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 34:18KJV
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Exodus 34:18 (KJV)

What does Exodus 34:18 mean?

Exodus 34:18 instructs the Israelites to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days, eating bread made without yeast during the month of Abib, because that is when God brought them out of Egypt. This verse sets out a specific annual observance to remember their deliverance from slavery.

In this verse, God is speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, giving renewed instructions after the first set of tablets was broken. The command is both a reminder and a requirement for the people to keep this feast as part of their covenant with God. The mention of the month Abib (early spring) ties the ritual to a historical event—the Exodus—making it a yearly act of remembrance.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 34:18

  • חַג (chag, H2282) — "feast": This word refers to a festival or pilgrimage celebration, highlighting that the event is not just a meal but a communal, sacred gathering.
  • מַצָּה (matzah, H4682) — "unleavened bread": This word specifically means bread without yeast, symbolizing both haste (leaving Egypt quickly) and purity.
  • שָׁמַר (shamar, H8104) — "keep": This verb means to guard or observe carefully, stressing the importance of faithfully maintaining this tradition.
  • אָבִיב (Aviv, H24) — "Abib": This is the name of the month when the Exodus happened, corresponding to early spring, anchoring the feast in a real time and place.

Why Exodus 34:18 matters

  • Exodus 34:18 clarifies that the Feast of Unleavened Bread is not optional but a commanded observance, showing its central place in Israel’s identity.
  • The verse connects the ritual directly to the historical event of the Exodus, making the act of eating unleavened bread a living reminder of God’s deliverance.
  • By specifying the month of Abib, the verse ties Israel’s religious calendar to their history, ensuring that memory and worship are linked in their yearly cycle.

Where else these words appear

“Abib” Hebrew H24 · used in 6 verses

  • Exodus 9:31 And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled.
  • Exodus 13:4 This day came ye out in the month Abib.
  • Leviticus 2:14 And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears.

“bread” Hebrew H4682 · used in 42 verses

  • Genesis 19:3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
  • Leviticus 2:5 And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil.
  • Deuteronomy 16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:

“feast” Hebrew H2282 · used in 55 verses

  • Exodus 10:9 And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD.
  • Deuteronomy 16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:
  • Psalms 81:3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.