Exodus 13:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory.

NIV: Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders.

NASB: Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and nothing with yeast shall be seen among you, nor shall any dough with yeast be seen among you in all your borders.

CSB: Unleavened bread is to be eaten for those seven days. Nothing leavened may be found among you, and no yeast may be found among you in all your territory.

NLT: Eat bread without yeast during those seven days. In fact, there must be no yeast bread or any yeast at all found within the borders of your land during this time.

KJV: Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.

NKJV: Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days. And no leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your quarters.

God freed Israel from slavery (Exodus 12:40–41). He commanded them to prepare unleavened bread on the night before (Exodus 12:8). This gave them provisions to carry when they were suddenly rushed to leave Egypt (Exodus 12:33, 39). They had also been commanded to remember these events, in part, with a week-long celebration called the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:14–20).

Leaven is the yeast which grows and makes bread dough rise. This spreads to invisibly affect every part of the dough (Matthew 13:33; Galatians 5:9). For that reason, Scripture often uses leaven as a metaphor for sin (Matthew 16:6–12; 1 Corinthians 5:6–8). Israel was to remove leaven from their homes and eat only unleavened bread for a week, beginning the night after celebrating Passover (Exodus 12:11–13). This was a serious order; those who defied it were subject to eviction from the Israelite community (Exodus 12:19). To participate was to honor God's intervention and pass its meaning on to future generations (Exodus 13:8).

Exodus 13:1–10 starts with a command for consecration of all Israel's firstborn. It then gives further instructions about the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is a week-long observance which celebrates God's work to free Israel from Egyptian slavery. Eating bread with no leaven—without yeast—symbolizes being free from the pervasive effects of sin. It also recalls how the people prepared un-risen bread on the night they were freed (Exodus 12:8, 39).

God reiterates the requirements of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Israel is to celebrate this every year as a way of remembering their liberation from Egyptian slavery. In addition, the people are to consecrate all of the first-born of any mother—both people and animals. Animals that cannot be sacrificed are to be redeemed. Sons are to be redeemed by an animal sacrifice. The Lord creates a column of clouds for the people to follow during the day, which is lit by fire so they can also follow it at night. This keeps them moving quickly. Soon, Egyptian soldiers will catch up to them and God will once again provide miraculous rescue (Exodus 14).

The Lord has just freed Israel from centuries of Egyptian slavery (Exodus 12). The final blow to Egypt was the death of all firstborn (Exodus 12:29–32) on the night of the first Passover (Exodus 12:12–13). God's guidelines for that night are partly repeated here along with directions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. He instructs the nation about consecrating their own firstborn as He guides them. A column of fiery clouds helps the people travel day and night. This haste is important because Egypt's king is about to change his mind. He will soon send the Egyptian military to chase down the Israelites (Exodus 14).

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.