The Passover of King Josiah
2 Chronicles 35
Now, before we get to the most-obvious, seeming contradiction (Lv 23:6), let’s go to Josiah’s Passover in 2Ch 35…noting just 3 verses: Verses 1, 13, and 16. Later, we’ll consider both King Hezekiah’s Passover and Josiah’s Passover more in-depth when we look at Exodus 12. But briefly, let’s notice…
2Ch 35:1 Moreover Josiah kept a passover unto the LORD in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
Those who keep the Passover at the end of the 13th, as the 14th starts, agree that Exodus 12:6 means that the Passover was killed “between the evenings”, or between sunset and dark. Those whom I call the 8-Dayers, as well as those who hold this third viewpoint, would agree that verse 1 here refers to those who “killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month”…as having killed it “on” the 14th, as the 14th started, at dusk.
Now, notice verse 13: JPS:
2Ch 35:13 “And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance; and the holy offerings sod they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and carried them quickly to all the children of the people.”
Here, the word “roasted” is H1310 “bashal”, which, in this context, since they were following the Passover ordinance (from Ex 12:8-9, 43), means “to be done” in cooking, NOT the more commonly used phrase for “boiling”, which the Passover lamb was prohibited from being “sodden” or “boiled’ in pots. Yet, they followed the ordinance, 13a: “they roasted the Passover with fire according to the ordinance”. So, a conclusion could be made that the meaning of “bashal” in this passage and in Dt 16:…translated “roasted” can be taken to mean “completely done in cooking” , not necessarily “roasted” as in Exodus 12: , which, in context, was more specific. We’ll come back to this when we parse Exodus 12.
But notice that 13b, “the holy offerings sod they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans,”…(prohibited for the Passover lambs)…would have been done on the daylight portion of the 14th.
But, to continue to the most critical verse:
2Ch 35:16 “So all the service of the LORD was prepared the same day, to keep the passover, and to offer burnt offerings upon the altar of the LORD, according to the commandment of king Josiah.”
For now, we want to see that all that was done regarding the Passover, was done all on the same day, which was the 14th, verse 1. Notice that there is no mention of anything happening on the 15th. Later, we’ll come back to this chapter and note more specific elements of “roasting” versus “boiling” or “completely done in cooking”…
For now, please notice that two possible types of events are mentioned, both on the same day: First, the Passover would have been conducted on the evening portion of the Passover, as a service. It would have been killed by the heads of each household…”according to the ordinance” mentioned in Ex 12 and Dt 16. Presumably, this would also have been conducted even by the high priest as the head of his household, but probably not at the tabernacle or temple.
Secondly, the daytime portion, when the bulls, plus the sheep or goats would have been sacrificed at the bronze altar at the tabernacle or temple. But these also occurred “on the same day” (verse 16), which is the only day identified in this context, “the fourteenth day” in verse 1.
Let’s go to Dt 16 to see the most obvious witness of which day is the first day of Unleavened Bread…