Exodus 12 · Verse 15

Exodus 12:15

Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
Exodus 12:15, King James Version

Exodus 12:15 in other translations

BSBFor seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you are to remove the leaven from your houses. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.
WEB“‘Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away yeast out of your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
ASVSeven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
YLTSeven days ye eat unleavened things; only--in the first day ye cause leaven to cease out of your houses; for any one eating anything fermented from the first day till the seventh day, even that person hath been cut off from Israel.
DARBYSeven days shall ye eat unleavened bread: on the very first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses; for whoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day — that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
BBEFor seven days let your food be unleavened bread; from the first day no leaven is to be seen in your houses: whoever takes bread with leaven in it, from the first till the seventh day, will be cut off from Israel.
WebsterSeven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whoever eateth leavened bread, from the first day till the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

What does Exodus 12:15 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

Ex 12:15-51. Unleavened Bread.

15. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread, &c.--This was to commemorate another circumstance in the departure of the Israelites, who were urged to leave so hurriedly that their dough was unleavened (Ex 12:39), and they had to eat unleavened cakes (De 16:3). The greatest care was always taken by the Jews to free their houses from leaven--the owner searching every corner of his dwelling with a lighted candle. A figurative allusion to this is made (1Co 5:7). The exclusion of leaven for seven days would not be attended with inconvenience in the East, where the usual leaven is dough kept till it becomes sour, and it is kept from one day to another for the purpose of preserving leaven in readiness. Thus even were there none in all the country, it could be got within twenty-four hours [Harmer]. that soul shall be cut off--excommunicated from the community and privileges of the chosen people.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread - This has been considered as a distinct ordinance, and not essentially connected with the passover. The passover was to be observed on the fourteenth day of the first month; the feast of unleavened bread began on the fifteenth and lasted seven days, the first and last of which were holy convocations. That soul shall be cut off - There are thirty-six places in which this excision or cutting off is threatened against the Jews for neglect of some particular duty; and what is implied in the thing itself is not well known. Some think it means a violent death, some a premature death, and some an eternal death. It is very likely that it means no more than a separation from the rights and privileges of an Israelite; so that after this excision the person was considered as a mere stranger, who had neither lot nor part in Israel, nor any right to the blessings of the covenant. This is probably what St. Paul means, Rom 9:3. But we naturally suppose this punishment was not inflicted but on those who had showed a marked and obstinate contempt for the Divine authority. This punishment appears to have been nearly the same with excommunication among the Christians; and from this general notion of the cutting off, the Christian excommunication seems to have been borrowed.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 12:1-20

The death of the first-born of the Egyptians, The Israelites urged to leave the land of Egypt. (29-36) The Israelites' first journey to Succoth. (37-42) Ordinance respecting the passover. (43-51) Verses 1-20 The Lord makes all things new to those whom he delivers from the bondage of Satan, and takes to himself to be his people. The time when he does this is to them the beginning of a new life. God appointed that, on…

Read the full comment on Exodus 12:1-20 →

Exodus 12:15 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

שִׁבְעַ֤תshiv.'AtsevenH7651
יָמִים֙ya.MimdaysH3117
מַצּ֣וֹתma.Tzotunleavened bread<s>H4682
תֹּאכֵ֔לוּto.Khe.luyou will eatH398
אַ֚ךְ'akhsurelyH389
בַּיּ֣וֹםbai.Yomon the dayH3117
הָרִאשׁ֔וֹןha.ri.Shon<the> firstH7223
תַּשְׁבִּ֥יתוּtash.Bi.tuyou will removeH7673
שְּׂאֹ֖רse.'OrleavenH7603
מִבָּתֵּיכֶ֑םmi.ba.tei.Khemfrom houses yourH1004
כִּ֣י\׀kiforH3588
כָּל\־kol-anyH3605
אֹכֵ֣ל'o.Khel[one who] eatsH398
חָמֵ֗ץcha.MetzleavenH2557
וְנִכְרְתָ֞הve.nikh.re.Tahand he will be cut offH3772
הַנֶּ֤פֶשׁha.Ne.feshthe personH5315
הַהִוא֙ha.hi.V'<the> thatH1931
מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֔לmi.Yis.ra.'Elfrom IsraelH3478
מִיּ֥וֹםmi.Yomfrom [the] dayH3117
הָרִאשֹׁ֖ןha.ri.Shon<the> firstH7223
עַד\־'ad-untilH5704
י֥וֹםYom[the] dayH3117
הַשְּׁבִעִֽי\׃ha.she.vi.'I<the> seventhH7637

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Exodus 12:15

  • Genesis 17:14

    And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

  • Deuteronomy 16:3

    Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.

  • Exodus 34:18

    The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.

  • Exodus 23:15

    Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)

  • Deuteronomy 16:8

    Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.

  • Numbers 9:13

    But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the Lord in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin.

  • Numbers 28:17

    And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.

  • 1 Corinthians 5:7-8

    Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

  • Exodus 34:25

    Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.

  • Exodus 12:8

    And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

  • Exodus 12:19-20

    Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.

  • Acts 12:3

    And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Seven.
8; 13:6,7-10; 23:15; 34:18,25; Le 23:5-8; Nu 28:17; De 16:3,5,8
Mt 16:12; Lu 12:1; Ac 12:3
that soul.
19,20; 31:14; Ge 17:14; Le 17:10,14; Nu 9:13; Mal 2:12; Ga 5:12

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Exodus 12:14

    And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

  • Exodus 12:15

    Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

  • Exodus 12:16

    And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.

Read all of Exodus 12

Exodus 12:15 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Siete días comeréis panes sin levadura; y así el primer día haréis que no haya levadura en vuestras casas: porque cualquiera que comiere leudado desde el primer día hasta el séptimo, aquella alma será cortada de Israel.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Pendant sept jours vous mangerez des pains sans levain: dès le premier jour, vous ôterez le levain de vos maisons; car quiconque mangera du pain levé, du premier jour au septième jour, cette âme-là sera retranchée d’Israël.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Sieben Tage sollt ihr Ungesäuertes essen; ja, am ersten Tage sollt ihr den Sauerteig aus euren Häusern wegtun; denn jeder, der Gesäuertes isset, von dem ersten Tage bis zu dem siebten Tage, selbige Seele soll ausgerottet werden aus Israel.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Septem diebus azyma comedetis: in die primo non erit fermentum in domibus vestris: quicumque comederit fermentatum, peribit anima illa de Israël, a primo die usque ad diem septimum.