Passover

The name given to the chief of the three great historical annual festivals of the Jews. It was kept in remembrance of the Lord’s passing over the houses of the Israelites (Ex. 12:13) when the first born of all the Egyptians were destroyed. It is called also the “feast of unleavened bread” (Ex. 23:15; Mark 14:1; Acts 12:3), because during its celebration no leavened bread was to be eaten or even kept in the household (Ex. 12:15). The word afterwards came to denote the lamb that was slain at the feast (Mark 14:12-14; 1 Cor. 5:7). A detailed account of the institution of this feast is given in Ex. 12 and 13. It was afterwards incorporated in the ceremonial law (Lev. 23:4-8) as one of the great festivals of the nation. In after times many changes seem to have taken place as to the mode of its celebration as compared with its first celebration (comp. Deut. 16:2, 5, 6; 2 Chr. 30:16; Lev. 23:10-14; Num. 9:10, 11; 28:16-24). Again, the use of wine (Luke 22:17, 20), of sauce with the bitter herbs (John 13:26), and the service of praise were introduced. There is recorded only one celebration of this feast between the Exodus and the entrance into Canaan, namely, that mentioned in Num. 9:5. (See JOSIAH.) It was primarily a commemorative ordinance, reminding the children of Israel of their deliverance out of Egypt; but it was, no doubt, also a type of the great deliverance wrought by the Messiah for all his people from the doom of death on account of sin, and from the bondage of sin itself, a worse than Egyptian bondage (1 Cor. 5:7; John 1:29; 19:32-36; 1 Pet. 1:19; Gal. 4:4, 5). The appearance of Jerusalem on the occasion of the Passover in the time of our Lord is thus fittingly described: “The city itself and the neighbourhood became more and more crowded as the feast approached, the narrow streets and dark arched bazaars showing the same throng of men of all nations as when Jesus had first visited Jerusalem as a boy. Even the temple offered a strange sight at this season, for in parts of the outer courts a wide space was covered with pens for sheep, goats, and cattle to be used for offerings. Sellers shouted the merits of their beasts, sheep bleated, oxen lowed. Sellers of doves also had a place set apart for them. Potters offered a choice from huge stacks of clay dishes and ovens for roasting and eating the Passover lamb. Booths for wine, oil, salt, and all else needed for sacrifices invited customers. Persons going to and from the city shortened their journey by crossing the temple grounds, often carrying burdens...Stalls to change foreign money into the shekel of the temple, which alone could be paid to the priests, were numerous, the whole confusion making the sanctuary like a noisy market” (Geikie’s Life of Christ).

the first of the three great annual festivals of the Israelites celebrated in the month Nisan (March-April, from the 14th to the 21st. (Strictly speaking the Passover only applied to the paschal supper and the feast of unleavened bread followed, which was celebrated to the 21st.) (For the corresponding dates in our month, see Jewish calendar at the end of this volume.) The following are the principal passages in the Pentateuch relating to the Passover: (Exodus 12:1-51; 13:3-10; 23:14-19; 34:18-26; Leviticus 23:4-14; Numbers 9:1-14; 28:16-25; 16:1-6) Why instituted .—This feast was instituted by God to commemorate the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and the sparing of their firstborn when the destroying angel smote the first-born of the Egyptians. The deliverance from Egypt was regarded as the starting-point of the Hebrew nation. The Israelites were then raised from the condition of bondmen under a foreign tyrant to that of a free people owing allegiance to no one but Jehovah. The prophet in a later age spoke of the event as a creation and a redemption of the nation. God declares himself to be “the Creator of Israel.” The Exodus was thus looked upon as the birth of the nation; the Passover was its annual birthday feast. It was the yearly memorial of the dedication of the people to him who had saved their first-born from the destroyer, in order that they might be made holy to himself. First celebration of the Passover .—On the tenth day of the month, the head of each family was to select from the flock either a lamb or a kid, a male of the first year, without blemish. If his family was too small to eat the whole of the lamb, he was permitted to invite his nearest neighbor to join the party. On the fourteenth day of the month he was to kill his lamb, while the sun was setting. He was then to take blood in a basin and with a sprig of hyssop to sprinkle it on the two side-posts and the lintel of the door of the house. The lamb was then thoroughly roasted, whole. It was expressly forbidden that it should be boiled, or that a bone of it should be broken. Unleavened bread and bitter herbs were to be eaten with the flesh. No male who was uncircumcised was to join the company. Each one was to have his loins girt, to hold a staff in his hand, and to have shoes on his feet. He was to eat in haste, and it would seem that he was to stand during the meal. The number of the party was to be calculated as nearly as possible, so that all the flesh of the lamb might be eaten; but if any portion of it happened to remain, it was to be burned in the morning. No morsel of it was to be carried out of the house. The lambs were selected, on the fourteenth they were slain and the blood sprinkled, and in the following evening, after the fifteenth day of the had commenced the first paschal meal was eaten. At midnight the firstborn of the Egyptians were smitten. The king and his people were now urgent that the Israelites should start immediately, and readily bestowed on them supplies for the journey. In such haste did the Israelites depart, on that very day, (Numbers 33:3) that they packed up their kneading troughs containing the dough prepared for the morrow’s provisions, which was not yet leavened. Observance of the Passover in later times .—As the original institution of the Passover in Egypt preceded the establishment of the priesthood and the regulation of the service of the tabernacle. It necessarily fell short in several particulars of the observance of the festival according to the fully-developed ceremonial law. The head of the family slew the lamb in his own house, not in the holy place; the blood was sprinkled on the doorway, not on the altar. But when the law was perfected, certain particulars were altered in order to assimilate the Passover to the accustomed order of religious service. In the twelfth and thirteenth chapters of Exodus there are not only distinct references to the observance of the festival in future ages (e.g.) (Exodus 12:2,14,17,24-27,42; 13:2,5,8-10) but there are several injunctions which were evidently not intended for the first Passover, and which indeed could not possibly have been observed. Besides the private family festival, there were public and national sacrifices offered each of the seven days of unleavened bread. (Numbers 28:19) On the second day also the first-fruits of the barley harvest were offered in the temple. (Leviticus 23:10) In the latter notices of the festival in the books of the law there are particulars added which appear as modifications of the original institution. (Leviticus 23:10-14; Numbers 28:16-25; 16:1-6) Hence it is not without reason that the Jewish writers have laid great stress on the distinction between “the Egyptian Passover” and “the perpetual Passover.” Mode and order of the paschal meal .—All work except that belonging to a few trades connected with daily life was suspended for some hours before the evening of the 14th Nisan. It was not lawful to

PASS'OVER, the principal annual feast of the Jews, which typified the sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God, slain for the sins of the world. Comp. 1 Cor 5:7-8, Christ our Passover is slain for us, etc. It was appointed to commemorate the exemption or "passing over" of the families of the Israelites when the destroying angel smote the first-born of Egypt, and also their departure from the land of bondage. At even of the 14th day of the first month (Nisan) the Passover was to be celebrated, and on the 15th day commenced the seven days' feast of unleavened bread. The term "Passover" is strictly applicable only to the meal of the paschal lamb, and the feast of unleavened bread was celebrated on the 15th onward for seven days to the 21st inclusive. This order is recognized in Josh 5:10-11. But in the sacred history the term "Passover" is used also to denote the whole period - the 14th day, and the festival of the seven davs following. Luke 2:41; John 2:13, Heb 12:23; Am 6:4; John 11:55. As to the time of the celebration of the Passover, it is expressly appointed "between the two evenings," Ex 12:6; Lev 23:5; Num 9:3, 1 Chr 6:5, or, as it is elsewhere expressed, "at even, at the going down of the sun." Deut 16:6. This is supposed to denote the commencement of the 15th day of Nisan, or at the moment when the 14th day closed and the 15th began. The twenty-four hours, reckoned from this point of time to the same period of the next day, or 15th, was the day of the Passover. At sunset of the 14th day the 15th began, and with it the feast of unleavened bread. The lamb was to be selected on the 10th day, and kept up till the 14th day, in the evening of which day it was to be killed. Ex 12:3-6. A male lamb was demanded, not more than one year old and without blemish; but often several households, comprising, perhaps, one hundred persons, associated and had a lamb in common, in which case each person was provided with a piece at least as large as an olive. The feast began by the handing around of a cup of wine mixed with water, over which the head of the family or the chief of the association pronounced the benediction. The lamb, roasted whole, and the other dishes were then placed on the table, and after a second cup of wine the meal was eaten. Everybody present partook of the lamb, the bitter herbs, and the unleavened bread, and care was taken that no bone was broken. What was left of the flesh was immediately burnt. After the meal followed the third cup of wine, then the singing of psalms and hymns, and finally a fourth, and perhaps a fifth, cup of wine. Then followed the feast of unleavened bread, occupying seven days, the first and last of which were peculiarly holy, like the Sabbath. Ex 12:15-16. The "preparation of the Passover," John 19:14, or "the day of the preparation," Matt 27:62. was the Paschal Friday, as in John 19:31 and 1 Chr 2:42, or the day preceding the regular Sabbath (Sabbath eve). It was, then, at the close of the 14th day of the month, when the feast of unleavened bread, called, in the larger sense, the Passover, Luke 22:1, approached, that Jesus directed the lamb for the paschal sacrifice to be prepared for himself and his disciples. This being done immediately after sunset of the 14th, which was the beginning of the 15th, the paschal supper was eaten. After this supper, and in the course of that night, Christ was arrested, tried during the night, condemned the next morning, crucified at 9 A.M., and died at 3 P.M. of the 15th of Nisan (this being a Friday). The whole series of events occurred between what we should call Thursday evening and Friday evening. The facts of chief importance in reconciling all the evangelists are that the word "Passover" is applied sometimes strictly to the 14th day, and at other times to the whole festival of unleavened bread; that the Passover, or paschal supper, strictly speaking, was celebrated at 6 P.M. at the close of the 14th or at the beginning of the 15th day of the month, and that the 15th of Nisan, or first day of the festival, was the day of the crucifixion. This has been verified by astronomical calculation, which proves that in the year a.d. 30, the year of our Saviour's death, the 15th of Nisan (April 7), fell on a Friday, which agrees with the testimony of all the evangelists.

PASS'OVER, the principal annual feast of the Jews, which typified the sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God, slain for the sins of the world. Comp. 1 Cor 5:7-8, Christ our Passover is slain for us, etc. It was appointed to commemorate the exemption or "passing over" of the families of the Israelites when the destroying angel smote the first-born of Egypt, and also their departure from the land of bondage.
At even of the 14th day of the first month (Nisan) the Passover was to be celebrated, and on the 15th day commenced the seven days' feast of unleavened bread. The term "Passover" is strictly applicable only to the meal of the paschal lamb, and the feast of unleavened bread was celebrated on the 15th onward for seven days to the 21st inclusive. This order is recognized in Josh 5:10-11. But in the sacred history the term "Passover" is used also to denote the whole period - the 14th day, and the festival of the seven davs following. Luke 2:41; John 2:13, Heb 12:23; Am 6:4; John 11:55. As to the time of the celebration of the Passover, it is expressly appointed "between the two evenings," Ex 12:6; Lev 23:5; Num 9:3, 1 Chr 6:5, or, as it is elsewhere expressed, "at even, at the going down of the sun." Deut 16:6. This is supposed to denote the commencement of the 15th day of Nisan, or at the moment when the 14th day closed and the 15th began. The twenty-four hours, reckoned from this point of time to the same period of the next day, or 15th, was the day of the Passover. At sunset of the 14th day the 15th began, and with it the feast of unleavened bread. The lamb was to be selected on the 10th day, and kept up till the 14th day, in the evening of which day it was to be killed. Ex 12:3-6. A male lamb was demanded, not more than one year old and without blemish; but often several households, comprising, perhaps, one hundred persons,

associated and had a lamb in common, in which case each person was provided with a piece at least as large as an olive. The feast began by the handing around of a cup of wine mixed with water, over which the head of the family or the chief of the association pronounced the benediction. The lamb, roasted whole, and the other dishes were then placed on the table, and after a second cup of wine the meal was eaten. Everybody present partook of the lamb, the bitter herbs, and the unleavened bread, and care was taken that no bone was broken. What was left of the flesh was immediately burnt. After the meal followed the third cup of wine, then the singing of psalms and hymns, and finally a fourth, and perhaps a fifth, cup of wine. Then followed the feast of unleavened bread, occupying seven days, the first and last of which were peculiarly holy, like the Sabbath. Ex 12:15-16. The "preparation of the Passover," John 19:14, or "the day of the preparation," Matt 27:62. was the Paschal Friday, as in John 19:31 and 1 Chr 2:42, or the day preceding the regular Sabbath (Sabbath eve). It was, then, at the close of the 14th day of the month, when the feast of unleavened bread, called, in the larger sense, the Passover, Luke 22:1, approached, that Jesus directed the lamb for the paschal sacrifice to be prepared for himself and his disciples. This being done immediately after sunset of the 14th, which was the beginning of the 15th, the paschal supper was eaten. After this supper, and in the course of that night, Christ was arrested, tried during the night, condemned the next morning, crucified at 9 A.M., and died at 3 P.M. of the 15th of Nisan (this being a Friday). The whole series of events occurred between what we should call Thursday evening and Friday evening. The facts of chief importance in reconciling all the evangelists are that the word "Passover" is applied sometimes strictly to the 14th day, and at other times to the whole festival of unleavened bread; that the Passover, or paschal supper, strictly speaking, was celebrated at 6 P.M. at the close of the 14th or at the beginning of the 15th day of the month, and that the 15th of Nisan, or first day of the festival, was the day of the crucifixion. This has been verified by astronomical calculation, which proves that in the year a.d. 30, the year of our Saviour's death, the 15th of Nisan (April 7), fell on a Friday, which agrees with the testimony of all the evangelists.

Part of speech: noun (n.)

1. A feast of the Jews, instituted to commemorate the sparing of the Hebrews in Egypt, when God, smiting the firstborn of the Egyptians, passed over the houses of the Israelites which were marked with the blood of a lamb.

2. The sacrifice offered at the feast of the passover; the paschal lamb. Ex. xii.