Numbers 28:16 kjv
And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD.
Numbers 28:16 nkjv
'On the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover of the LORD.
Numbers 28:16 niv
"?'On the fourteenth day of the first month the LORD's Passover is to be held.
Numbers 28:16 esv
"On the fourteenth day of the first month is the LORD's Passover,
Numbers 28:16 nlt
"On the fourteenth day of the first month, you must celebrate the LORD's Passover.
Numbers 28 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 12:6 | ...kill it... on the fourteenth day of the same month. | Original command for Passover date. |
| Exod 12:18 | In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month... until the twenty-first day of the month... | Linking Passover with Unleavened Bread period. |
| Lev 23:5 | In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD’s Passover. | Confirms date as part of list of LORD's appointed times. |
| Deut 16:1 | Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the LORD your God, for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt... | Recalling historical basis and connecting to Abib/Nisan. |
| Ezek 45:21 | In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall celebrate the Feast of the Passover... | Future observance, reiterating the same date. |
| Exod 12:13 | ...when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you... | Origin of "Passover" and meaning of redemption by blood. |
| Exod 13:4 | Today, you are going out, in the month of Abib. | Establishes Abib as the month of deliverance. |
| Exod 23:15 | You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread... for in it you came out from Egypt... | Tying feasts to the Exodus deliverance. |
| Zech 9:11 | As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. | Passover as a covenant of blood leading to freedom. |
| 1 Cor 5:7 | Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump... For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. | New Testament interpretation of Christ as the antitype of the Passover lamb. |
| Jn 1:29 | The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” | Jesus identified as the ultimate sacrificial Lamb. |
| 1 Pet 1:18-19 | ...ransomed... with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. | Jesus' sinless blood as the perfect redemptive sacrifice, fulfilling Passover. |
| Heb 9:11-14 | But when Christ appeared as a high priest... he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. | Superiority of Christ's sacrifice, drawing parallels to Old Testament rituals like Passover. |
| Rev 5:6-12 | And between the throne... stood a Lamb as though it had been slain... Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power... | Heavenly exaltation of the slain Lamb, resonating with the Passover theme of ultimate sacrifice. |
| Matt 26:17-30 | Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread... Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples... and took a cup... “This is my blood of the covenant...” | The Last Supper as the re-interpretation and fulfillment of Passover in the New Covenant. |
| Lk 22:7-20 | Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed... "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood." | Synoptic account of Jesus re-purposing the Passover meal. |
| Lev 23:2 | “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘These are the appointed feasts of the LORD that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts.'" | General command for all "feasts of the LORD." |
| Num 28:17 | On the fifteenth day of this month shall be a feast... seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten. | Immediately follows, detailing the subsequent Feast of Unleavened Bread. |
| Deut 16:3-4 | You shall eat no leavened bread... for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread... | Emphasis on unleavened bread during the festival week. |
| 2 Kgs 23:21-23 | And the king commanded all the people, “Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges... | Historical example of later observance, reinforcing the written command. |
| Ezra 6:19-21 | On the fourteenth day of the first month, the returned exiles kept the Passover. | Post-exilic observance, confirming the persistent practice according to the law. |
| 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 and roasted grain. | First Passover in Canaan, showing continuity of the observance upon entry into the Promised Land. |
Numbers 28 verses
Numbers 28 16 Meaning
This verse precisely designates the fourteenth day of the first month as the ordained time for the Passover, a sacred festival belonging to the LORD. It establishes a fixed date for this central commemorative event in Israel’s annual cycle, underscoring divine command and order in worship.
Numbers 28 16 Context
Numbers 28 and 29 provide an elaborate schedule of fixed sacrifices and offerings to be observed by Israel, detailing the burnt offerings for daily, Sabbath, monthly, and all annual feast days. This section serves as a re-affirmation and specification of the cultic calendar, primarily for the generation poised to enter the Promised Land. The listing begins with the daily sacrifice, progresses to weekly, monthly, and then sequentially to the yearly feasts, starting with the Passover. Historically, this legal reiteration served to ground the covenant people firmly in God’s ordained worship system before their settlement in Canaan, ensuring consistency and devotion to the LORD amidst the temptations of Canaanite religious practices. The Passover itself originates from the pivotal event of the Exodus (Exod 12), commemorating God's redemptive act of 'passing over' Israelite homes marked with blood, saving their firstborns and leading them out of Egyptian bondage. This calendar of festivals served not merely as rituals but as regular, vivid reminders of God's saving acts and covenant relationship with His people, emphasizing His sovereignty over their time, sustenance, and worship.
Numbers 28 16 Word analysis
- In the fourteenth day: The Hebrew phrase for "fourteenth day" is בָּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר יוֹם (ba-arba'ah asar yom). This precise numerical specification highlights God's demand for meticulous observance and orderly worship. It contrasts with pagan rites that might be fluid or dependent on unpredictable natural phenomena, emphasizing divine revelation over human invention or seasonal whims. This precision underscored God's authority over time itself.
- of the first month: Hebrew is לַחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן (la-chodesh ha-rishon). This refers to the month of Aviv (later called Nisan), which God explicitly declared as the "beginning of months" for Israel in Exod 12:2. Prior to the Exodus, the year began in the autumn (Tishrei), linked to the agricultural cycle. By resetting the calendar to commence with the month of their redemption, God symbolically marked salvation as the new foundation of their national and spiritual life. This calendar reset demonstrated God's reordering of their entire existence around His redemptive work, rather than just agrarian seasons.
- is the Passover: The term "Passover" is פֶּסַח (Pesach) in Hebrew. It refers both to the commemorative feast and to the lamb sacrificed for it. The root פָּסַח (pasach) means "to pass over," "to skip," or "to hover." This refers to the LORD "passing over" the homes of the Israelites in Egypt when He brought judgment upon the firstborn of Egypt (Exod 12:13, 23, 27). The festival served as an enduring national and theological cornerstone, perpetually reminding Israel of their divine deliverance from slavery. It mandated the sacrifice of a spotless lamb and the application of its blood, which served as a sign for protection from judgment.
- of the LORD: Hebrew is לַיהוָה (la-YHWH), indicating "to Yahweh" or "belonging to Yahweh." The use of the divine name YHWH (the Tetragrammaton) signifies the personal covenant God of Israel. Attributing the Passover "of the LORD" underscores its divine institution and ownership. This feast is not a human tradition or a cultural adaptation; it is a sacred observance commanded by the sovereign God who acted in history for His people. It distinguishes Israel's worship from any form of idol worship or syncretism, reinforcing that all true worship stems from and belongs to God alone.
- "In the fourteenth day of the first month": This specific date, divinely instituted, served as an annual touchstone for Israel’s identity. It ensured uniformity in worship across all generations and localities, preventing deviation or localized interpretations. The consistency provided by this precise timing reinforced the unity of the people in their covenant relationship with God.
- "is the Passover of the LORD": This phrase encapsulates the core meaning and purpose: a divinely ordained, saving event eternally commemorated by Israel. It is not just a historical remembrance but a continuing act of worship acknowledging God’s covenant faithfulness. The festival ritual ensures that each generation re-lives, symbolically, the Exodus event, keeping the memory of God's salvation alive and vibrant. It profoundly shapes Israel's theology, understanding of redemption, and national identity, teaching that liberation comes solely through divine intervention and a substitutionary sacrifice.
Numbers 28 16 Bonus section
The precision found in Num 28:16 and the following verses in chapters 28-29 speaks to a divine expectation of obedience, order, and consistency in worship. This detail demonstrates that God is not a God of confusion but of meticulous order, and that true reverence involves adhering to His revealed will, not improvising human traditions. The emphasis on specific numbers of animals, the types of grain offerings, and their exact timing establishes a theological precedent: our worship is accepted not because of its grandiosity or human sentiment, but because it conforms to the divine pattern. This also highlights the concept of qahal or assembly, where the entire community would observe these days simultaneously, reinforcing their collective identity as God's chosen people, united in worship and remembrance. The calendrical specificity found here undergirds the entire sacrificial system, which points forward to the once-for-all perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, demonstrating God’s purposeful progression in salvation history from shadow to ultimate reality. The feasts, especially Passover, were also times of instruction for families, passing on the theological significance to the next generation (Exod 12:26-27).
Numbers 28 16 Commentary
Numbers 28:16 is a foundational declaration regarding the celebration of Passover, asserting its precise date within the Israelite calendar. This seemingly simple verse encapsulates layers of theological significance: divine order, redemption, and the nature of acceptable worship. By reiterating the exact date (the fourteenth day of the first month), God emphasizes His sovereign authority over time and ensures uniform, disciplined adherence to His covenant commands. The feast of "Pesach" is presented as uniquely "of the LORD," stressing its divine origin rather than human ingenuity or pagan influence. It serves as a perennial, tangible reminder of Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage through God’s redemptive power and the blood of a substitute, providing the bedrock for their national identity and their understanding of divine salvation. This detailed prescription for the feast in Numbers, a book that records Israel's wilderness wanderings and preparations for entry into Canaan, signifies God's intention for His people to maintain faithful observance even in new territories and future generations. The New Testament profoundly reinterprets Passover, identifying Jesus Christ as the ultimate Passover Lamb (1 Cor 5:7), whose sacrificial death on Calvary—coincidentally on Passover day—secured a new and eternal redemption, fulfilling the Old Testament shadow. Thus, this verse points both backward to historical salvation and forward to ultimate spiritual redemption through Christ.