Exodus 12 15

Exodus 12:15 kjv

Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

Exodus 12:15 nkjv

Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.

Exodus 12:15 niv

For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.

Exodus 12:15 esv

Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.

Exodus 12:15 nlt

For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast. On the first day of the festival, remove every trace of yeast from your homes. Anyone who eats bread made with yeast during the seven days of the festival will be cut off from the community of Israel.

Exodus 12 verses

Exodus 12 15 Meaning

Exodus 12:15 details a core instruction for the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzot), immediately following the first Passover. It mandates the consumption of unleavened bread for seven days. Critically, it demands the complete removal of all leaven (chametz) from households by the first day of the feast. The consequence for anyone found eating anything leavened during this sacred period, from the first to the seventh day, is severe: they "shall be cut off from Israel." This command signifies a divinely ordained purification, a symbolic act commemorating the hasty departure from Egypt, and an emphasis on the distinctness and holiness required of God's people.

Exodus 12 15 Context

Exodus chapter 12 introduces the institution of the Passover (Pesach) and the subsequent seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzot). These commands are given to Moses and Aaron by God while the Israelites are still in Egypt, prior to their liberation. This instruction immediately follows the details of the Passover lamb and the smearing of blood on the doorposts, setting the stage for Israel's definitive separation from Egypt and their new identity as God's redeemed people. The specific instruction in verse 15 emphasizes the ritual purity required for this foundational covenantal event and future observance, symbolizing both the urgency of their departure and the holiness God demands. Culturally, leaven (chametz) represented decay, swelling, or expansion; its removal symbolized a break from the past, specifically from Egyptian influence, and an immediate obedience to God's precise timing for their redemption.

Exodus 12 15 Word analysis

• שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֗ים (Sheva`t Yamim): "Seven days". Signifies completion and totality in biblical numerology. The command covers the entire specified period without exception, emphasizing the divine institution and absolute requirement. It's a full week of remembering God's swift work.
• מַצּ֑וֹת (Matzot): "Unleavened bread". Literally "flat bread," made quickly without yeast. It symbolizes purity, haste, and remembrance of God's urgent call to freedom from bondage. It contrasts with ordinary bread, highlighting a unique, sacred time.
• תַּשְׁבִּ֥יתוּ (Tashbītū): "You shall remove/eliminate/cause to cease". A strong verb implying a complete and thorough purging. It's not just "put away" but an active, determined riddance. This denotes a deliberate and communal effort.
• שְׂאֹ֖ר (S'or): "Leaven". This refers to the fermented dough that causes bread to rise. Biblically, leaven often symbolizes corruption, sin, or old habits. Its removal is an act of purification and separation.
• מִבָּתֵּיכֶ֑ם (Mi-Batteikhem): "From your houses/from your homes". The command applies to the private dwelling, emphasizing personal and family responsibility for ceremonial cleanliness. It suggests a complete purge within one's sphere of influence.
• נֶפֶשׁ֙ (Nefesh): "Person/soul". Often refers to the individual as a living being. The penalty is applied to any individual, underscoring universal accountability under God's law.
• מַחְמֶ֗צֶת (Machmetzet): "What is leavened". Anything made with leaven, indicating the strictness of the prohibition. It includes any foodstuff, not just bread, prepared with yeast.
• וְנִכְרְתָ֛ה (V'Nikhr'tah): "And shall be cut off". A severe covenantal penalty. This means exclusion from the community of Israel, often implying both social ostracism and separation from the benefits of the covenant, and potentially divine judgment and premature death (a cessation of the nefesh in a covenantal sense). It is a spiritual and civic excommunication, a termination of one's covenant relationship with God's chosen people.

• "Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.": This phrase establishes the duration and the primary observance of the feast. The completeness of "seven days" underscores the comprehensive nature of the commanded purification and remembrance.
• "On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses.": This sets the specific timing for the purging, emphasizing prompt obedience and the necessity of beginning the sacred week in a state of purity, symbolic of starting afresh with God.
• "if anyone eats what is leavened... that person shall be cut off from Israel.": This clause highlights the severe consequence for disobedience, revealing the gravity God places on adherence to His covenant laws. It implies that unpurged leaven (representing sin or rebellion) cannot coexist with God's holy presence within the community.

Exodus 12 15 Bonus section

The symbolism of leaven (chametz) extends throughout biblical theology. While typically representing decay or evil, the Old Testament sometimes permits or even requires leaven in specific thanksgiving offerings (e.g., Lev 7:13) which highlights its capacity to symbolize "life" or "ferment" that needs to be presented before God, but never on the altar for atonement. This distinction underscores that anything requiring purity or representing atonement (like the grain offering with the burnt offering, Lev 2:11) must be without leaven. The "cutting off" penalty (kareth) for breaking this and other grave commands was not merely social ostracization; scholars believe it encompassed removal from covenant privileges, disqualification from temple worship, possible exclusion from the afterlife hope (spiritual death), and even a potential, premature physical death administered by God Himself. This command foreshadows the New Testament concept that sin (the spiritual "leaven") needs to be entirely removed from the life of the believer (1 Cor 5:7-8) because Christ, our pure Passover Lamb, has already been sacrificed.

Exodus 12 15 Commentary

Exodus 12:15 serves as a cornerstone for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, demonstrating God's meticulous demands for the observance that commemorates Israel's hasty deliverance from Egypt. The strict injunction to eat matzah (unleavened bread) for seven days, coupled with the command to purge all chametz (leaven) from homes, conveys multiple layers of theological truth. Symbolically, the matzah signifies both the rapid exodus (no time for bread to rise) and purity, reflecting a separation from the corrupting influence of Egypt. The complete removal of leaven prefigures the necessary purging of sin and evil from the believer's life, echoing spiritual renewal. The harsh penalty of being "cut off from Israel" underlines the seriousness of the command, portraying it not merely as a dietary rule but a vital act of covenantal identification and obedience. To violate this command was to defy the very nature of their redemption and their belonging to God's chosen people. This verse is thus a foundational teaching on God's demand for holiness, immediate obedience, and His absolute sovereignty over His people's identity and practice.