39. Passover-Abib 14 is a Festival Day!

It is abundantly clear that an overwhelming amount of evidence supports the 7-day observance of Passover and Unleavened Bread being Abib 14-20. Also, this study will demonstrate that this was the practice of Yahushua the messiah, and the early assemblies who later were referred to as Quartodecimans. (System A)

Nevertheless, many would stubbornly disagree with this conclusion in the face of the facts and continue with a modified form of the Pharisaic/Hasidic practice (System B). This newer modified form would have an 8-day observance of eating unleavened bread from Abib 14-21 (System G).

With System B and System G, Passover Day, Abib 14, is not the first day of the Festival or Feast of Unleavened Bread. With System G, even though Passover Day is, in fact, considered a day of eating unleavened bread, it is relegated to just a memorial and preparation day for Abib 15, which under their system is officially the first day of the 7-day Festival of Unleavened Bread (Abib 15-21).

It is essential to recognize that under System G, there would be a total of 8 days of eating unleavened bread.

EXODUS 34:25
Many objectors attempt to discredit the validity of the Quartodeciman Passover/Unleavened Bread practice of Abib 14-20 (System A), by pointing out that Passover Day is not a Festival Day even though the scriptural citation of Exodus 34:25 indicates it as such.

You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the חג (khag, FESTIVAL) of the Passover be left unto the morning. (Exodus 34:25)

FESTIVAL OR VICTIM?
Some claim that, even though the verse seems to clearly indicate that Passover Day (Abib 14) is a Festival Day, there has been a mistranslation into English of the Hebrew word khag (festival) and that it should read “victim” instead.

Therefore, when the verse is retranslated, it would read as follows:

You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the חג (khag, VICTIM) of the Passover be left unto the morning.

Could such a translation bear any merit?

If you’re entertaining such a notion, then it is suggested that you proceed to uncover the truth of the matter.

TWO OR THREE WITNESSES
According to Scriptures, for any truth to be established, there has to be at least two or three witnesses.

In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. (2 Corinthians 13:1)

Therefore, if the Hebrew word khag can mean “victim,” there should be other scriptural witnesses or verses to establish this so-called truth.

MISTRANSLATION OF PSALM 118:27
When one searches the Hebrew of the Old Testament, only one verse containing the term khag might be considered—Psalm 118:27.

This mistranslated verse, per the King James Version, gives the word sacrifice.

El (the mighty one) is Yahweh, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice (Hebrew: חג, khag) with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. (Psalm 118:27)

When one investigates this particular Psalm further by consulting the Greek Septuagint for the equivalent Greek word for חג (khag), one finds the word ἑορτή (heorte).

θεός κύριος καί ἐπιφαίνω ἐγώ συνἵστημι ἑορτή ἐνὁ πυκάζω ἕως ὁ κέρας ὁ θυσιαστήριον (LXX, Psalm 117:27)

Strongs Exhaustive Concordance: 1859. ἑορτή heorte, heh-or-tay´; of uncertain affinity; a festival: — feast, holyday.

No verse in either the Hebrew or Greek texts supports the idea that the term khag or heorte means victim or sacrifice.

Additionally, the “victim” hypothesis cannot even meet the bare minimum of at least two or three witnesses to establish scriptural truth.

Conversely, Scriptures clearly demonstrate that the terms khag and heorte always mean Festival or Feast Day.

Actually, the New International Version gives an excellent translation of Psalm 118:27.

Yahweh is el (the mighty one), and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. (Psalm 118:27)

The evidence is conclusive. No amount of word gymnastics will detract from the fact that Scriptures explicitly state that Passover Day, Abib 14, is a Festival Day!

MORE EVIDENCE FOR A FESTIVAL DAY
Now would be a good time to look at a few more verses, adding further support.

THIS DAY (Passover, Abib 14) shall be for you a memorial day, and YOU SHALL KEEP IT A חג (KHAG, FESTIVAL) to Yahweh; throughout your generations you shall observe it an ordinance for a world-age lasting time. (Exodus 12:14)

You shall not offer the blood of my זבח (zebakh, sacrifice) with leaven; neither shall the זבח (zebakh, sacrifice) of the חג (KHAG, FESTIVAL) OF THE PASSOVER be left unto the morning. (Exodus 34:25)

Notice that the specific Hebrew word for the sacrifice or victim is זבח (zebakh). It is distinctly the זבח (zebakh, sacrifice) that is not to be left until the morning and not the חג (khag, festival).

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: 2077 OT – Hebrew zebachzeh’-bakh from ‘zabach’ (2076); properly, a slaughter, i.e., the flesh of an animal; by implication, a sacrifice (the victim or the act):–offer(- ing), sacrifice.

According to the opposing viewpoint, one should be able to interchange the words victim and sacrifice with no difference in the intended meaning. In other words, the victim is the sacrifice, and the sacrifice is the victim.

TESTING EXODUS 34:25
Therefore, if one were to substitute the word “sacrifice” for “festival,” as they would have it for Exodus 34:25, here is what the result would be:

You shall not offer the blood of my SACRIFICE with leaven; neither shall the SACRIFICE of the SACRIFICE of the Passover be left unto the morning.

It is quite apparent that there is something sorely wrong with this forced approach.

COMPARING TO EZEKIEL 45:21
Next, let’s compare the actual reading of Exodus 34:25 with the passage from Ezekiel:

In the first month, in the FOURTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH, you shall have the PASSOVER, A חג (KHAG, FESTIVAL) OF SEVEN DAYS unleavened bread shall be eaten. (Ezekiel 45:21)

DOING THE MATH
Now is a good time to ask, “When did one begin to eat unleavened bread?” Scriptures state that one begins to eat unleavened bread with the Passover meal on Abib 14.

The next question would be, “How many days does one eat unleavened bread?” Again, scriptures are pretty explicit that it is 7 days.

“How many days would you add to Day 1 of eating unleavened bread to come up with a total of 7 days of eating unleavened bread?” Of course, we can all agree that it is 6 days.

For six days you shall eat unleavened bread; and on the seventh day there shall be a solemn assembly to Yahweh your eloahi; you shall do no work on it. (Deut. 16:8)

If the first day of eating unleavened bread is Abib 14, then what date would one arrive at when adding 6 more days? One cannot escape the fact that it is Abib 20.

EVIDENCE CONFIRMS ABIB 14-20
Our results prove that the first day of the 7-day Festival of Passover/Unleavened Bread is Abib 14. One begins to eat unleavened bread at the beginning of Abib 14 and then continues for 6 more days, making Abib 20 the last day of the Festival.

As amply demonstrated again, the Festival of Passover/Unleavened Bread observance of Abib 14-20 confirms the most ancient system practiced by Yahushua the messiah, and his early followers, notably the Quartodecimans.

ABIB 15 IS THE SECOND DAY OF FESTIVAL
However, some would point to Leviticus 23:6 and insist that the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread is Abib 15, which continues through Abib 21 for a total of 7 days.

And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread unto Yahweh. Seven days you must eat unleavened bread. (Leviticus 23:6)

According to the above passage from Leviticus, it is readily apparent that Scriptures indicate that Abib 15 is a Khag or Festival Day.

How, then, does the information from this passage compare with that from the book of Ezekiel?

In the first month, in the FOURTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH, you shall have the PASSOVER, A חג (KHAG, FESTIVAL) OF SEVEN DAYS unleavened bread shall be eaten. (Ezekiel 45:21)

This particular aspect of Passover Week will be addressed in a forthcoming post. In the meantime, keep in mind as you ponder Leviticus 23:6 that every day of the 7-day Passover/Unleavened Bread observance is a khag or Festival day.

Ezekiel explicitly states that Abib 14 is the day of Passover. It also states that the Khag of Passover consists of 7 days, and on these days, unleavened bread is eaten. This would confirm that the Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread consists from Abib 14 to 20.

It is crucial to note that both Leviticus and Ezekiel state that the Khag of Passover/Unleavened Bread limits the eating of unleavened bread to 7 days and not 8 days.

Therefore, the consumption of unleavened bread from Abib 14 to Abib 20 would satisfy the scriptural instructions from both Leviticus and Ezekiel.

The message becomes more apparent when both passages are read chronologically.

In the first month, in the FOURTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH, you shall have the PASSOVER, A חג (KHAG, FESTIVAL) OF SEVEN DAYS unleavened bread shall be eaten. (Ezekiel 45:21)

And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread unto Yahweh. Seven days you must eat unleavened bread. (Leviticus 23:6)

Ezekiel explicitly states that Passover is on Abib 14. It is a seven-day Khag during which unleavened bread is eaten.

Leviticus explicitly states that Abib 15 is the Khag of Unleavened Bread.

The following facts from these two passages can be listed as follows:

Ezekiel
• Ezekiel: Abib 14 is the Khag (Festival) of Passover.
• Ezekiel: The Khag of Passover is also a 7-day Khag.
• Ezekiel: Unleavened bread is eaten on Abib 14.
• Ezekiel: Unleavened bread is eaten 6 more days for a total of 7 days. (Also, see Deut. 16:8)
• Ezekiel: Abib 14 is the first day of the Khag of Unleavened Bread.
• Ezekiel: Abib 20 is the 7^thand last day of the Khag of Passover and Unleavened Bread.

Leviticus
• Leviticus: Abib 15 is a Khag of Unleavened Bread
• Leviticus: Unleavened bread is eaten for a total of 7 days, inclusive of Abib 14.
• Leviticus: Abib 15 is the second day of the Khag of Unleavened Bread.

When these passages from Ezekiel and Leviticus are considered, it now becomes better understood why there seemed to be a conflict concerning the observance of Passover and Unleavened Bread with the practice of the Pharisees during the time of Yahushua the messiah’s death.

Scriptures clearly indicate that Yahushua ate his Passover meal just after sunset on Abib 14, one day prior to the Passover meal of the Jewish religious leaders on Abib 15.

If one were to follow the example set forth by Yahushua the messiah, the 7-day Khag of Passover and Unleavened Bread would be observed from Abib 14-20.

In addition, the first and last days of the Khag, Abib 14 and Abib 20, would be High Sabbaths.

Remember, we must always be diligent in our search for Yahweh’s truth, as were those of Berea in the 1st century C.E.

These (Bereans) were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:11)

And lastly, we should not forget the instructions given to us by Scriptures:

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1Thes. 5:21)