 |
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 |
Although these three verses of Scriptures are about the wave sheaf and counting Pentecost,
that is not our reason for discussing them here. They are right in the middle of this discussion
of the word "day" #4283 the morrow after.
Lev 23:11 (KJV), "And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow
after (#4283) the Sabbath the priest shall wave it."
Notice here that the translators found it imperative to use the implied word after because
otherwise it would have distorted the sense. On the morrow after the Sabbath means they
offered the wave sheaf during the daylight portion of the day following the Sabbath of the
previous day. Herbert W. Armstrong turned to the writings of the Jews for a proper
understanding of this verse. In Pagan Holidays or God's Holy Days -- Which? (Blue Back
l986 Revision pg. 19), Herbert W. Armstrong says, "Then, on the early evening of the day
following the weekly Sabbath (Author’s note: HWA interpreted it as the weekly Sabbath), in
a solemn ceremony of the Levitical priesthood, the first sheaf of grain was cut." Then, second
line from the bottom of the page, "The priest solemnly waved it before the Eternal to be
accepted for them the following morning." Herbert Armstrong agreed that the Jewish
understanding of on the morrow after the Sabbath was a correct translation, and that it was
the daylight portion of the day (the morning in this case) of the previous day.
Lev 23:15 (KJV), "And you shall count unto you from the morrow after (#4283) the Sabbath, from the day
that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete:”
If you will recall, this verse is what caused Worldwide to keep Pentecost on a Monday for
about 35 years. Moreover, this word <from> caused all the trouble! On page 20, of Pagan
Holidays or God's Holidays -- Which? How to figure Pentecost, second paragraph, line two,
"And ye shall count unto you from [the proper translation should be on, or beginning with] the
morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering;...”
Here Herbert Armstrong perceived a problem with the translation and decided to re-
interpret something that was already properly translated. As far as the word from is
concerned, the translators had a legitimate reason to use it. They were translating in the
counting mode; and to count from one to fifty, they were correct in using the word from.
HWA, as we now know, was not counting inclusively (the standard method when counting)
thereby the problem.
What we want to understand is that (1), The KJV translators are using the interpretive word,
from because of the counting mode. (2), The translators are counting from the DAYLIGHT
PORTION OF THE DAY (the morning in this case) when they waved the omer: there is an
important reason for this, as we will see later – although it has nothing to do with Passover!
Lev 23:16 (KJV), "Even unto the morrow after (#4283) the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days;
and ye shall offer a new meat (meal) offering unto the Lord."
Notice the interpretive unto used because of the counting mode. Now notice where we wind
up – on the MORNING of the fiftieth day when the priest offered the new meat (meal)
offering of Pentecost soon after the morning sacrifice! The priests did not count from sunset
of day one to sunset of day fifty. This is just a side light, but in our study, it became obvious
that here is the answer to those who would keep Pentecost on the 51st day. They count from
sunset to sunset. However, the priests counted Pentecost from MORNING TO
MORNING! Of course, the Holyday of that fiftieth day would be from sunset to sunset; but
the count itself was from morning to morning – not from sunset to sunset!
To conclude, the priest waved the sheaf on the DAYLIGHT portion of the day; the count
began on the DAYLIGHT portion of the day; and, the count ended on the DAYLIGHT
portion of the day when the priest offered the meal offering for Pentecost. Of course, the
subject of this book is not Pentecost. We are validating the statement that the morrow after
(#4283) is not night, or the 24-hour day; rather that it is the DAYLIGHT portion of the day.
that is not our reason for discussing them here. They are right in the middle of this discussion
of the word "day" #4283 the morrow after.
Lev 23:11 (KJV), "And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow
after (#4283) the Sabbath the priest shall wave it."
Notice here that the translators found it imperative to use the implied word after because
otherwise it would have distorted the sense. On the morrow after the Sabbath means they
offered the wave sheaf during the daylight portion of the day following the Sabbath of the
previous day. Herbert W. Armstrong turned to the writings of the Jews for a proper
understanding of this verse. In Pagan Holidays or God's Holy Days -- Which? (Blue Back
l986 Revision pg. 19), Herbert W. Armstrong says, "Then, on the early evening of the day
following the weekly Sabbath (Author’s note: HWA interpreted it as the weekly Sabbath), in
a solemn ceremony of the Levitical priesthood, the first sheaf of grain was cut." Then, second
line from the bottom of the page, "The priest solemnly waved it before the Eternal to be
accepted for them the following morning." Herbert Armstrong agreed that the Jewish
understanding of on the morrow after the Sabbath was a correct translation, and that it was
the daylight portion of the day (the morning in this case) of the previous day.
Lev 23:15 (KJV), "And you shall count unto you from the morrow after (#4283) the Sabbath, from the day
that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete:”
If you will recall, this verse is what caused Worldwide to keep Pentecost on a Monday for
about 35 years. Moreover, this word <from> caused all the trouble! On page 20, of Pagan
Holidays or God's Holidays -- Which? How to figure Pentecost, second paragraph, line two,
"And ye shall count unto you from [the proper translation should be on, or beginning with] the
morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering;...”
Here Herbert Armstrong perceived a problem with the translation and decided to re-
interpret something that was already properly translated. As far as the word from is
concerned, the translators had a legitimate reason to use it. They were translating in the
counting mode; and to count from one to fifty, they were correct in using the word from.
HWA, as we now know, was not counting inclusively (the standard method when counting)
thereby the problem.
What we want to understand is that (1), The KJV translators are using the interpretive word,
from because of the counting mode. (2), The translators are counting from the DAYLIGHT
PORTION OF THE DAY (the morning in this case) when they waved the omer: there is an
important reason for this, as we will see later – although it has nothing to do with Passover!
Lev 23:16 (KJV), "Even unto the morrow after (#4283) the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days;
and ye shall offer a new meat (meal) offering unto the Lord."
Notice the interpretive unto used because of the counting mode. Now notice where we wind
up – on the MORNING of the fiftieth day when the priest offered the new meat (meal)
offering of Pentecost soon after the morning sacrifice! The priests did not count from sunset
of day one to sunset of day fifty. This is just a side light, but in our study, it became obvious
that here is the answer to those who would keep Pentecost on the 51st day. They count from
sunset to sunset. However, the priests counted Pentecost from MORNING TO
MORNING! Of course, the Holyday of that fiftieth day would be from sunset to sunset; but
the count itself was from morning to morning – not from sunset to sunset!
To conclude, the priest waved the sheaf on the DAYLIGHT portion of the day; the count
began on the DAYLIGHT portion of the day; and, the count ended on the DAYLIGHT
portion of the day when the priest offered the meal offering for Pentecost. Of course, the
subject of this book is not Pentecost. We are validating the statement that the morrow after
(#4283) is not night, or the 24-hour day; rather that it is the DAYLIGHT portion of the day.
| NUMBERS 33:3 |
Numbers 33.3: "And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first
month; on the morrow after (#4283) the Passover the Children of Israel went out with an high hand in
the sight of all the Egyptians."
As we now know that the Israelites left on the daylight portion of the fifteenth day of the
first month, we can now also know that the Passover was slain on the afternoon of the 14th
and eaten on the night of the 15th. For if it had been slain and eaten on the early part of the
14th, on the morrow after the Passover would then have been the daylight portion of the
14th day. That will not work because Numbers 33:3 says they left on the daylight portion of
the 15th day. Please notice, that if the Israelites observed Passover on the early part of the
14th, Moses would have written Numbers 33:3 differently. For an early 14th Passover,
Moses would have rendered Numbers 33:3 as follows:
"And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the FOURTEENTH DAY of the first month; on
the morrow after the Passover the Children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the
Egyptians."
Also, in order for this new scripture to be true, they would have had to leave on the daylight
portion of the 14th day, and not at the beginning of the 15th (during the night) as some
believe. One cannot construe the morrow to be during the night.
The above has established that the Israelites left on the daylight portion of the 15th day of
Abib. If we persist in an early 14th Passover, this poses some problems. The Israelites
would have had to stay overnight after an early 14th eating of the Passover, until the
daylight of the 15th, about 30 hours after the midnight command for them to get out. It
seems that the women would have had ample time to leaven their bread after all;
furthermore, we must consider the several references to their leaving hastily (Exodus 11:1;
Exodus 12:11, 33, 39, Deuteronomy 16:3). With Pharaoh’s record of recanting their
departure, would the Israelites have dallied around for 30 hours after Passover?
JFB Commentary on Deuteronomy 16.1: "brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. This statement is
apparently at variance with the prohibition, Exodus 12:22, as well as with the recorded fact that their
departure took place in the morning (Exodus 13.3; Numbers. 33.3)."
We can understand the word day in Exodus 13.3 in the light of the context to be the morning
of their departure. And the word "day", or "on the morrow" of Numbers 33.3 shows beyond
any doubt that the Israelites left on the DAYLIGHT portion of the fifteenth day of Abib.
Exodus 13:3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out
of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this [place]: there shall
no leavened bread be eaten.
The word <morrow> <#4283> as used in Numbers 33.3 <proves> beyond a shadow of a doubt
when "between the two evenings" is and when Passover was kept the first time in Egypt –
even without the understanding of “between the two evenings.”
Numbers 33.3 And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month;
on the morrow (#04283) after the Passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight
of all the Egyptians.
The word means, <the morrow>, or, <the day after> in the sense of the daylight part of the
day. We include it a second time for your convenience.
Online Bible:
****************************************************************
04283 mochorath {mokh-or-awth'} or mochoratham (1 Sam 30:17)
{mokh-or-aw-thawm'}
from the same as 04279; TWOT - 1185b; n f
AV - morrow 29, next day 2, next 1; 32
1) the morrow, the day after
****************************************************************
Here is the definition of morrow in English:
The American Heritage Dictionary – Third Edition:
****************************************************************
morrow (noun) 1. The following day; 2. The time immediately subsequent to a particular event. 3.
Archaic. The morning. from Old English morgen, morning.
**********************************************************
The English word, from which this word <morrow> was taken, anciently meant <morning>.
When the KJV translators used the word, it probably meant <morning>. Perhaps someone
can tell us how far back we would have to go for this meaning to be archaic. In any event,
even today, it means, the following day - in the sense of the daylight part of the day. Our
word <tomorrow> also comes from this same origin. Old English was <to morgenne>
meaning “in the morning.” When we say, we will go to town tomorrow, we do not mean
tomorrow night unless we attach the word <night> to the phrase. Rather we usually mean in
the morning. If we mean tomorrow afternoon, we will use that distinction.
There is no time that the use of this word in the KJV of the bible means anything besides the
daylight portion of the day. Moreover, many times it specifically means the morning part of
the day – morning meaning from daylight to noon.
Numbers 33.3 says that the Israelites departed from Rameses on the <morrow> after the
Passover. If the Israelites had observed the Passover at the beginning of the 14th of
Nisan/Abib the <morrow> after the Passover would have been the daylight portion of the
14th day, which followed.
The problem is, that Numbers 33.3 tells us they departed from Rameses on the <15th day>
of the first month – Nisan/Abib. Now, we know that the Passover was slain on the 14th day
of Abib. Therefore, the morrow after the Passover had to be the <daylight> part of the 15th
day. You cannot depart on the 15th, if Passover is at the beginning of the 14th, and still
leave on the <morrow> after the Passover. The 15th would be two morrows after an early
14th Passover!
This also proves that "between the two evenings" was the <afternoon> of the 14th. This is
all that will fit and keep Numbers 33.3 in the picture.
The Passover as used in Numbers 33.3 is an event. Passover was over by daylight of the
15th. Moreover, the morrow after Passover began at daybreak of the 15th. The “morrow
after the Passover” is not a continuation of the Passover. The event of Passover was
history at daybreak.
The Passover can be considered an event, a lamb, a festival, a sacrifice, an ordinance, or a
feast; but we have found no place where the Passover is considered a <day>. It is "kept" on
a day, but it is not the day itself. The Passover is an event that took place at the end of the
14th and during the beginning of the 15th day of the month, until the time of the Messiah.
Now the entire event takes place during the beginning of the 15th, because Christ has
fulfilled the sacrificial part of the 14th day. However, the Israelites did not and neither do
we observe Passover from evening to evening. There is a holy convocation on the morrow
after the Passover, so the 15th day is holy from evening to evening. However, the Passover
Observance has always been only an evening service. Search the words “Passover day” in
your bible software for the KJV and you will find, “No such phrase.” The KJV of the Bible
never refers to the Passover as a <day>! Passover is an event, not a day.
month; on the morrow after (#4283) the Passover the Children of Israel went out with an high hand in
the sight of all the Egyptians."
As we now know that the Israelites left on the daylight portion of the fifteenth day of the
first month, we can now also know that the Passover was slain on the afternoon of the 14th
and eaten on the night of the 15th. For if it had been slain and eaten on the early part of the
14th, on the morrow after the Passover would then have been the daylight portion of the
14th day. That will not work because Numbers 33:3 says they left on the daylight portion of
the 15th day. Please notice, that if the Israelites observed Passover on the early part of the
14th, Moses would have written Numbers 33:3 differently. For an early 14th Passover,
Moses would have rendered Numbers 33:3 as follows:
"And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the FOURTEENTH DAY of the first month; on
the morrow after the Passover the Children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the
Egyptians."
Also, in order for this new scripture to be true, they would have had to leave on the daylight
portion of the 14th day, and not at the beginning of the 15th (during the night) as some
believe. One cannot construe the morrow to be during the night.
The above has established that the Israelites left on the daylight portion of the 15th day of
Abib. If we persist in an early 14th Passover, this poses some problems. The Israelites
would have had to stay overnight after an early 14th eating of the Passover, until the
daylight of the 15th, about 30 hours after the midnight command for them to get out. It
seems that the women would have had ample time to leaven their bread after all;
furthermore, we must consider the several references to their leaving hastily (Exodus 11:1;
Exodus 12:11, 33, 39, Deuteronomy 16:3). With Pharaoh’s record of recanting their
departure, would the Israelites have dallied around for 30 hours after Passover?
JFB Commentary on Deuteronomy 16.1: "brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. This statement is
apparently at variance with the prohibition, Exodus 12:22, as well as with the recorded fact that their
departure took place in the morning (Exodus 13.3; Numbers. 33.3)."
We can understand the word day in Exodus 13.3 in the light of the context to be the morning
of their departure. And the word "day", or "on the morrow" of Numbers 33.3 shows beyond
any doubt that the Israelites left on the DAYLIGHT portion of the fifteenth day of Abib.
Exodus 13:3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out
of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this [place]: there shall
no leavened bread be eaten.
The word <morrow> <#4283> as used in Numbers 33.3 <proves> beyond a shadow of a doubt
when "between the two evenings" is and when Passover was kept the first time in Egypt –
even without the understanding of “between the two evenings.”
Numbers 33.3 And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month;
on the morrow (#04283) after the Passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight
of all the Egyptians.
The word means, <the morrow>, or, <the day after> in the sense of the daylight part of the
day. We include it a second time for your convenience.
Online Bible:
****************************************************************
04283 mochorath {mokh-or-awth'} or mochoratham (1 Sam 30:17)
{mokh-or-aw-thawm'}
from the same as 04279; TWOT - 1185b; n f
AV - morrow 29, next day 2, next 1; 32
1) the morrow, the day after
****************************************************************
Here is the definition of morrow in English:
The American Heritage Dictionary – Third Edition:
****************************************************************
morrow (noun) 1. The following day; 2. The time immediately subsequent to a particular event. 3.
Archaic. The morning. from Old English morgen, morning.
**********************************************************
The English word, from which this word <morrow> was taken, anciently meant <morning>.
When the KJV translators used the word, it probably meant <morning>. Perhaps someone
can tell us how far back we would have to go for this meaning to be archaic. In any event,
even today, it means, the following day - in the sense of the daylight part of the day. Our
word <tomorrow> also comes from this same origin. Old English was <to morgenne>
meaning “in the morning.” When we say, we will go to town tomorrow, we do not mean
tomorrow night unless we attach the word <night> to the phrase. Rather we usually mean in
the morning. If we mean tomorrow afternoon, we will use that distinction.
There is no time that the use of this word in the KJV of the bible means anything besides the
daylight portion of the day. Moreover, many times it specifically means the morning part of
the day – morning meaning from daylight to noon.
Numbers 33.3 says that the Israelites departed from Rameses on the <morrow> after the
Passover. If the Israelites had observed the Passover at the beginning of the 14th of
Nisan/Abib the <morrow> after the Passover would have been the daylight portion of the
14th day, which followed.
The problem is, that Numbers 33.3 tells us they departed from Rameses on the <15th day>
of the first month – Nisan/Abib. Now, we know that the Passover was slain on the 14th day
of Abib. Therefore, the morrow after the Passover had to be the <daylight> part of the 15th
day. You cannot depart on the 15th, if Passover is at the beginning of the 14th, and still
leave on the <morrow> after the Passover. The 15th would be two morrows after an early
14th Passover!
This also proves that "between the two evenings" was the <afternoon> of the 14th. This is
all that will fit and keep Numbers 33.3 in the picture.
The Passover as used in Numbers 33.3 is an event. Passover was over by daylight of the
15th. Moreover, the morrow after Passover began at daybreak of the 15th. The “morrow
after the Passover” is not a continuation of the Passover. The event of Passover was
history at daybreak.
The Passover can be considered an event, a lamb, a festival, a sacrifice, an ordinance, or a
feast; but we have found no place where the Passover is considered a <day>. It is "kept" on
a day, but it is not the day itself. The Passover is an event that took place at the end of the
14th and during the beginning of the 15th day of the month, until the time of the Messiah.
Now the entire event takes place during the beginning of the 15th, because Christ has
fulfilled the sacrificial part of the 14th day. However, the Israelites did not and neither do
we observe Passover from evening to evening. There is a holy convocation on the morrow
after the Passover, so the 15th day is holy from evening to evening. However, the Passover
Observance has always been only an evening service. Search the words “Passover day” in
your bible software for the KJV and you will find, “No such phrase.” The KJV of the Bible
never refers to the Passover as a <day>! Passover is an event, not a day.
| An Observation |
In Deuteronomy 16:1, we might have a figure of speech in the phrase, "the Lord your God
BROUGHT you out of Egypt by night." We say might, because we are going to give you a
literal answer to this verse as well as a figurative answer. This expression does not indicate
that the children of Israel left Egypt by night after Moses had organized them into ranks, as
Joshua blew his shofar during the night that began the 15th. That would be a literal and
specific statement. In fact, it does not even say that the children of Israel left Egypt at all
on Passover night. In plain English in Numbers 33:3, it says that they left Egypt sometime
between the crack of dawn and sunset, during the daylight portion of the fifteenth day of the
first month – and it was probably during the early morning hours of the 15th when they left.
This Scripture in Deuteronomy 16:1 is not about what the children of Israel did, it is about
what God did! The Israelites could not go until Pharaoh gave the word.
Exodus 10:25, "But Moses said, 'You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may
sacrifice to the Lord our God.'" Verse 27, "But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he (Pharaoh)
would not let them go."
Moses required sacrifices of Pharaoh so he refused to let them go! Deuteronomy 16.1 in this
phrase, "brought thee forth out of Egypt by night" is a figure of speech, if we demand that it is
referring to the beginning of the 15th or Passover night. For, if we take this phrase literally,
it means that God raptured them as He did Elijah. In other words, a literal understanding of
this phrase requires us to believe that God picked them up and set them outside the nation of
Egypt during the night of the 15th of Nisan. The reason we must come to this conclusion –
for a literal interpretation – is that the Israelites did not leave Egypt during either the night
of the 14th or the 15th! They were still in Egypt for several days. We know the facts will
not allow a literal interpretation, so we must conclude that this phrase is a figure of speech,
if we demand it to refer to Passover night or the following night beginning the 15th.
The word brought is Strong's #3318 and according to Strong has a great variety of
applications both <literal> and <figurative>, direct and proximate. From the facts, we know
that God effected their deliverance at night when Pharaoh gave the word, "Rise and go out
from among my people" (Exodus 12.29-32). Their freedom legally began at that moment.
They were free to leave Egypt when daylight came, as God required them to stay in their
houses until then. Undoubtedly they were frantically completing their last minute packing,
as they waited for daylight. Therefore, we could say that God brought them out of Egypt
even before they left their houses – figuratively. Pharaoh was broken and the Israelites
were free at midnight of the 14th of Nisan/Abib. However, Pharaoh took one last stand, and
there we will see the literal interpretation of, “God brought you out of Egypt by night”!
Exodus 12:22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip [it] in the blood that [is] in the bason, and
strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that [is] in the bason; and none of you shall go out
at the door of his house until the morning.
Those who claim that the original Passover was at the beginning of the 14th, use the "night
theory of escape" and the "requirement" of fantastic logistics to cloud the simple narrative
of the exodus. Deuteronomy 16.1 is a scripture some use to "prove" that Israel came out of
Egypt by night at the beginning of the 15th. The verse is not about what Israel did, but
about what God did. The focus is on God, not on the people. The verse says nothing about
the night of the 14th, or the 15th. All we can know from this verse is that the night was in
the month of Abib!
De 16:1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of
Abib the LORD thy God brought (03318) [8689] thee forth out of Egypt by night.
The word for brought is Strong's #3318 in the Hebrew. This verb's parsing number is
#8689. As shown below, Hiphil is the parsing stem for the word as used here in
Deuteronomy 16.1. One meaning of the Hiphil stem is, <to cause to go out>. In other words,
God caused the Israelites to go out of Egypt.
***************************************************************
03318 yatsa' {yaw-tsaw'}
a primitive root; TWOT - 893; v
AV - ....out 518, ....forth 411, bring 24, come 24, proceed 16,
go 13, depart 10, misc 53; 1069
1) to go out, come out, exit, go forth
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to go or come out or forth, depart
1a2) to go forth (to a place)
1a3) to go forward, proceed to (to or toward something)
1a4) to come or go forth (with purpose or for result)
1a5) to come out of
1b) (Hiphil)
1b1) to cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out
1b2) to bring out of
1b3) to lead out
1b4) to deliver
1c) (Hophal) to be brought out or forth
08689 Stem - Hiphil
Mood - Perfect
Count – 2675
***************************************************************
Continue ...
BROUGHT you out of Egypt by night." We say might, because we are going to give you a
literal answer to this verse as well as a figurative answer. This expression does not indicate
that the children of Israel left Egypt by night after Moses had organized them into ranks, as
Joshua blew his shofar during the night that began the 15th. That would be a literal and
specific statement. In fact, it does not even say that the children of Israel left Egypt at all
on Passover night. In plain English in Numbers 33:3, it says that they left Egypt sometime
between the crack of dawn and sunset, during the daylight portion of the fifteenth day of the
first month – and it was probably during the early morning hours of the 15th when they left.
This Scripture in Deuteronomy 16:1 is not about what the children of Israel did, it is about
what God did! The Israelites could not go until Pharaoh gave the word.
Exodus 10:25, "But Moses said, 'You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may
sacrifice to the Lord our God.'" Verse 27, "But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he (Pharaoh)
would not let them go."
Moses required sacrifices of Pharaoh so he refused to let them go! Deuteronomy 16.1 in this
phrase, "brought thee forth out of Egypt by night" is a figure of speech, if we demand that it is
referring to the beginning of the 15th or Passover night. For, if we take this phrase literally,
it means that God raptured them as He did Elijah. In other words, a literal understanding of
this phrase requires us to believe that God picked them up and set them outside the nation of
Egypt during the night of the 15th of Nisan. The reason we must come to this conclusion –
for a literal interpretation – is that the Israelites did not leave Egypt during either the night
of the 14th or the 15th! They were still in Egypt for several days. We know the facts will
not allow a literal interpretation, so we must conclude that this phrase is a figure of speech,
if we demand it to refer to Passover night or the following night beginning the 15th.
The word brought is Strong's #3318 and according to Strong has a great variety of
applications both <literal> and <figurative>, direct and proximate. From the facts, we know
that God effected their deliverance at night when Pharaoh gave the word, "Rise and go out
from among my people" (Exodus 12.29-32). Their freedom legally began at that moment.
They were free to leave Egypt when daylight came, as God required them to stay in their
houses until then. Undoubtedly they were frantically completing their last minute packing,
as they waited for daylight. Therefore, we could say that God brought them out of Egypt
even before they left their houses – figuratively. Pharaoh was broken and the Israelites
were free at midnight of the 14th of Nisan/Abib. However, Pharaoh took one last stand, and
there we will see the literal interpretation of, “God brought you out of Egypt by night”!
Exodus 12:22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip [it] in the blood that [is] in the bason, and
strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that [is] in the bason; and none of you shall go out
at the door of his house until the morning.
Those who claim that the original Passover was at the beginning of the 14th, use the "night
theory of escape" and the "requirement" of fantastic logistics to cloud the simple narrative
of the exodus. Deuteronomy 16.1 is a scripture some use to "prove" that Israel came out of
Egypt by night at the beginning of the 15th. The verse is not about what Israel did, but
about what God did. The focus is on God, not on the people. The verse says nothing about
the night of the 14th, or the 15th. All we can know from this verse is that the night was in
the month of Abib!
De 16:1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of
Abib the LORD thy God brought (03318) [8689] thee forth out of Egypt by night.
The word for brought is Strong's #3318 in the Hebrew. This verb's parsing number is
#8689. As shown below, Hiphil is the parsing stem for the word as used here in
Deuteronomy 16.1. One meaning of the Hiphil stem is, <to cause to go out>. In other words,
God caused the Israelites to go out of Egypt.
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03318 yatsa' {yaw-tsaw'}
a primitive root; TWOT - 893; v
AV - ....out 518, ....forth 411, bring 24, come 24, proceed 16,
go 13, depart 10, misc 53; 1069
1) to go out, come out, exit, go forth
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to go or come out or forth, depart
1a2) to go forth (to a place)
1a3) to go forward, proceed to (to or toward something)
1a4) to come or go forth (with purpose or for result)
1a5) to come out of
1b) (Hiphil)
1b1) to cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out
1b2) to bring out of
1b3) to lead out
1b4) to deliver
1c) (Hophal) to be brought out or forth
08689 Stem - Hiphil
Mood - Perfect
Count – 2675
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| What You Should Know About the Passover! |
| Leviticus 23:11, 15-16 |