Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread

The purpose of this study is to compare and to evaluate the terminology used to denote the time of year when the event in Acts 12: 3, 4 took place. A negative rating here does not necessarily mean a negative rating in the comparison of other passages. Likewise, a positive rating here does not necessarily mean a positive rating elsewhere.

The two verses, as they are translated in the King James Version, are quoted. The words in underlined, bold type are compared here in other versions. The definite article in each case is omitted. The versions which use the listed forms of translation are named. An evaluation is given for each.

1. AAT - An American Translation (Beck)
2. AB - Amplified Bible
3. ANT - The Authentic New Testament
4. ASV - American Standard Version
5. CEV - Contemporary English Version
6. CJB - Complete Jewish Bible
7. CLNT - Concordant Literal New Testament
8. CNT - Cassirer New Testament
9. CTNT - Centenary Translation of the New Testament
10. DHB - Darby Holy Bible
11. DRB - Douay-Rheims Bible
12. EBR - The Emphasized Bible
13. GW - God's Word
14. HBME - The Holy Bible in Modern English
15. HBRV - Holy Bible, Revised Version
16. IB - Interlinear Bible
17. IV - Inspired Version
18. KJV - King James Version
19. LB - Living Bible
20. LBP - Lamsa Bible
21. MCT - McCord's New Testament Translation
22. MNT - Moffatt New Translation
23. MRB - Modern Reader's Bible
24. MSNT - The Modern Speech New Testament
25. NAB - New American Bible
26. NAS - New American Standard Version
27. NBV - New Berkeley Version
28. NCV - New Century Version
29. NEB - New English Bible
30. NET - New Evangelical Translation
31. NIV - New International Version
32. NJB - New Jerusalem Bible
33. NKJ - New King James Version
34. NLV - New Life Version
35. NNT - Noli New Testament
36. NRS - New Revised Standard Version
37. NSNT - Norlie's Simplified New Testament
38. NWT - New World Translation
39. PRS - Phillips Revised Student Edition
40. REB - Revised English Bible
41. RSV - Revised Standard Version
42. SGAT - An American Translation (Smith-Goodspeed)
43. SNB - Restoration of Original Sacred Name Bible
44. SSBE - The Sacred Scriptures, Bethel Edition
45. TDB - The Dartmouth Bible
46. TEV - Today's English Version
47. TM - The Message
48. WAS - Worrell New Testament
49. WET - Wuest Expanded Translation
50. WMF - The Word Made Fresh
51. WNT - Williams New Testament
52. YLR - Young's Literal Translation, Revised Edition

 

KJV - (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

1. days of bread baked without yeast: WET.
   This is an incorrect translation. The proper concept is that the bread does not contain leaven. Yeast is only one leavening agent that can be used in making breads.

2. Days of Matzah: CJB.
   This version uses Hebrew terms throughout. Matzah is the name of the bread to be used. Unless the English-speaking reader knows the Hebrew word, this term can be confusing.

3. days of the Azymes: DRB.
   Technically, this is correct. However, anyone who does not recognize the Greek will not understand what it means. The word azyme means unleavened bread. It comes from the Greek word azymos, meaning unleavened. Since the feast is Jewish, not Greek, the use of the Greek word could create a misunderstanding of the Jewish traditions. The term is a transliteration from the Greek rather than a translation.

4. days of the unfermented cakes: NWT.
   This is an incorrect translation. The explanation in point A applies here. Also, it is not cakes, but a form of bread that is used. Unfermented does not necessarily mean unleavened.

5. days of the unleavened bread: YLR.
   This is a correct translation. In English, a noun that names a person, place or thing is called a common noun, e.g., day. It is written in lower case letters. A noun which names a specific person, place, or thing is a proper noun, e.g., Labor Day. It is written with the initial letter of each word in upper case. Thus, in the case of a special day, more importance is placed upon it by writing it as a proper noun.

6. Days of Unleavened Bread: NKJ.
   See point E.

7. days of Unleavened Bread: AB, GW, MSNT, NAS, NET, NJB, RSV.
   See point E.

8. days of unleavened bread: ASV, CLNT, CTNT, DHB, EBR, HBRV, IB, IV, KJV, LBP, MCT, MNT, MRB, PRS, SNB, SSBE, TDB, WAS.
   See point E.

9. Feast of Thin Bread: CEV.
   This is an incorrect translation. Although matzah is a thin bread, any bread can be sliced to be considered thin and still be leavened bread.

10. Feast of Unleavened Bread: CNT, NBV, NCV, NIV.
    This is a correct translation. A feast is involved. Although the word days is correct, the word feast is more specific.

11. feast of Unleavened Bread: NAB, WNT.
    See points E and J.

12. festival of the Unleavened Bread: NNT.
    This is a correct translation. The word festival can be applied to the feast, but feast is more specific. See also point E.

13. Festival of Unleavened Bread: NSNT, TEV.
    See points E and L.

14. festival of Unleavened Bread: NEB, NRS, REB, SGAT.
    See points E and L.

15. Passover Celebration: LB.
    This is a correct translation. The Passover is the day prior to the actual beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which lasts for one week.

16. Passover days of bread without yeast: AAT.
    This is a partially correct translation. See points A and N.

17. Passover Week: TM.
    This is a technically correct translation. See point O.

18. special religious gathering: NLV.
    This version has a limited vocabulary and is directed to people for which English is a second language. In accomplishing this purpose, the concept of the particular feast is lost through generalization.

19. time of unfermented bread: HBME.
    This is an incorrect translation. Without leaven, not unfermented, is the correct concept.

20. [omitted]: ANT, WMF.
    This is taking away from the Scriptures unless the passage were added in the first place.

 

KJV - And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

1. Easter: IV, KJV, TDB, WMF.
   This is an incorrect translation. The day to be celebrated as Easter was set by church officials meeting at the Council of Nice in A.d. 325. It was considered a most unworthy thing that the church should follow the custom of the Jews in the celebration of this most holy solemnity since the Jews had stained their hands with a nefarious crime [the death of Christ]. The practice of the Jews [Passover] should be rejected and the rite of Easter should be perpetuated to all future ages. It was recommended that the church have nothing in common with the Jews. Actually, the celebration, with its superficial Christian emphasis, has its origin in paganism. Replacement theology is in evidence with the Easter celebration.

   This is the only reference to Easter in the KJV. Passover is mentioned four times in Matthew, five times in Mark, six times in Luke, and ten times in John. A copyist may be at fault for Easter being used in Acts because it was not celebrated in the primitive church. There was a transitional period. However, pagan holidays did exist at the time.

   The TDB is an abbreviated form of the KJV. For some reason, the translators missed this inconsistency.

   The IV is an inspired correction of the KJV. In view of the claims for this version, there is no logical reason why this error was not corrected because the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were commanded by God to be kept.

   The WMF is actually an introduction to the Bible for people having no interest in the Bible. The translator seems to have been more interested in setting a time for people who are not informed than in giving a fact which they would not understand.

2. feast: CEV.
   This is not specific enough to be correct. There are several feasts that are celebrated.

3. pasch: DRB.
   Technically, this is correct. It means the Feast of the Passover. It comes from the Hebrew word Pesakh, which is the Passover.

4. Passover: AAT, AB, ANT, ASV, CLNT, CNT, CTNT, GW, HBME, HBRV, IB, LB, MCT, MRB, MSNT, NAB, NAS, NBV, NEB, NET, NIV, NJB, NKJ, NNT, NRS, NSNT, PRS, REB, RSV, SGAT, SNB, SSBE, TEV, TM, WNT.
   This is the correct English word for Pesakh, the Hebrew word for Passover.

5. passover: DHB, EBR, LBP, MNT, NWT, WAS, WET, YLR.
   See point E in verse 3 and point D in verse 4.

6. Passover Feast: NCV.
   This is a correct translation.

7. Pesach: CJB.
   This is the correct Hebrew word. See point B in verse 3.

8. special religious gathering: NLV.
   See point R in verse 3.

 

ANT - The festival of Unleavened Bread was then in progress.

NCV - Feast: a special meal and celebration for a certain purpose.
Feast of Unleavened Bread, or "Passover:" reminded the Israelites how God brought them out of Egyptian slavery, Exodus 12:1-30; Numbers 28:16-25; Deuteronomy 16:1-8.
Passover Feast: an important holy day for the Jews in the spring of each year. They ate a special meal on this day to remind them that God had freed them from being slaves in Egypt.

WAS - Days of unleavened bread: during the feast of the passover (Exodus 12:12-17). All the fuss that has been made about Easter has no scripture warrant.

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