(Feb 28, 2009)

PART ONE:

I've been thinking of Passover recently since the time is approaching again this year. So, I decided to write a snippet about it from the angle of Numbers 33:1-6.

In Numbers 33, YHWH commanded Moses to write a travel log of the starting departure times of the exodus. Verses 3 and 4 read,

"So they departed from Rameses in the first month (Abib), on the fifteenth day of the first month, on the day after the Passover the children of Israel went out boldly in the sight of all the Egyptians, while the Eqyptians were burying all their first born whom YHWH had struck down among them. YHWH executed judgements even against their gods." (Both the Masoretic Text and Dead Sea Scroll Text concur in Num 33:3-4.)

The following is a line list of the information found in Numbers 33:3-4

Here is a simple chart of this event:

Did the Israelites live in the prominent city of Rameses amongst the Egyptians? I pose this question because we know that the Israelites departed from Rameses on the 15th day of the first month. The answer is this: "NO", they did not. They lived in an area called "Goshen" that was a separate area - away from the Egyptians. Henceforth, the Israelites unequivocally needed time to travel from Goshen to Rameses in order to depart from Rameses on the 15th day. I propose they traveled FROM Goshen on the 14th day during the daylight hours.

In Genesis 45:9-11, we can clearly read that the Israelites lived in the land of Goshen. In Geneses 46:28-34, we are told that Joseph arranged for his family to live in Goshen. He sent for his Father and brethren, and his family traveled to Goshen. Joseph left where-ever he was living amongst the Egyptians and went to meet his father and brethren in the land of Goshen when they arrived. The Israelites and the Egyptians were to remain living separate because Joseph told them that herdsmen were an abomination to the Egyptians. (The Egyptians worshipped animals, whereas the Israelites slaughtered sheep, goats, and cattle.)

EXAMINING SOME OF THE EVENTS

In Exodus 12, the Israelites were given the first charge to observe the Passover on the 14th. (Also reference Lev 23:5) They were commanded to kill the lambs between the evenings (Ex 12:6) on the 14th day. They were mandated to put blood on their door-posts and lintels. Further reading into the chapter gives detailed instructions about the Passover meal. Then, in verse 22, the Israelites were specifically told to stay in THEIR houses until morning. They were to remain in THEIR houses with the blood on their door-posts and lintels, the covering of protection. If they violated this mandate, they would fall fate to the first-born death that occurred amongst the Egyptians during the midnight hour (Ref: Ex 11:4, Ex 12:29).

The Israelites needed time to travel to Rameses FROM Goshen. Exodus 12:37-38 informs us that there were six-hundred thousand men on foot, besides the children. And, there was a great multitude of flocks, herds and live-stock. Coming from an agricultural background, I guarantee that moving flocks, herds and live-stock from approximately six-hundred thousand men wouldn't have occur very fast. Each man most likely had more than one animal each. So, if we guestimate and say that they had ten animals each, that would mean moving six million animals. It would have been physically IMPOSSIBLE to move six million animals (plus all of their belongings) from Goshen, to Rameses, and then leave Rameses (after plundering the Egyptians) in a one daylight period of time.

Hence, I propose they left their homes the morning of the 14th and traveled to Rameses where they grouped/congregated together and plundered the Egyptians. Then, they left Rameses on the 15th day. Notice Exodus 12:33. The Egyptians were trying to "hurry" them along.

Some people believe that the Israelites violated the Ex 12:22 mandate and left their homes during the night because of what we are told in Exodus 12:30-36. The Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron by night and told them to leave after the first-born were struck. Firstly, Moses and Aaron did not see and speak to Pharaoh face to face (Ref: Ex 10:28). Secondly, the scripture (Ex 12:31) says that Pharaoh"called" for Moses and Aaron during the night. It doesn't say that Moses and Aaron went any-where during the night. And, they didn't have telephone or computer e-mail communication in those days. Therefore; in order for the Pharaoh to communicate with Aaron and Moses, he must have sent a messenger - a person - to Goshen to convey the message. There is travel time involved here AFTER midnight. The message was this: "Arise and go...". Did Moses follow Pharaoh's orders and leave before morning - violating YHWH's mandate, or did Moses obey YHWH's mandate to remain indoors until daybreak? I'm convinced that Moses obeyed all of the mandates from YHWH governing the Passover and exodus. Exodus 12:28 tells me that all of Israel obeyed every mandate from YHWH.

I am convinced that YHWH's PASSING OVER occurred on PASSOVER, the 14th day of the first month, not the 15th day. Exodus 12:26-27 reads:

"And it shall be, when your children say to you, 'What does this service mean to you?' then you shall say, 'It is the Passover offering of YHWH, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians and delivered our households.' And the people bowed their heads and did obeisance." (Both the Masoretic Text and Dead Sea Scroll Text concur in Exodus 12:26-27.)

ONE MORE POINT

Some people who believe that the Passover is observed during the late portion of the 14th day and into the night of the 15th, turn to Deuteronomy 16:8 in support of their belief. For whatever its worth to anyone, the DSS has a variant reading than that of the Masoretic text in Deuteronomy 16:8. Our bibles are based upon the Masoretic text and say that we eat unleavened bread for SIX days. Although, the Dead Sea Scrolls say we eat unleavened bread for SEVEN days in Deuteronomy 16:8.

>>>READ PART TWO....