In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the LORD’s Passover.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Leviticus 23:5
What does Leviticus 23:5 mean?
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Leviticus 23:5
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The "at even" time for the Passover wasn't a single, precise moment, but a duration. It's understood as "between the two evenings," meaning the period from mid-afternoon until full darkness, giving a window for preparation and sacrifice.
In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the LORD’s Passover.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage introduces the list of Israel's appointed festivals, beginning with the Passover. It details the timing of the Passover sacrifice, which immediately precedes the Feast of Unleavened Bread that lasts for seven days. The context highlights that these observances are annual reminders of God's deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt.
Why was a specific month chosen for such a monumental event? It wasn't random; it was divinely orchestrated.
A New Beginning
Leviticus 23:5 places the Passover in the 'first month.' This wasn't just any month; it was a divinely appointed time. Historically, this month, known as Abib or Nisan, marked the beginning of the religious year for Israel.
A Shift in Calendar
God declared this month to be the 'beginning of months' (Exodus 12:2). This was a significant reordering of their calendar, placing the commemoration of their liberation at the very start of their year. This ensured that their identity as a freed people, rescued by God, was the foundational truth they lived by.
God's Sovereign Plan
This wasn't about human convenience but divine sovereignty. By setting the Passover in this specific month, God underscored that their redemption was not a mere historical accident but the planned, deliberate act of a faithful God.
The precise timing of 'at even' speaks volumes about the transition from darkness to light, bondage to freedom.
The In-Between Time
The phrase 'at even' (or 'between the two evenings' in some translations) marks a specific, crucial moment. It wasn't broad daylight, nor was it the dead of night. It was the transitional period between day and night.
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A Symbol of Change
This timing was deeply symbolic. It represented the moment when the final plague struck Egypt – the death of the firstborn – and simultaneously, the Israelites were spared. It was the threshold where judgment passed over them, and their deliverance began in earnest.
God's Precise Intervention
This detail highlights God's precise intervention. He didn't just save them; He saved them at a divinely appointed hour, a moment poised between the old and the new, the darkness of slavery and the dawn of freedom.
The name itself, 'the LORD's Passover,' points to the true subject of this feast: God's powerful and personal intervention.
God's Name, God's Action
The verse explicitly states, 'is the LORD's Passover.' This isn't the 'Israelites' Passover' or the 'Egyptians' Passover,' but the LORD's. The emphasis is on God's direct action and ownership.
More Than a Commemoration
This was not merely a historical reminder for Israel. It was an ongoing declaration that the LORD Himself was the agent of their salvation. He actively intervened, judged, and rescued His people.
A Memorial of Divine Faithfulness
By naming it 'the LORD's Passover,' God ensured that every time they observed this feast, they would remember who had delivered them. It was a perpetual testament to His faithfulness, His power, and His covenant love for them.
Understand the original words
pecach · Hebrew Noun
The commemorative feast celebrating the Lord’s sparing of the firstborn of Israel during the final plague in Egypt. It serves as a profound typology of the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God, who delivers His people from judgment.
This passage details the original institution of the Passover, explaining the instructions for selecting the lamb, the timing of its sacrifice, and the significance of the blood on the doorposts.
Exodus 12:43-51This section clarifies the Passover's ongoing observance, emphasizing that all Israelites, including any foreigners who join them, must participate according to the established rules, underscoring its communal and inclusive nature.
Numbers 28:16-25This passage provides further sacrificial regulations for the Passover and the subsequent Feast of Unleavened Bread, outlining specific offerings required during this sacred time.
1 Corinthians 5:7-8The Apostle Paul directly links the Passover lamb to Jesus Christ, urging believers to celebrate the feast not with old leaven (sin) but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, showing the spiritual fulfillment of the Passover.
clarkeLeviticus 23:5: "In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover."
The Lord's passover - See this largely explained in the notes on Exodus 12:21-27 (note).
calvinLeviticus 23:1-44: "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,"
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
Alloquere filios Israel, et dic eis, Quum ingressi fueritis terrain quam ego do vobis, et messueritis messem ejus, tunc offeretis omnes primitias messis vestrae ad sacerdotem.
And he shall wave the shea…
The "at even" time for the Passover wasn't a single, precise moment, but a duration. It's understood as "between the two evenings," meaning the period from mid-afternoon until full darkness, giving a window for preparation and sacrifice.
This passage introduces the list of Israel's appointed festivals, beginning with the Passover. It details the timing of the Passover sacrifice, which immediately precedes the Feast of Unleavened Bread that lasts for seven days. The context highlights that these observances are annual reminders of God's deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt.
This passage introduces the list of Israel's appointed festivals, beginning with the Passover. It details the timing of the Passover sacrifice, which immediately precedes the Feast of Unleavened Bread that lasts for seven days. The context highlights that these observances are annual reminders of God's deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt.
"In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the LORD’s Passover." — The "at even" time for the Passover wasn't a single, precise moment, but a duration. It's understood as "between the two evenings," meaning the period from mid-afternoon until full darkness, giving a…
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Last reviewed October 2026