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Passover

The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread as a unit constituted the most important of the three great annual festivals of Israel.

It was called the feast of the Passover. The feast of Unleavened Bread marked the distinction between the Passover as a sacrifice and as a feast following the sacrifice, the feast was designated as the feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev 23:5-6).

The Heb. word pesach (from pasach, to "leap over," figuratively, to "spare, show mercy") denotes (1) an overstepping and (2) the paschal sacrifice by virtue of which the passing over was effected (Ex 12:21,27,48; 2 Chr. 30:15).

The paschal meal was on the evening of the 14th Nisan, and the seven days following are called the feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev 23:5-6). The whole feast, including the paschal eve, is called the festival of Unleavened Bread (Ex 23:15; Lev 23:6; Ezra 6:22; Lk 22:1,7; Acts 12:3; 20:6); but the simple name "Passover" (Heb. pesach) is the one commonly used by the Jews to the present day for the festival of Unleavened Bread (2 Chr 30:15; 35:1,11; Mk 14:1; Gk. pascha).