, it is obvious that the command in Deuteronomy 16:7 is not referring to the sacrifice of the Passover. The sacrifice referred to in this verse was to be boiled, as the use of bashal clearly shows. To interpret Deuteronomy 16:7 as a command for the Passover lamb is in direct conflict with God’s command that the Passover lambs be roasted. The Hebrew word for “roast” is tsacah. Tsacah is used in Exodus 12 in the commands for observing the Passover: “And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roasted [tsacah] with fire....Do not eat of it raw, nor boiled [bashal] at all with water, but roasted [tsacah] with fire” (verses 8-9). God clearly commanded that the Passover lambs be ROASTED (TSACAH) WITH FIRE. IT WAS FORBIDDEN TO BOIL (BASHAL) THEM! The lambs were not to be boiled in water or cooked in a covered pot, where the juices could boil the meat.
This fact is quite clear: Since bashal, the Hebrew word for “boil,” is used in Deuteronomy 16:7, this command CANNOT be referring to the sacrifice of the Passover lamb. The commands in Exodus 12:8-9 are most EMPHATIC that the Passover lamb was to be roasted (tsacah) with fire. It would be foolish indeed to claim that God contradicted Himself and commanded that the Passover lambs be boiled, or bashal, as the Hebrew specifically states in Deuteronomy 16:7.
The commands that we find in Deuteronomy 16—to boil the sacrifices, to sacrifice animals from the herd as well as lambs and kid goats, to eat unleavened bread with those sacrifices for seven days, to assemble at the temple, to celebrate the Exodus—are all COMMANDS FOR THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD, NOT FOR THE PASSOVER.
9) The term “the first day” in Deuteronomy 16:4 does NOT refer to the Passover day. This term clearly refers to the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as it follows the command to observe seven days: “...there shall be no leaven seen with thee...seven days; neither shall any of the flesh, which thou sacrificest the first day....” The use of the word “passover” in Verse 1 is a later terminology of Judaism. The practice of calling the Feast of Unleavened Bread “the Passover” began many centuries after God gave His commands for the Passover.
10) Deuteronomy 16:4 commands, “...Neither shall any of the flesh, which thou sacrificest the first day at even, remain all night until the morning” (JPSA). Many have assumed that this command is referring to the flesh of the Passover lamb, as God gave a similar command for the Passover: “And you shall not let any of it remain until the morning. And that which remains of it until the morning you shall burn with fire” (Ex. 12:10).
Not knowing that God gave these same instructions for other sacrifices, many have assumed that Deuteronomy 16:4 must be referring to the sacrifice of the Passover lamb. But the command in Deuteronomy 16:4 was also a requirement for peace offerings: “And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered. He shall not leave any of it until the morning” (Lev. 7:15). The same command was given for thank offerings: “And when you will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, offer it at your own will. On the same day it is to be eaten. You shall leave none of it until morning. I am the LORD. And you shall keep My commandments, and do them. I am the LORD” (Lev. 22:29-31).
Peace offerings and thank offerings were the principal sacrifices that were offered during the Feast of Unleavened Bread and other annual feast days. None of the flesh of these sacrifices was to be left until morning. However, there is a difference between God’s commands for these offerings and His command for the Passover sacrifice. Although the commands are similar, the command for the sacrifice of the Passover lamb includes an additional requirement: “...that which remains of it until the morning you shall burn with fire” (Ex. 12:10).
The commands for peace offerings and thank offerings do not include a requirement to burn the remains, as does the command for the Passover sacrifice. Neither does the command in Deuteronomy 16. Because there is no requirement to burn the remains of the offerings in Deuteronomy 16:4, we can conclude that this verse is not referring to the sacrifice of the Passover lamb.
The instructions in Deuteronomy 16:4, which many have interpreted as commands for the Passover lamb, are clearly referring to the thank offerings and peace offerings that were made during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. These sacrifices began on the “first day at sunset”— the evening beginning the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the 15th day of the first month, which commemorates the Exodus of the children of Israel. The Exodus actually started at sunset beginning on the 15th, the next night after the Passover night. It was a special “night to be observed unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt to be observed by all the children of Israel throughout their generations” (Ex. 12:42).
The Lord “passed over” the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, sparing the firstborn of man and beast at midnight on the Passover night. However, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was the actual day of redemption of the firstborn, as the Lord began to bring them out of Egypt. Therefore, on this day, the Lord commanded the children of Israel concerning the redemption of the firstborn: “Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: It is Mine ... thou shalt set apart all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of beast which thou hast: the males shall be the Lord’s and every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem” (Ex. 13:1, 12-13, KJV). The clean animals were to be redeemed on the eighth day (Ex. 22:30). Likewise with the unclean were to be redeemed with a lamb on the eighth day.
Consequently, at the tabernacle/temple beginning in the late afternoon on the Passover day, in preparation for the night to be much observed, there were undoubtedly a great number of sacrifices, from the flock and the herd, to be offered for the redemption of the firstborn of man and beast. These redemption sacrifices would also be called “Passover offerings.” However, they were not used for the “Passover-sacrifice” itself, but in the celebration of “the night to be much observed unto the Lord.” Undoubtedly, these were also part of the sacrifices of the flock and herd commanded in Deuteronomy 16.
Evidence of the special observance of that night is found in Deuteronomy 16:7: “...And in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents” This verse shows that the commemoration of the Exodus lasted through the entire night. When they began the Exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel apparently marched all that night. This is the night that is described in Deuteronomy 16:1 as the time that God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. That night was the beginning of the 15th day of the first month, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The commands in Verses 4 and 7 of Deuteronomy 16 are further proof that this chapter contains instructions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread—not for the Passover day.
11) Deuteronomy 16:2, 5 and 6 are the only verses in the entire Pentateuch where the offerings for the Feast of Unleavened Bread are referred to as “the Passover offering.” This terminology was not in use when Moses wrote the book of Deuteronomy, but reflects the later practice of the Jews.
12) Deuteronomy 16:8 contains what appears to be a glaring contradiction to other Scriptural commands for the Feast of Unleavened Bread: “SIX DAYS you shall eat unleavened bread...”
This statement has been used to support the rabbinical teaching that it was not obligatory to eat unleavened bread on the seventh day. But when we examine the context, we find that this rabbinical interpretation of Deuteronomy 16:8 directly conflicts with God’s commands for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Verse 3 and Verse 4 state that no leaven was to be eaten for seven days. Verse 8 does not contradict these commands. Rather, it shows that after eating unleavened bread for six days, “the seventh day” was to be observed as a “solemn assembly.” These commands, and the preceding commands in Verses 3 and 4, show that the seventh day was in every respect a day of unleavened bread. When we let the Scriptures interpret the Scriptures, there is no conflict between Deuteronomy 16:8 and the other commands for observing the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Some believe that Deuteronomy 16:8 was edited after the time of Ezra to support the rabbinical practice of observing only six days of unleavened bread. Whether or not the Hebrew text was altered, it has obviously been misrepresented. To claim that Deuteronomy 16:8 is a command to eat unleavened bread for ONLY six days is a blatant distortion of the Scriptures. The true interpretation of this verse is revealed in the context, which clearly commands that unleavened bread be eaten for seven days. Verse 8 does not alter this command. It simply points out that the seventh day of unleavened bread is also a Sabbath and a commanded assembly.
Remember, error does not agree with truth. Truth agrees with the Scriptures, and the Word of God does not contradict itself. It is possible that the Hebrew text was altered by men in an attempt to give their human interpretations the appearance of Scriptural authority. However, the Word of God so totally agrees with itself, because God inspired it, that these areas of human misrepresentation can be discovered and corrected.
Deuteronomy 16 Does Not Support a 15th Passover
Those who observe a Nisan 15 Passover maintain that the commands in Deuteronomy 16:1-8 support their belief and practice. In every book, booklet, study paper, or article which advocates a 15th Passover, Deuteronomy 16 is presented as THE MAJOR “PROOF TEXT.” But while Deuteronomy 16:1-8, as translated in the JPSA and KJV, might appear to uphold a 15th Passover, we have clearly seen that it does not! The scriptural evidence shows that the instructions given in Deuteronomy 16:1-8 are commands for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, not for the Passover. The term “Passover offering” in Deuteronomy 16 was apparently edited into the text at a later time, when the Passover and the entire Feast of Unleavened Bread were referred to as “Passover.” The combining of the two feasts under the name “Passover” appears to have come into practice after the Jews returned from the Babylonian captivity.
The prophet Ezekiel, who lived and wrote in the early days of Ezra and Nehemiah, confirms the use of this later terminology for the Feast of Unleavened Bread: “In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover; a feast of seven days...” (Ezek. 45:21, JPSA).
The correct translation of this verse reads: “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall observe the Passover; for the festival of seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten” (Ezek 45:21). The proper translation and punctuation of this verse shows that the Passover is observed as a single day, followed by the seven additional days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
This verse is another Scriptural example of the later terminology that was used at the time of Ezra. But the fact that the Scriptures use this terminology does not nullify or alter the Passover commands of God in Exodus 12, Numbers 9 and Leviticus 23. For a technical exegesis of Ezekiel 45:21, see Appendix R.
When correctly translated and interpreted in the light of all the Scriptures, the commands in Deuteronomy 16 do not support a 15th Passover at all. THE SCRIPTURES DO NOT COMMAND A 15TH PASSOVER. SUCH A TEACHING IS A TRADITION OF THE JEWS!
Jesus Christ condemned the leaders of Judaism for placing their traditions above the Word of God. He said, “Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men.’ For leaving the commandments of God, you hold fast the traditions of men...” (Mark 7:6-8).
Today, we are facing the same conflict between the Word of God and the traditions of Judaism, and each of us must make a decision: Am I going to keep the commandments of God, or the traditions of men? This question is the heart and core of the 14th/15th Passover controversy.
In this chapter we have seen overwhelming evidence that the commands in Deuteronomy 16:1-8 are, in fact, instructions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. These instructions, which refer to the Feast of Unleavened Bread as “the Passover,” were later applied to the Passover day in an attempt to support and uphold a 15th Passover. Aiding this false view of Deuteronomy 16 was the mistranslation of bashal as “roast” instead of “boil.” This mistranslation has distorted the true meaning of these commands and helped to perpetuate the controversy over the correct day for the observance of the Passover. Such mistranslations, misrepresentations and misinterpretations are intended to justify the Jews’ departure from the domestic observance of the Passover at the beginning of the 14th and their practice of sacrificing the Passover lamb late in the afternoon of the 14th and eating the Passover meal on the night of the 15th, which begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
In Chapter Fifteen, we will study the historical circumstances that led to the editing of the Hebrew text, particularly as they relate to the 14th/15th Passover controversy.
