Exodus 23:15

15 Keep the festival of matzah: for seven days, as I ordered you, you are to eat matzah at the time determined in the month of Aviv; for it was in that month that you left Egypt. No one is to appear before me empty-handed.

Exodus 23:15 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 23:15

Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread
Which began on the fourteenth of the month Abib or Nisan, and lasted seven days, during which time no leavened bread was to be eaten by the Israelites, or to be in their houses, of which see the notes on:

(See Gill on Exodus 12:15) (See Gill on Exodus 12:18) (See Gill on Exodus 12:19) (See Gill on Exodus 12:10) (See Gill on Exodus 13:6) (See Gill on Exodus 13:7)

thou shall eat unleavened bread, seven days, as I commanded thee, in
the time appointed of the month Abib;
from the fourteenth of the month to the twenty first:

for in it thou camest out of Egypt;
in such haste that there was no time to leaven the dough in the troughs; in commemoration of which this law was given, and this feast was kept:

and none shall appear before me empty;
at this feast and the two following ones; for, besides the offerings and sacrifices appointed, at the feast of passover was brought a sheaf of the first fruits of the barley harvest; and at the feast of pentecost the two wave loaves or cakes of the first fruits of the wheat harvest; and at the feast of tabernacles they appeared with palm tree branches, and boughs of goodly trees, and poured out water fetched from Siloam, before the Lord: but to this appearance the Jewish doctors F2 say,

``there was no measure fixed; for everyone, if he would, might go up and appear, and go away: according to another interpretation, for the burnt offering of appearance, and the peace offerings of the Chagigah, which a man is bound to bring, as it is written, "ye shall not appear empty"; there is no measure from the law, as it is written, "a man according to the gift of his hand", ( Deuteronomy 16:17 ) , but the wise men fix a measure; to the burnt offering a meah of silver, to the Chagigah two pieces of silver:''

some understand this, not of their bringing anything with them to appear before the Lord with, but of what they should be blessed with there; even with the presence of God, and communion with him, and with the blessings of his grace and goodness; so that however they came, they should not remain, nor go away empty, and so have no cause to repent their appearance before him; but the former sense seems best.


FOOTNOTES:

F2 Bartenora in Misn. Peah, c. 1. sect. 1.

Exodus 23:15 In-Context

13 "Pay attention to everything I have said to you; do not invoke the names of other gods or even let them be heard crossing your lips.
14 "Three times a year, you are to observe a festival for me
15 Keep the festival of matzah: for seven days, as I ordered you, you are to eat matzah at the time determined in the month of Aviv; for it was in that month that you left Egypt. No one is to appear before me empty-handed.
16 Next, the festival of harvest, the firstfruits of your efforts sowing in the field; and last, the festival of ingathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in from the fields the results of your efforts.
17 Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Lord, ADONAI.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.