Passover is approaching, and with it, the Night to be Much Observed and the Days of Unleavened Bread. In Deuteronomy 16:1-8, the term Passover appears, but it does not fit the context of the chapter, which focuses on the Days of Unleavened Bread and specifically the Night to be Much Observed. The instruction in Deuteronomy 16:2 to sacrifice from the flock and the herd is incorrect for Passover, as Exodus 12:3-5 specifies that the Passover lamb must be a year-old male without blemish, taken from the sheep or goats, not cattle. Furthermore, Deuteronomy 16:2 directs the sacrifice to be made where the LORD chooses to place His name, while Exodus 12:6-7 commands the Passover sacrifice to be done at home, with the blood applied to the doorposts and lintel of the houses. Deuteronomy 16:5 reinforces this distinction by stating that the sacrifice must not be made within one's gates but at the designated place, contradicting the Passover requirement to observe it at home. Additionally, Deuteronomy 16:7 uses a Hebrew word meaning to boil, whereas Exodus 12:9 explicitly instructs that the Passover lamb must be roasted, not boiled or eaten raw. The context of Deuteronomy 16:3-6 ties the sacrifice to remembering the day Israel came out of Egypt, which Numbers 33:3 identifies as the 15th day of the first month, not the 14th day of Passover. Exodus 12:21-22 further clarifies that after killing the Passover lamb and applying its blood, the Israelites were to remain in their houses until morning, making it impossible to associate the Passover with the departure on the 15th. Thus, the sacrifice described in Deuteronomy 16 cannot be the Passover lamb, as it aligns with the Days of Unleavened Bread rather than the distinct observance of Passover.

In the discussion of God's ordinances, it is evident that the observance of Passover had been neglected and replaced by other traditions. The timing of the Passover lamb's sacrifice is crucial, as established in Exodus 12, where the lamb was to be killed at ben ha arbayim, which is the twilight period at the beginning of the fourteenth day of the first month, following sunset, or ba erev. This timing is significant, ensuring that the events of Passover commence at the start of the day rather than at its end. Regarding the specifics of the first Passover, several key elements are highlighted. The lambs were killed at the beginning of the fourteenth day, during the twilight period of ben ha arbayim, as confirmed by the usage of the Hebrew term "ad," indicating up to a specific point in time, marking the start of the day. The lambs were killed at the houses of the Israelites in Goshen, not in Rameses or in tents, emphasizing that the Passover was observed in their individual homes as repeatedly noted in Exodus 12 with the term "bayith," meaning house, used multiple times to underscore this location. The process of killing, roasting, eating, and burning the leftovers of the Passover lamb took approximately 8 to 9 hours, spanning from about 6:00 p.m. at sunset on the fourteenth day until between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. This timeline places all activities within the fourteenth day, countering claims that suggest a later timing extending into the fifteenth day. The Israelites remained in their houses in Goshen throughout the night of the fourteenth, not departing immediately after the Death Angel passed at midnight, adhering strictly to the command to stay indoors until morning, or boqer, which follows the night period of lailah.