Passover in the Old Testament

Passover or Pesach is the most important festival in the Old Testament. At this festival, the Israelites remember the exodus from Egypt as described in Exodus 12:1-28. The word “Pesach” is derived from the Hebrew verb for “pass over”. This refers to the angel who “passed over” the houses of the Israelites during the tenth plague, ensuring that only the eldest sons of the Egyptians died.

Passover begins on the eve of the fourteenth day of the month Nisan (March/April). The festival lasts for seven days, with the first and the last day being a feast day on which work is prohibited (Leviticus 23:7-8). In the days in between, unavoidable work is permitted, but every day revolves around remembering the exodus.

Passover has its origin in the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This festival was an agricultural festival at the start of the barley harvest. For this feast, all the leaven was removed from the houses and the people ate flat, unleavened bread. This symbolised a new start. Exodus 12 already links Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

In Exodus, Passover is linked to the exodus from Egypt and the liberation from slavery. The Israelites must eat unleavened bread and roast lamb during the feast. At Passover, both are a symbol of the great haste with which the Israelites had to flee Egypt at the time. There was no time for the bread to rise and the lamb was roasted whole.

Passover is also a pilgrimage festival. As with other festivals, the description of Passover also includes a call to appear before the Lord, which is why everyone travels to the Temple in Jerusalem.

The Bible mentions two other pilgrimage festivals: the Harvest Festival and the Festival of Shelters (Exodus 23:14-17).

In the second Temple period (between 515 BC and AD 70), many Jews travelled as pilgrims from neighbouring countries to Jerusalem to make their offerings in the Temple for one of these festivals.

Nowadays, the celebration of Passover starts with the Seder supper at home. Before Seder, the house is cleaned from top to bottom and everything containing yeast is removed. The festive meal at home takes place according to a set liturgy of stories, prayer, songs and rituals.

In the synagogue, the Song of Songs is read. It symbolises God’s love for his people.