Numbers 28:17 · Bible study
Numbers 28:17 Commentary: Feast of Unleavened Bread
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore why the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the 15th, its relation to Passover, and the sacrificial requirements.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the 15th day of the first month, a seven-day festival marked by eating unleavened bread.
- Key words: Chag (H2282), a pilgrim feast; matsah (H4682), unleavened bread; ye'akhel (H0398 Niphal), “shall be eaten” passive command.
- Main debate: Whether this feast is distinct from or an extension of Passover; the text separates the dates, but some traditions conflate them.
- Theological theme: Redemption leads to a period of consecration and purity; worship requires both celebration and sacrifice.
- Best use: Teaching the progression from salvation (Passover) to sanctification (Unleavened Bread) and the importance of detailed obedience in worship.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
On the fifteenth day of this month, there shall be a feast; for seven days unleavened bread is to be eaten.
WEB World English Bible 2000
On the fifteenth day of this month shall be a feast. Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days.
KJV King James Version 1769
And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And on the fifteenth day of this month shall be a feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and in the fifteenth day of this month is a festival, seven days unleavened food is eaten;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And on the fifteenth day of this month is the feast; seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And on the fifteenth day the solemn feast: seven days shall they eat unleavened bread.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y á los quince días de aqueste mes, la solemnidad: por siete días se comerán ázimos.
E aos quinze dias deste mês, a solenidade: por sete dias se comerão pães ázimos.
Le quinzième jour de ce mois sera un jour de fête. On mangera pendant sept jours des pains sans levain.
Und am fünfzehnten Tage desselben Monats ist Fest. Sieben Tage soll man ungesäuertes Brot essen.
En op den vijftienden dag derzelve maand is het feest; zeven dagen zullen ongezuurde broden gegeten worden.
E il quindicesimo giorno di quel mese sarà giorno di festa. Per sette giorni si mangerà pane senza lievito.
A w piętnasty dzień tegoż miesiąca uroczyste święto będzie; przez siedem dni chleby przaśne jeść będziecie.
И в пятнадцатый день сего месяца праздник; семь дней должно есть опресноки.
這 月 十 五 日 是節期，要吃 無酵餅 七 日。
On the fifteenth day of this month there is to be a feast; for seven days let your food be unleavened cakes.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Numbers 28:17
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Numbers 28:17 prescribes the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after Passover. Barnes notes that the sacrificial offerings prescribed for each of the seven days were the same as those for the new moon, underscoring the solemnity of the feast. Gill explicitly distinguishes this feast from Passover, identifying it with the Jewish Chagigah. Keil and Delitzsch observe that the same number of sacrifices as at the new moon were to be offered on every one of the seven days, while the Passover itself had no general festal offering. The commentators uniformly recognize the feast as a distinct, week-long celebration of deliverance from Egypt, requiring a holy convocation on the first and seventh days and a rigorous schedule of burnt offerings, meal offerings, and sin offerings.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse establishes the Feast of Unleavened Bread as a seven-day festival beginning on the fifteenth day of the first month, distinct from the Passover on the fourteenth, with the requirement to eat unleavened bread.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Relationship to Passover | Passover is on the 14th, Unleavened Bread begins on the 15th. | Some biblical passages group both as 'Passover' (Luke 22:1), but Numbers 28 clearly distinguishes them. |
| Sacrificial scope | The same offering was repeated each day of the feast. | Whether these were additional to the daily offerings or partially replaced them (Barnes says 'repeated'; others see them as supplementary). |
| Date in the modern Jewish calendar | It corresponds to Nisan 15, 21. | The exact date in the modern fixed calendar is undisputed, but the method of intercalation used in ancient times is debated. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The Feast of Unleavened Bread was rooted in the events of the Exodus. When Israel left Egypt in haste, there was no time for bread to rise (Exodus 12:34, 39). The command to eat unleavened bread for seven days became a perpetual memorial of that deliverance. The fifteenth day of the first month (Abib/Nisan) is specified because Passover on the fourteenth day began at twilight; the Passover meal was eaten that night, and the following day started the week of unleavened bread. This two-stage celebration, Passover immediately followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, is consistent in Exodus 12:15-20, Leviticus 23:6, and Deuteronomy 16:3-8.
The Hebrew term chag (H2282) denotes a pilgrim festival, one of three annual occasions when all Israelite males were to appear before the Lord (Exodus 23:14-17). In Numbers 28-29, Israel receives a complete liturgical calendar covering daily, weekly, monthly, and annual offerings. This chapter standardizes the quantities of animals, grain, oil, and wine for each feast, building on earlier legislation in Leviticus 23 and Numbers 15. The Cambridge Bible notes that this list is more systematic than earlier ones, though the Feast of Unleavened Bread itself was celebrated from the earliest period of Israel's history. The provision for a sin offering (a goat) on each feast day (v.22) reflects the need for atonement even during joyful celebrations, a theme that runs throughout the sacrificial system.
Textual Notes
The consulted commentaries note no significant textual variants for Numbers 28:17. The verse is stable across the manuscript tradition.
Reception History
Christian interpretation has consistently linked the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the believer’s call to holiness. The Apostle Paul explicitly uses the imagery in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, urging the church to keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Early church fathers such as Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria saw the seven days as a figure of complete purification. Luther and Calvin emphasized that the feast taught Israel, and the church, to live daily in the gratitude and purity that flow from redemption. Many modern churches observe a season of preparation like Lent, drawing on the symbolism of removing leaven as a call to self-examination and renewal.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Foundation: Redemption from Egypt (Passover on the 14th) sets the stage for a week-long response of holiness.
- The Response: A Week of Holiness (eating unleavened bread for seven days) symbolizes a life purged from sin.
- The Expression: Generous Worship (specific offerings each day) shows that wholehearted joy requires costly sacrifice.
Five-point outline
- The Date and Duration (v.17): The feast runs from the 15th to the 21st, a full week.
- Holy Convocation and Rest (v.18): The first and seventh days are sacred assemblies; no regular work.
- The Burnt Offering: Total Dedication (v.19-21): Two bulls, one ram, seven lambs, with grain and oil.
- The Sin Offering: Need for Cleansing (v.22): One goat to make atonement.
- The Continual Sacrifice: Persistence in Worship (v.23-24): These offerings are beside the daily morning burnt offering, not replacing it.
Illustration hooks
- A family cleaning their home for Passover, removing every crumb of leaven. That week-long effort mirrors the spiritual housecleaning God asks of his people.
- An anniversary couple celebrating not just one day but a whole week together, each day deepening their joy. The Feast of Unleavened Bread extends the joy of deliverance into sustained holiness.
- A church hosting a week of prayer and fasting, with each day building on the last. The daily sacrifices in the feast remind us that worship is not a single event but a rhythm.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why did God require such detailed instructions for the feast?
- What does the separation of Passover and Unleavened Bread teach us about the order of salvation?
- How can we apply the removal of leaven to our own lives today?
Leading a Discussion
This verse anchors the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the calendar of redemption. The fifteenth day follows the Passover, linking salvation with the call to live differently. As you read the passage and its context, think about how God has delivered you and what it means to 'keep the feast' in your daily life.
Discussion questions
- What specific date is given for the start of the feast? How long does it last?
- What does the surrounding passage (v.16-25) show about the offerings required?
- Compare this verse with Exodus 12:15-20 and Leviticus 23:6. What is consistent? What details are added here?
- The Hebrew chag implies a pilgrim festival. What does this suggest about the communal nature of the celebration?
- Why might the feast begin on the fifteenth rather than the fourteenth? How does that affect our understanding of the relationship between Passover and Unleavened Bread?
- The removal of leaven is a symbol of purging sin. What areas in your life need this kind of thorough cleansing?
- In what ways can you extend the joy of knowing Christ as your Passover into a sustained lifestyle of holiness?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 12:15 | “‘Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away yeast out of your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. |
| Exodus 12:17 | You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this same day I have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance forever. |
| Exodus 13:6 | Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to Yahweh. |
| Exodus 23:15 | You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it you came out of Egypt), and no one shall appear before me empty. |
| Exodus 34:18 | “You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib; for in the month Abib you came out of Egypt. |
| Leviticus 23:6 | On the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread to Yahweh. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. |
| Deuteronomy 16:3 | You shall eat no leavened bread with it. You shall eat unleavened bread with it seven days, even the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste) that you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life. |
| Deuteronomy 16:8 | Six days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to Yahweh your God. You shall do no work. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes observes that the Passover offering was identical to the New Moon offering and was repeated each day of the seven‑day festival, underscoring the occasion's importance. He also notes that these specific instructions for the offering had not been given before.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentary notes that the list of offerings in Numbers 28-29 is post-exilic, since the Day of Atonement and the eighth day of the Feast of Booths were not observed before Ezra's time. It also observes that this schedule is more complete and systematic than the parallel lists in Leviticus 23 and Ezekiel 45-46.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights the precise timing: the feast of unleavened bread begins on the fifteenth day of the month, not the fourteenth, and continues for a full seven days, when only unleavened bread is to be eaten.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill clarifies that the feast mentioned is the Feast of Unleavened Bread, not the Passover, which took place the day before. He notes that this seven-day festival begins on the fifteenth day of the month and is what the Jews call the Chagigah.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch notes that identical sacrifices were required for each of the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, matching the new moon offerings. By contrast, the Passover day itself had no such general festal offering, and the first and seventh days of the feast were set apart as Sabbaths with holy assemblies.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees these renewed sacrificial laws as preparing Israel for life in the promised land. The enormous number of burnt offerings was deliberate training in unselfishness, teaching the
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry observes that the instructions carefully distinguish the regular daily burnt offering from the additional festival offerings, so the people never neglect the continual worship even during special celebrations.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
The feast - Namely, of unleavened bread.