Passover Lamb Timing: "Between the Two Evenings" (Exodus 12:6)

Exodus 12:6 commands the Passover lamb be slaughtered "between the two evenings" (בֵּין הָעַרְבָּיִם / bein ha'arbayim) on the 14th of Nisan.

Rabbinic Interpretations

• Pharisaic / Talmudic (dominant): "Between the evenings" = afternoon. First evening = sun declining (noon); second evening = sunset. Slaughter: ~3–5 PM (9th–11th hour).
• Sadducean / Karaite: "Between the evenings" = twilight. First evening = sunset; second evening = full dark. Slaughter: ~6–7 PM.
• Samaritan: Similar to Karaite; sacrifice on Mt. Gerizim at twilight.

Historical Practice (Second Temple)

• Josephus (War 6.423): "From the ninth hour to the eleventh" (3–5 PM)
• Mishnah Pesachim 5:1: Daily tamid offered at 2:30 PM; Passover lambs after, finishing before sunset
• Tens of thousands of lambs → required early start, massive priestly coordination

Theological Significance

• Afternoon timing aligns with tamid (daily offering) → Passover as national korban
• Christian typology: Jesus crucified at 9 AM (Mark) / noon (John), died ~3 PM → "Lamb of God" slaughtered at Passover hour
• Eucharistic liturgy often celebrated morning (anticipating) or evening (commemorating)

Modern Observance

No Temple → no sacrifice. Seder plate includes zeroa (roasted shank bone) as memorial. Timing: Seder begins after nightfall (15 Nisan). The korban Pesach debate continues in messianic/Third Temple movements.