And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.

NUMBERS 9:5KJV
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Numbers 9:5 (KJV)

What does Numbers 9:5 mean?

Numbers 9:5 describes how the Israelites obeyed God's command by celebrating the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, at evening, while they were in the wilderness of Sinai. The verse emphasizes that they did everything just as the LORD had instructed Moses.

In this verse, Moses is leading the people of Israel after their escape from Egypt, and they are camped at Mount Sinai. God had given Moses specific instructions about observing the Passover, a festival remembering their deliverance from Egypt. The verse highlights the people's careful obedience, even while living in the wilderness, showing their commitment to God's commands.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 9:5

  • פֶּסַח (pesach) — "passover": This word refers to the special festival and sacrificial meal commemorating Israel's escape from Egypt. Its use here connects the current generation in the wilderness to that foundational event.
  • עֶרֶב (erev) — "even": This word means "evening," marking the specific time the Passover was to be observed. The detail shows the importance of following God's instructions precisely, not just generally.
  • מִדְבַּר (midbar) — "wilderness": This word highlights that the Israelites were not yet in the Promised Land but still kept God's commands even in a harsh, unsettled place.

Why Numbers 9:5 matters

  • Numbers 9:5 shows that the Israelites maintained their religious practices even in difficult circumstances, emphasizing faithfulness outside of ideal conditions.
  • The verse connects the wilderness generation to the original Passover in Egypt, reinforcing their identity as God's redeemed people.
  • By stressing that everything was done "according to all that the LORD commanded Moses," the verse highlights the importance of obedience to God's instructions in detail, not just in spirit.

Where else these words appear

“Sinai” Hebrew H5514 · used in 34 verses

  • Exodus 16:1 And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.
  • Exodus 34:29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.
  • Numbers 9:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,

“passover” Hebrew H6453 · used in 46 verses

  • Exodus 12:11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover.
  • Numbers 33:3 And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians.
  • 2 Chronicles 30:18 For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one

“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.