Leaven (Yeast)

Passages on this topic

From Nave’s Topical Bible (1896), a historical reference index. The groupings are Nave’s; the verses are shown in the text used across this site.

For bread

• Exodus 12:34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, carrying it on their shoulders in kneading bowls wrapped in clothing.
• Exodus 12:39 Since their dough had no leaven, the people baked what they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves. For when they had been driven out of Egypt, they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for themselves.
• Hosea 7:4 They are all adulterers, like an oven heated by a baker who needs not stoke the fire from the kneading to the rising of the dough.
• Matthew 13:33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”

Leavened bread used

With a peace-offering

• Leviticus 7:13 Along with his peace offering of thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes of leavened bread.
• Amos 4:5 Offer leavened bread as a thank offering, and loudly proclaim your freewill offerings. For that is what you children of Israel love to do,” declares the Lord GOD.

With a wave-offering

• Leviticus 23:15–17 From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you are to count off seven full weeks. You shall count off fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. Bring two loaves of bread from your dwellings as…

Leavened bread forbidden

With meat offerings

• Leviticus 2:11 No grain offering that you present to the LORD may be made with leaven, for you are not to burn any leaven or honey as a food offering to the LORD.
• Leviticus 6:17 It must not be baked with leaven; I have assigned it as their portion of My food offerings. It is most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering.
• Leviticus 10:12 And Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering that remains from the food offerings to the LORD and eat it without leaven beside the altar, because it is most holy.
• Exodus 23:18 You must not offer the blood of My sacrifices with anything leavened, nor may the fat of My feast remain until morning.
• Exodus 34:25 Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to Me along with anything leavened, and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Feast remain until morning.

At the Passover meal

• Exodus 12:19–20 For seven days there must be no leaven found in your houses. If anyone eats something leavened, that person, whether a foreigner or native of the land, must be cut off from the congregation of Israel. You are not to eat anything leavened; eat unleavened bread in all your homes.”
• Exodus 13:3–4 So Moses told the people, “Remember this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; for the LORD brought you out of it by the strength of His hand. And nothing leavened shall be eaten. Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving.
• Exodus 13:7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten during those seven days. Nothing leavened may be found among you, nor shall leaven be found anywhere within your borders.
• Exodus 23:18 You must not offer the blood of My sacrifices with anything leavened, nor may the fat of My feast remain until morning.

With blood

• Exodus 23:18 You must not offer the blood of My sacrifices with anything leavened, nor may the fat of My feast remain until morning.
• Exodus 34:25 Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to Me along with anything leavened, and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Feast remain until morning.

A symbol for sin

• 1 Corinthians 5:6–8 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old bread…

Figurative

Of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees

• Matthew 16:6–12 “Watch out!” Jesus told them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They discussed this among themselves and concluded, “It is because we did not bring any bread.” Aware of their conversation, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you debating among yourselves about having no b…
• Mark 8:15 “Watch out!” He cautioned them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.”
• Luke 12:1 In the meantime, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Of other evils

• 1 Corinthians 5:6–8 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old bread…
• Galatians 5:9 A little leaven works through the whole batch of dough.

Parable of

• Matthew 13:33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”
• Luke 13:21 It is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”