And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning.

DEUTERONOMY 16:4KJV
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Deuteronomy 16:4 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 16:4 mean?

Deuteronomy 16:4 commands the Israelites not to have any leavened bread in their territory for seven days during the festival, and not to let any of the meat from the Passover sacrifice remain until morning. This instruction is part of the rules for observing the Passover, emphasizing strict limits on what could be eaten and how leftovers were handled.

Moses is speaking to the people of Israel as they prepare to enter the Promised Land, giving them detailed instructions for the Passover celebration. The verse highlights the importance of removing all leaven (anything that causes bread to rise) and making sure the Passover meat is fully consumed the same night, showing the seriousness and distinctiveness of this annual event.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 16:4

  • "bread" (שְׂאֹר, se'or): This word refers specifically to leavened bread, not just any bread. The focus is on removing all traces of leaven, which was a symbol of corruption or impurity in this context.
  • "seen" (רָאָה, ra'ah): The command is not just about eating but about even having leavened bread visible anywhere in the land, stressing total removal.
  • "remain" (לִין, lin): This word means to stay overnight. The instruction is that none of the sacrificed meat should be left until morning, underlining the urgency and completeness of the ritual.

Why Deuteronomy 16:4 matters

  • This verse clears up that the Passover was not just about a special meal, but about a complete removal of leaven and careful handling of the sacrifice, showing the event’s unique holiness.
  • The strictness about leftovers and leaven connects to the original Exodus story, where the Israelites left Egypt in haste and could not wait for bread to rise.
  • The verse helps explain why later Jewish tradition is so careful about searching for and removing leaven before Passover, linking back to these ancient instructions.

Where else these words appear

“bread” Hebrew H7603 · used in 5 verses

  • 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 12:19 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.
  • Exodus 13:7 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.

“remain” Hebrew H3885 · used in 79 verses

  • Genesis 19:2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
  • Joshua 4:3 And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.
  • Job 17:2 Are there not mockers with me? and doth not mine eye continue in their provocation?

“sacrificedst” Hebrew H2076 · used in 127 verses

  • Genesis 31:54 Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.
  • 1 Samuel 2:13 And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;
  • 2 Chronicles 15:11 And they offered unto the LORD the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

“even” Hebrew H6153 · used in 130 verses

  • Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
  • Leviticus 15:18 The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even.
  • 1 Kings 17:6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.