UNLEAVENED
Unleavened bread in Scripture commonly signifies purity, separation from corruption, and readiness for God’s appointed deliverance. Its meaning is rooted especially in Passover and is later used figuratively in the New Testament.
At a Glance
Unleavened bread in Scripture commonly signifies purity, separation from corruption, and readiness for God’s appointed deliverance. Its meaning is rooted especially in Passover and is later used figuratively in the New Testament.
Description
“Unleavened” in Scripture refers first to bread made without leaven and is closely tied to Israel’s Passover deliverance and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exod. 12–13). In its original setting, eating unleavened bread commemorated the haste of the exodus and Israel’s separation unto the Lord. Because leaven often functions in biblical imagery as a spreading influence, sometimes negative, unleavened bread came to symbolize purity, sincerity, and removal of corrupting sin, though interpreters should note that leaven is not always used negatively in every passage. In the New Testament, Paul draws on this established imagery to exhort believers to live as an “unleavened” people marked by holiness and truth (1 Cor. 5:6–8).
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