Unleavened Bread
Unleavened bread is bread made without yeast. In Scripture it is especially associated with the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, marking Israel’s hurried departure from Egypt and calling God’s people to holiness.
At a Glance
Unleavened bread is bread made without yeast. In Scripture it is especially associated with the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, marking Israel’s hurried departure from Egypt and calling God’s people to holiness.
Description
Unleavened bread is bread made without leaven, and in the Bible it is most prominently tied to Israel’s redemption from Egypt. At the first Passover, the Israelites were commanded to eat unleavened bread, and the continuing Feast of Unleavened Bread served as a memorial of the Lord’s saving act and of the haste with which Israel departed (Exod. 12–13). In biblical symbolism, removing leaven can also picture separation from impurity, and the New Testament draws on this imagery in calls to sincerity, truth, and moral cleansing (for example, 1 Cor. 5). At the same time, interpreters should note that leaven is not used as a negative symbol in every passage, so the safest conclusion is that unleavened bread chiefly refers to the covenant meal and memorial practice established by God for Israel, with later moral and theological significance developed from that foundation.