And on the fifteenth day of this month is a feast: See Lev 23.6. The fifteenth day of this month refers to the fifteenth day of the first month. Good News Translation says simply “the fifteenth day,” which other languages may find helpful. Verses 17-25 deal with the Festival of Unleavened Bread. Since this festival lasted for seven days, is a feast is better rendered “a feast begins.” Good News Translation is similar with “a religious festival begins.” There is no verb here in Hebrew. The Hebrew word for feast (chag) comes from the same root as the verb chagag, which means “to make pilgrimage, keep a pilgrim-feast.” See Exo 23.14, where this verb is used to refer to the three main Hebrew festivals: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Harvest Festival, and the Festival of Shelters.

Seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten: See Exo 12.15 and Lev 23.6. For unleavened bread, see 6.15. In languages that do not have passive verbs, shall … be eaten may be rendered “you [plural] shall eat” (Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie) or simply “Eat” (Bijbel in Gewone Taal) as an imperative.

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .