Was The First Passover On The Night of the 14th or the 15th?
Many times when I read Exodus chapter 12, I rehash again, “Was the first Passover on the night of the 14th or the 15th?”
I’m using the JPS translation
12:3 Speak to the whole community of Israel and say that on the tenth of this month each of them shall take a lamb to a family . . . . .
12:6 You shall keep watch over it until the fourteenth day of this month; and all the assembled congregation of the Israelites shall slaughter it at twilight. (In the One New Man Bible notes, Abraham Ibn Ezra defines twilight as the time between sundown and darkness.)
If this definition is correct, twilight is not 3 o’clock in the afternoon. When did the practice of slaughtering the lamb in the afternoon begin? So, was it twilight at the beginning of the 14th or the end? My understanding from Ex 12, is that at twilight between sundown and darkness, the lamb was slaughtered at the beginning of the 14th, and eaten that same night (vs 8) roasted over the fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs.
They were told not to go out of their houses until morning (12:22). Did they disobey YHVH, and obey the command of Pharaoh (12:31), or did they obey ALL that YHVH had commanded Moses and Aaron for them to do? Did they remain indoors until morning and then do all that is written in 12:33-36? Did this take them all day, and so they left Egypt the night portion of the 15th? Is it because they ate the lamb on the 14th, that Y’shua had the last meal with the twelve on evening of the 14Th?
Thank you in advance for your comments. I hope that is trying to be brief, I didn’t fail to communicate
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January 31, 2019 at 12:56 am /
Found this after sending my comment. Between the KJV and the Israel Bible, there is a clarification about what is the night of Pesach.
Ex 12:42 (KJV) It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.
A night to be much observed says it all. Israel spent the night observing what was happening. In the years after this first Pesach, it was a night to remember that Yehovah set Israel free.
Ex 12:42 (The Israel Bible) – That was for Yehovah, a night of vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt; that same night is Yehovah’s, one of vigil for all the children of Israel throughout the ages.
The definition of vigil: 1) a religious observance formerly held on the night before a religious feast; 2) the day before a religious feast observed as a day of spiritual preparation; 3) evening or nocturnal devotions or prayers; 4) an act or a time of keeping awake when sleep is customary.
Each of the meanings of “vigil” perfectly describes what the Israelites were doing the night of Pesach while waiting to be set free and leave Egypt.
This night is called Pesach by the Jews but it is the first night of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. (When they recount to their children why they keep this night, their answer is, “It is the Pesach sacrifice to Yehovah… [Ex 12:26-27], which is probably why they just call it Pesach.)
As for the dates of these days, I believe, in Yehovah’s timing, this night is considered the evening or night portion of the 15th and the next day is the day portion of the 15th, which is a festival unto Yehovah–1st Day of Unleavened Bread.
To step back, during the day portion of the 14th, it is the time to prepare for the Pesach sacrifice. It will be killed at twilight (Ex 12:6) at the end of the 14th, between sundown and darkness, so it may be eaten at the beginning of the night portion of the 15th, which begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
More to come later.
Donna
January 30, 2019 at 9:35 pm /
Barbara, I posted this comment as a new topic but moved it here to partially answer your question.
Was wondering if anyone else noticed what Moshe told the children of Israel in Exodus 12: 22–
“and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. ”
To backtrack first, when Moshe and Pharaoh have their last face-to-face meeting (Ex 10:28-29), Pharaoh sends Moshe away and threatens his life if Pharaoh sees him again;
Moshe then agrees that he will not see Pharaoh again.
Moshe also tells Pharaoh (Ex 11: 8) that Pharaoh’s courtiers will go down to Moshe to implore Moshe and his people to leave Egypt. And that is what happens. (Ex 12:31)
During the night, Pharaoh, thru his courtiers, summons ( definition: a request, demand, or call to do something) Moshe to leave Egypt.
Moshe does not leave the house he is in to go see Pharaoh, the courtiers come to him, because the Israelites were commanded to stay indoors till morning.
So, just as with Moshe, the children of Israel could not leave Egypt during the night.
They had to wait till morning to go out of their homes to leave Egypt.
OFFICIALLY, as commanded by Pharaoh, Israel is SET FREE this night of Pesach (Ex 12:41-42),
Deut 16:1 is in agreement (The Israel Bible):
Observe the month of Abib, and offer a Pesach sacrifice to Yehovah your God, for it was in the month of Abib, at night, that Yehovah your God FREED you from Egypt.
If you read the King James Version, it leads you to think that Israel left Egypt that night. That couldn’t be so because of the command to not leave their homes till morning (Exodus 12: 22).
KJV: (Deut 16:1) Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
Once again, Israel did NOT leave Egypt that night of Pesach but, they were OFFICIALLY FREED that night, making it “a night to be much observed”. Israel left Egypt in the morning when they could leave their homes.
Donna
January 31, 2019 at 3:51 am /
I think using the term “this night of Pesach” has caused some confusion. I’ve looked at as many English bibles as I can, including the Israel Bible, and I am not seeing this term. Continuing to use it may only cause more confusion IMHO.
I believe the confusion arises from the Jewish tradition which labels Chag HamMoetzee (Feast of Unleavened Bread) with the NAME, Pesach. HapPesach, The ‘passover’ is the goat or lamb brought into the house for 5 days in Egypt, slaughtered, eaten roasted by fire with unleavened bread, and burned if any left over by morning. The ‘passover’ was EATEN in haste and NOT TO BE EATEN by a foreigner, only the Israelite or a sojourner male who has been circumcised may EAT it. The ‘passover’ is not a day or name for a day or a title of a feast. It is food! It is a food with special instructions once in Egypt and as a memorial to that first night the Pesach was slaughtered , its blood put on the doorpost, and it was roasted and eaten.
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