Leviticus 23:6 kjv
And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
Leviticus 23:6 nkjv
And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven days you must eat unleavened bread.
Leviticus 23:6 niv
On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD's Festival of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast.
Leviticus 23:6 esv
And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
Leviticus 23:6 nlt
On the next day, the fifteenth day of the month, you must begin celebrating the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This festival to the LORD continues for seven days, and during that time the bread you eat must be made without yeast.
Leviticus 23 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 12:15 | "Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses..." | Law for eating unleavened bread and removing leaven. |
| Ex 12:17-20 | "And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt..." | Command to observe and its reason: Exodus. |
| Ex 13:6-7 | "Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days..." | Reinforces seven-day duration and specific diet. |
| Ex 23:15 | "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Aviv..." | Included as one of the three annual pilgrim feasts. |
| Ex 34:18 | "The Feast of Unleavened Bread you shall keep. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in the month of Aviv you came out from Egypt." | Reiterated command for the feast in the context of covenant renewal. |
| Num 28:17-18 | "On the fifteenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation... it is the Feast of Unleavened Bread." | Describes offerings for the feast. |
| Deut 16:3 | "You shall not eat leavened bread with it... for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, that you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life." | Connects unleavened bread to remembering the haste and affliction of the Exodus. |
| Josh 5:10-11 | "While the people of Israel were encamped at Gilgal, they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month... and the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes." | Historical observance in the promised land, immediately after Passover. |
| 2 Chr 30:21 | "And the people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness..." | Example of its observance during King Hezekiah's reign. |
| Ezra 6:22 | "And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the LORD had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them..." | Post-exilic observance by the returned exiles. |
| Matt 16:6 | "Jesus said to them, 'Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.'" | New Testament metaphor for hypocrisy and false teaching. |
| Mark 14:1 | "It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread." | Connects the timing to Christ's passion. |
| Luke 22:1 | "Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover." | Highlights the interchangeable usage for the whole period in NT times. |
| 1 Cor 5:6-8 | "Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." | Christ's fulfillment; leaven as sin; call for spiritual purity and sincerity. |
| Gal 5:9 | "A little leaven leavens the whole lump." | Emphasizes the corrupting influence of even a small amount of sin or false doctrine. |
| John 6:35 | "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.'" | Connects to Christ as the ultimate spiritual sustenance, without corruption (unleavened). |
| Heb 11:28 | "By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them." | Recalls the foundational event linked to the feast's origin. |
| Col 2:16-17 | "Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." | Festivals as shadows fulfilled in Christ, moving from literal observance to spiritual reality. |
| Rom 6:4 | "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." | The 'new lump' concept of walking in sanctification after spiritual liberation. |
| 2 Cor 7:1 | "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God." | Call to ongoing purification and holiness, aligning with the spiritual meaning of removing leaven. |
| Phil 2:14-15 | "Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world..." | Living a life of blamelessness, free from the 'leaven' of corruption, shining as light. |
| 1 Pet 1:15-16 | "But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" | The overarching biblical call to holiness, which the removal of leaven symbolically represents. |
Leviticus 23 verses
Leviticus 23 6 Meaning
Leviticus 23:6 commands the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, also known as Chag HaMatzot, which immediately follows the Passover. It is to commence on the fifteenth day of the first month and continue for seven days, during which the Israelites are required to eat only unleavened bread. This feast commemorates the hurried departure from Egypt, where there was no time for bread to rise, and emphasizes a lifestyle of purity and sincerity before the LORD.
Leviticus 23 6 Context
Leviticus 23 details the cycle of seven annual feasts (appointed times, mo'adim) that the LORD commanded Israel to observe. These feasts were to serve as a perpetual reminder of God's redemptive work, provision, and future promises. Verse 6 immediately follows the Passover instruction (v. 5) which is observed on the fourteenth day of the first month. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is directly linked to Passover, essentially forming an eight-day festival where Passover is the commencement, and the subsequent seven days are dedicated to eating unleavened bread. Historically and culturally, this festival firmly rooted Israel's identity in the miraculous deliverance from Egypt (Ex 12, 13) and was a core act of worship and national remembrance. It distinguished Israel's worship, emphasizing God's singular act of salvation and their subsequent requirement for ritual and moral purity, unlike the idolatrous and often corrupt feasting associated with pagan deities.
Leviticus 23 6 Word analysis
- And on the fifteenth day: (וּבַחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָּׂר יוֹם, Uvachamishah Asar Yom) - The use of "and" connects this directly to the preceding Passover (v. 5). "Fifteenth day" establishes the precise commencement of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, highlighting its sequential timing right after Passover evening. This specific dating underscored the Exodus account of a hurried departure, leaving no time for dough to rise.
- of the same month: (לַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה, lachodesh hazzeh) - Refers to the first month, Aviv/Nisan, emphasizing the continuity of the festivals within the biblical new year cycle.
- is the Feast of Unleavened Bread: (חַג הַמַּצּוֹת לַיהוָה, Chag Hamatzot La-YHWH)
- Feast (Chag, חַג): Implies a pilgrimage festival, a joyful celebration or holy gathering (similar to "pilgrimage"). It's a divinely appointed convocation.
- Unleavened Bread (Matzot, מַצּוֹת): This plural term refers to the flat, rapidly baked bread without yeast. Symbolically, yeast (leaven) is often associated with corruption, impurity, and sin in biblical contexts. The consumption of matzot signified a departure from old ways and a move towards purity, echoing the Israelites' hasty departure from Egypt without the corruption of slavery.
- unto the LORD: (לַיהוָה, La-YHWH) - Declares that this festival, like all God's commandments, is instituted by God Himself and is dedicated solely to Him. It's a divine appointment for worship and remembrance, not a human invention.
- seven days: (שִׁבְעַת יָמִים, Shiv'at Yamim) - The number seven frequently denotes completion, perfection, or divine order in biblical numerology. A seven-day period reinforces the significance and the thoroughness required for its observance. It suggests a sustained commitment to living without leaven.
- ye must eat unleavened bread: (מַצּוֹת תֹּאכֵלוּ, Matzot to'khelu) - A direct, imperative command to the entire congregation, not merely a suggestion. It signifies that the physical act of eating unleavened bread was central to commemorating their liberation and maintaining ritual and symbolic purity before God. The emphasis is on a sustained period of dietary holiness.
Words-group Analysis:
- "And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto the LORD": This phrase clearly demarcates the start of the festival and identifies its divine origin and sacred purpose. It's not just any festival, but the LORD's festival, tying it directly to the covenant relationship. The specific dating shows a meticulous divine calendar.
- "seven days ye must eat unleavened bread": This group specifies the duration and the mandatory central practice. The extended period emphasized not just a single act of purification but a week-long commitment, indicating that purity (symbolized by unleavened bread) should be a sustained state following the deliverance of Passover. This physical act reinforces a spiritual truth about purging what is old or corrupt.
Leviticus 23 6 Bonus section
The Hebrew word for "unleavened bread," matzah, literally means "sweet" or "without bitterness," contrasting with the bitter herbs eaten at Passover. This might imply a future sweetness of life experienced in freedom, free from the leaven of spiritual bitterness. The complete removal of leaven from the household (Ex 12:15, Deut 16:4) was an annual spring-cleaning ritual that prepared the physical space, echoing the need for a thorough spiritual purging within the heart. The Feasts of the LORD, including Unleavened Bread, are not merely historical commemorations but mo'adim – "appointed times" or "set times" – where God met with His people. They provided a divine calendar for teaching eternal truths and foreshadowing God's redemptive plan through the Messiah. While the physical observance passed its ceremonial relevance in Christ (Col 2:16-17), the spiritual realities they represented remain central to the Christian life: remembrance of salvation, continuous sanctification, and striving for purity.
Leviticus 23 6 Commentary
Leviticus 23:6 sets forth the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread as a distinct yet intimately connected festival to Passover. While Passover (Nisan 14) commemorated God's salvation from judgment through the blood of the lamb, the subsequent seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15-21) instructed Israel on how to live after that salvation. The forced consumption of matzah (unleavened bread) for a full week, coupled with the purging of all leaven from homes, taught deep lessons of spiritual urgency, separation from sin, and purity. It represented the "new lump" (1 Cor 5:7) that Israel became after deliverance, requiring them to shed the "leaven" of Egypt's bondage and practices.
In the New Testament, this ritual finds profound spiritual fulfillment. Christ is our Passover Lamb (1 Cor 5:7), whose sacrifice delivers us from the bondage of sin. Following this spiritual Passover, believers are called to live an "unleavened" life, characterized by "sincerity and truth" rather than "malice and evil" (1 Cor 5:8). The leaven then represents sin, hypocrisy, and corrupting doctrines (Matt 16:6-12). Thus, the ancient physical feast becomes a potent spiritual metaphor for the continuous walk of sanctification required of those redeemed by Christ. It is a reminder that salvation initiates a life dedicated to holiness and purity, an ongoing process of putting off the old self and embracing the newness of life in Christ.