The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 382

EXPOSITION. Ver. 8.-The Feast or Unleavened Bread with the accompanying meat offerings, and wail instituted at the same time with the one goat for a sin offering (Numb. xxviii. Feast of the Passover (Exod. xii 15-17), 19-24). Ani these were followed by peace 11nd from the beginning the two festivals offerings me.de at the discretion of indi- vid uo.Is, " according to the blessing of the were practically but one festival, never Lord which he had given them" (Deut. 11epu.ra.ted, though separable in idea. The xvi. 17). Passover, strictly so called, I&Sted but Vere. 9-14.-A second command is given fine day, Nisan 14; the Fee.at of Un- on the subject of the Feast of Unleavened leavened Brea.cl lasted seven days, Nisan Breed respecting those ceremonies which 15-21. The whole m&de a festival of eight were only to be made use of when the days, called indifferently the Feast of the hre.elites had reached Canaan. It has :,eference to the second day of Unleavened Passover, or the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Bread, which is called the morrow after The bre&d to be eaten throughout the the sabbath, the first day of the feast being festival was unleavened, in order to remind meant by the sabbath, on whatever day of the Israelites of the historical fact that on week it may have occurred. It was on this account of the urgency of tl!.e Egyptians, second day that the presentation of the first " the people took their dough before it was or wave sheaf of barley took place, according to the command, Ye shall bring a sheaf of leavened, their knee.dingtronghs being the firstfrnits of :,our harvest unto the bound up in their clothes upon their priest: and he shell wave the sheaf before shoulders" (Exod. xii 34), and quitted the the Lord, to be aooepted for :,on: on the land of their affliction in haste. Accordingly, morrow after the sabbath the priest she.ll in the Book of Deuteronomy it is appointed, wave it. Which command was fulfilled in the following manner. "Already, on the "Seven de.ye shalt thou eat unleavened 14th ofNisan, the spot whence the first sheaf bread therewith, even the bre11d of affliction; was to be reaped had been marked out by for thou earnest forth out of the land of delegates from the Banhed.rim, by tying Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember together in bundles, while still standing, the the day when thou camest forth out of the barley that was to be out down. Though for obvious reasons it was customary to land of Egypt all the days of thy life" choose for the purpose the sheltered Ashes (Dent. xvi. 3). valley across Kedron, there was no restric- Vera. 7, 8.-The first and the last day tion on that point, provided the barley had were to be days of holy convocation, on which grown in an ordinary field-of course in no servile work might be done. It w&s on Palestine itself - and not in garden or the first day, Nisan 15, that ow: Lord was orchard land, and that the soil had not been crucified. The Pharisees found nothing in manured nor yet artificially watered. When the holiness of the day to prevent their the time for cutting the sheaf had arrived, ta.king virtue.I po.rt in his seizure and con- that is, on the evening of the 15th of Niso.11 demnation and death; but we are told by ( even though it was a sabbath) just as St. John that "they themselves went not the sun went down, three men, each with i □ to the judgment hall, lest they should be a sickle and basket, formally set to work. defiled, but that they migLt eat the Pass- Hut in order clearly to bring out all that over" (John xviii 28). What is meant in was distinctive in the ceremony, they first this passage by " the Passover" is not the asked of the bystanders three times each of Paschal Iamb which had already been con- these questions : 'Has the sun gone down?' sumed, but probably the peace offering, or 'With this sickle?' 'Into this basket?' chagigah, which had to be offered and eaten 'On this eabbath?' (or first Passover on the finit day of Unleavened Bread. The day); and lastly, 'Shall I reap?' Having public sacrifices on eaoh of tho seven days been each time answered in the affirmative, or the week were two young bullocks, one they out down barley to the amount of one mm, 1md seven. lambs for a bumt o!Iering, ephah, or ten omers. or three seahs, which ia  OH, :ltxm. 6-44.j 'l'HE BOOK OF tEVITICUS 847