For seven days you must eat unleavened bread.The command to eat unleavened bread for seven days is part of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which immediately follows Passover. This feast commemorates the Israelites' hasty departure from Egypt, where they did not have time to let their bread rise. Unleavened bread, or matzah, symbolizes purity and the absence of sin, as leaven often represents sin or corruption in biblical symbolism (
1 Corinthians 5:6-8). The seven-day period signifies completeness and perfection in biblical numerology, reflecting a complete cycle of purification and dedication to God.
On the first day you are to remove the leaven from your houses.
Removing leaven from the house is a physical act that symbolizes spiritual cleansing. In the context of the Exodus, it was a practical necessity due to the haste of departure, but it also serves as a metaphor for removing sin from one's life. This practice is still observed in Jewish households today during Passover, where a thorough cleaning is done to ensure no leaven is present. The act of removing leaven can be seen as a precursor to the Christian practice of self-examination and repentance.
Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.
The severe consequence of being "cut off" underscores the importance of obedience to God's commands. In ancient Israel, being cut off could mean excommunication or even death, depending on the context. This phrase highlights the seriousness with which God views sin and disobedience. It also foreshadows the New Testament teaching on church discipline and the need for purity within the community of believers (1 Corinthians 5:1-13). The emphasis on community purity reflects the holiness required by God and the need for His people to be set apart from the surrounding nations.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
IsraelitesThe chosen people of God, who are being instructed on how to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread as part of their deliverance from Egypt.
2.
EgyptThe land of bondage from which the Israelites are being delivered. The context of this command is the preparation for the Exodus.
3.
Feast of Unleavened BreadA significant event in the Jewish calendar, instituted by God as a commemoration of the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt. It involves eating unleavened bread for seven days.
4.
LeavenSymbolically represents sin and corruption in the Bible. The removal of leaven signifies purification and holiness.
5.
GodThe divine authority giving these instructions to Moses and the Israelites, emphasizing obedience and holiness.
Teaching Points
Symbolism of LeavenLeaven represents sin and corruption. Just as the Israelites were to remove leaven from their homes, Christians are called to remove sin from their lives.
Obedience to God's CommandsThe command to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread underscores the importance of obedience to God's instructions as an expression of faith and devotion.
Holiness and PurityThe removal of leaven is a call to holiness. Believers are encouraged to pursue purity in their spiritual lives, reflecting God's holiness.
Community AccountabilityThe consequence of being "cut off" from Israel for disobedience highlights the importance of community standards and accountability in the faith community.
Remembrance and CelebrationThe Feast of Unleavened Bread serves as a reminder of God's deliverance and faithfulness, encouraging believers to remember and celebrate God's work in their lives.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Exodus 12:15?
2.How does Exodus 12:15 emphasize the importance of obedience in our lives today?
3.What is the significance of removing leaven as a symbol of purity and holiness?
4.How does 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 connect with the command in Exodus 12:15?
5.In what ways can we "remove leaven" from our lives spiritually?
6.How can observing this command deepen our understanding of Christ's sacrifice for sin?
7.Why is unleavened bread significant in Exodus 12:15?
8.How does Exodus 12:15 relate to the concept of sin?
9.What historical evidence supports the events described in Exodus 12:15?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Exodus 12?
11.What is the Feast of Unleavened Bread?
12.What is unleavened bread?
13.How does yeast transform dough like God's kingdom?
14.Can unleavened bread be used for Communion?What Does Exodus 12:15 Mean
For seven days you must eat unleavened bread– God sets a clear, literal timeframe: seven consecutive days (Exodus 13:6-7).
– Eating only unleavened bread marks Israel as a people freshly delivered; the bread of haste recalled the night of the exodus (Deuteronomy 16:3).
– The seven-day span signals completion and fullness; it frames an entire week of remembering redemption (Leviticus 23:6).
– For Christians, unleavened bread foreshadows the sinless body of Christ, “the bread of life” (John 6:33-35;1 Corinthians 5:7-8).
– Practically, Israel was to prepare enough matzah ahead of time and plan meals around it, reinforcing dependence on God’s instructions.
On the first day you are to remove the leaven from your houses– Leaven (yeast) works quietly yet thoroughly; removing it pictures rooting out every trace of sin or corruption (Exodus 12:19).
– The command comes on day one, emphasizing immediate obedience; holiness cannot be delayed (2 Corinthians 6:17).
– Houses had to be swept clean—pantries, kneading bowls, even crumbs—because the home itself was to become a sanctuary of purity (Exodus 13:7).
– This cleansing parallels New Testament calls to examine ourselves and purge what offends God (1 Corinthians 5:6;Galatians 5:9).
– Families worked together in the search, teaching children that redemption leads to sanctification.
Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel– The penalty is severe: exclusion from the covenant community (Numbers 9:13). God underscores that deliverance and obedience belong together.
– “Cut off” signifies more than social shunning; it involves forfeiting covenant blessings (Genesis 17:14;Exodus 31:14).
– Mercy is always available through repentance (Leviticus 5:17-19), but willful defiance has consequences.
– The warning also protects the whole nation; unchecked sin spreads (Joshua 7:1-12).
– For believers today, persistent unrepentant sin breaks fellowship and invites discipline (1 Corinthians 11:31-32;Hebrews 12:6).
summaryExodus 12:15 establishes a week-long memorial of unleavened bread that both remembers Israel’s swift deliverance and illustrates God’s call to purity. Day one begins with a thorough house-cleaning to remove leaven, symbolizing sin’s removal. Anyone who ignores the command faces covenant separation, proving holiness is not optional. The passage points forward to Christ, our sinless Passover Lamb, and calls every redeemed heart to celebrate freedom by living free from the leaven of sin.
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Seven days.--The division of time into periods of seven days each was unknown to the more ancient Egyptians, but is thought to have existed in Babylonia as early as B.C. 2000. That it was recognised in the family of Abraham appears from
Genesis 29:27. According to some, God established the division by an express command to our first parents in Paradise that they should keep the seventh day holy (see
Genesis 2:3); but this is greatly questioned by others, who regard
Genesis 2:3 as
anticipatory, and think the Sabbath was not instituted until the giving of the manna (
Exodus 16:23). However this may have been, it is generally allowed that the Israelites had not observed the seventh day in Egypt. where, indeed, they were held to labour continually. and that the Sabbath as an actual observance dates from the Exodus. The injunction here given, if it belongs to the time of the tenth plague, would be the first preliminary note of warning with respect to the Sabbath, raising an expectation of it, and preparing the way for it, leading up to the subsequent revelations in the wilderness of Sin and at Sinai.
Ye shall put away leaven out of your houses.--There was to be no compromise, nothing resembling half measures. Leaven, taken as typical of corruption, was to be wholly put away, not allowed by any householder to lurk anywhere within his house--a solemn warning that we are to make no compromise with sin.
That soul shall be cut off from Israel.--See the Note onGenesis 17:14. . . .
Verse 15. -
Seven days. There is no indication that the week of seven days was admitted by the ancient Egyptians, or even known to them. Apparently, the nation which first adopted it was that of the Babylonians. Abraham may have brought it with him from "Ur of the Chaldees;" and from him it may have passed to Jacob, and so to Moses. That the week was known in the family of Abraham before the giving of the law, appears from
Genesis 29:27, 28.
Unleavened bread is typical of purity of heart, leaven being an emblem of corruption (
Matthew 16:6-12;
1 Corinthians 5:7). "Leaven," says Plutarch, "comes from corruption, and corrupts the dough with which it is mixed; and every fermentation seems to be a putrefaction." The primary command to celebrate the first passover with unleavened instead of leavened bread (ver. 8), must be attributed wholly to this symbolism. But the permanent institution of a "feast of unleavened bread," to last a week, had a double bearing. Partly, it was designed to deepen and intensify the conviction that corruption and impurity disqualify for religions service; but it was also partly intended as a commemoration of the fact, that in their hasty flight from Egypt the bread which they took with them was unleavened (ver. 340, and that they were forced to subsist on this for several days. (Compare the double meaning of the "bitter herbs, noticed in the comment on verse 8,
adfin.) The requirement to "put away leaven out of their houses" is probably intended to teach, that for family worship to he acceptable, the entire household must be pure, and that to effect this result the head of the household must, so far as he can, eject the leaven of sin from his establishment.
Whosoever eateth... shall be out off from Israel. Expelled,
i.e, from the congregation, or excommunicated. If a man wilfully transgresses any plain precept of God, even though it be a positive one, he should he severed from the Church, until he confess his fault, and repent, and do penance for it. Such was the ', godly discipline" of the primitive Church; and it were well if the Churches of these modern times had more of it.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
For sevenשִׁבְעַ֤ת(šiḇ·‘aṯ)Number - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7651:Seven, seven times, a week, an indefinite numberdaysיָמִים֙(yā·mîm)Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3117:A dayyou must eatתֹּאכֵ֔לוּ(tō·ḵê·lū)Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 398:To eatunleavened bread.מַצּ֣וֹת(maṣ·ṣō·wṯ)Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 4682:Sweetness, sweet, an unfermented cake, loaf, the festival of PassoverOn the firstהָרִאשׁ֔וֹן(hā·ri·šō·wn)Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7223:First, in place, time, rankdayבַּיּ֣וֹם(bay·yō·wm)Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117:A dayyou are to removeתַּשְׁבִּ֥יתוּ(taš·bî·ṯū)Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 7673:To repose, desist from exertionthe yeastשְּׂאֹ֖ר(śə·’ōr)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7603:Barm, yeast-cakefrom your houses.מִבָּתֵּיכֶ֑ם(mib·bāt·tê·ḵem)Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 1004:A houseWhoeverכָּל־(kāl-)Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605:The whole, all, any, everyeatsאֹכֵ֣ל(’ō·ḵêl)Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 398:To eatanything leavenedחָמֵ֗ץ(ḥā·mêṣ)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2557:That which is leavenedfrom the firstהָרִאשֹׁ֖ן(hā·ri·šōn)Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7223:First, in place, time, rankdayמִיּ֥וֹם(mî·yō·wm)Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117:A daythroughעַד־(‘aḏ-)Preposition
Strong's 5704:As far as, even to, up to, until, whilethe seventhהַשְּׁבִעִֽי׃(haš·šə·ḇi·‘î)Article | Number - ordinal masculine singular
Strong's 7637:Seventh (an ordinal number)must be cut offוְנִכְרְתָ֞ה(wə·niḵ·rə·ṯāh)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3772:To cut, to destroy, consume, to covenantfrom Israel.מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֔ל(mî·yiś·rā·’êl)Preposition-m | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478:Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc
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OT Law: Exodus 12:15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread (Exo. Ex) 
