In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The precise wording here indicates that the feast begins with eating unleavened bread on the evening of the 14th, encompassing that day's Passover meal, and continues until the evening of the 21st, making it a full seven days. This careful timing emphasizes that the entire Passover observance, not just the days following the initial meal, is dedicated to remembering God's swift rescue.
In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse is part of the detailed instructions for the very first Passover observance, commanded by God right before the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. Immediately preceding this, God has outlined the sacrifice of the lamb and the application of its blood as a sign for protection from the coming plague. The subsequent verses will further elaborate on the implications for strangers and the mixed multitude who accompanied Israel out of Egypt.
The timing of ancient festivals can seem confusing. Was the feast of unleavened bread seven days, or eight?
This verse clarifies the exact timeframe for eating unleavened bread. It begins on the evening of the 14th of Nisan, extending through the evening of the 21st. This means the festival officially lasts for seven full days, starting with the Passover meal on the night of the 14th and concluding at the end of the 21st. The 'evening' mentioned marks the transition from one day to the next according to the ancient Jewish calendar, where days began at sunset.
Why was unleavened bread so important? It wasn't just about avoiding leaven; it carried a powerful spiritual message.
The command to eat unleavened bread for seven days is deeply symbolic. Leaven, in biblical thought, often represents corruption, sin, or a corrupting influence. By abstaining from it, the Israelites were commanded to remember their hasty departure from Egypt – they left so quickly there was no time for their bread to rise. More profoundly, this practice called them to live lives of sincerity and truth, free from the 'leaven' of hypocrisy, malice, and sin. It was a call to purity and a new beginning, mirroring the spiritual cleansing that Christ, the true unleavened bread, offers us.
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~1446 BC— this verse
Exodus from Egypt
Under God's powerful hand, the Israelites are miraculously led out of nearly 400 years of slavery in Egypt.
~1446 BC
Institution of Passover
God institutes the Passover feast as a perpetual memorial of Israel's liberation and His judgment upon Egypt.
~1446 BC
The First Passover Meal
The Israelites, following God's specific instructions, celebrate their first Passover meal with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
~1446 BC
Journey into the Wilderness
Following their departure, the Israelites begin their journey through the wilderness towards the Promised Land.
This passage directly connects the Passover to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, highlighting the 14th day for the Passover meal and the following seven days for eating unleavened bread.
Deuteronomy 16:3This verse reiterates the command to eat unleavened bread, specifically calling it the 'bread of affliction' and linking it to the haste of the Exodus.
1 Corinthians 5:7-8The Apostle Paul uses the imagery of unleavened bread from this festival to explain the Christian life, emphasizing purity and sincerity by 'putting away' the 'old leaven' of malice and evil.
John 6:48-51Jesus refers to Himself as the 'bread of life' that came down from heaven, drawing a parallel to the unleavened bread of the Passover, which foreshadowed His sacrifice.
calvinExodus 12:1-20: "And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,"
And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it, according to the number of the souls: every man, according to his eating, shall make your count for the lamb.
Quod si minor fuerit familia quam pro agno, assumet ipse vicinum suum qui propinquior fuerit domus suae, pro numero animarum, singuli ad mensuram cibi sui numerabitis pro agno.
Your lamb…
gillExodus 12:18: "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even."
In the first month,.... As it was now ordered to be reckoned, the month Abib or Nisan: the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread; that is, at the evening following, the fourteenth of Nisan, and which was the beginning of the fifteenth day, the Jews beginning their day from the evening: hence the Targum o…
The precise wording here indicates that the feast begins with eating unleavened bread on the evening of the 14th, encompassing that day's Passover meal, and continues until the evening of the 21st, making it a full seven days. This careful timing emphasizes that the entire Passover observance, not just the days following the initial meal, is dedicated to remembering God's swift rescue.
This verse is part of the detailed instructions for the very first Passover observance, commanded by God right before the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. Immediately preceding this, God has outlined the sacrifice of the lamb and the application of its blood as a sign for protection from the coming plague. The subsequent verses will further elaborate on the implications for strangers and the mixed multitude who accompanied Israel out of Egypt.
This verse is part of the detailed instructions for the very first Passover observance, commanded by God right before the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. Immediately preceding this, God has outlined the sacrifice of the lamb and the application of its blood as a sign for protection from the coming plague. The subsequent verses will further elaborate on the implications for strangers and the mixed multitude who accompanied Israel out of Egypt.
"In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening." — The precise wording here indicates that the feast begins with eating unleavened bread on the evening of the 14th, encompassing that day's Passover meal, and continues until the evening of the 21st,…
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Last reviewed October 2026