Matthew Poole and continuators on Matthew 26:2

2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

Mark saith, After two days was the Feast of the Passover, and of unleavened Bread, L[illegible: 1 letter]ke saith, Ch. 22.1. Now the Feast of unleavened Bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. For our better understanding of what the Evangelists say here, and in the following part of this History, we will consider the Law of the Passover in its Institution, which we find in Exod. 12.3. &c. Lev. 23.4. &c. Numb. 28.16. &c. in the 12. Exod. we find its first Institution, and the occasion of it: Upon the Tenth day of the Month Nisan, they were to take up a Lamb for every Houshold, or if the Houshold were too small, they might take in their Neighbours; this Lamb was to be a Male without Blemish, and to be kept up to the Fourteenth day, then to be killed in the Evening: Or betwixt the two Evenings (that is, as is most probably judged) sometime that day after the Sun began after noon to decline, before the Sun did set) the Flesh of this Lamb was that Night to be Eaten, neither raw, nor sodden, but Roasted with Fire, with unleavened Bread, and with bitter Herbs; nothing was to remain till the Morning, and if any did remain, it was to be burned. They were to Eat it, with their Loins girded, their Shoos on their Feet, and their Staff in their Hands; they were to strike the Blood of the Lamb, on the two first Posts, and on the upper Door-Posts of the Houses, where they did Eat it, seven days they were to Eat unleavened Bread, beginning on the Fourteenth day of the Mo[illegible: 1 letter]th at E[illegible: 1 letter]en, and ending the one and Twentieth at Even. This was to be to them [illegible: 1 letter]or a Memorial of their Deliver[illegible: 1 letter]nce in Egyp[illegible: 1 letter] upon Gods de[illegible: 1 letter]troying the first born of the Egyp [illegible: 3 letters]ns, and sp[illegible: 1 letter]ring them; and their Deliverance and coming out of Eg[illegible: 1 letter]pt, and was to be an Ordinance unto them for ever. This may be read at large, Exod. 12. from v. 3. to v. 21. This also was a Figure of the true Passeover Iesus Christ, whom the Apostle calleth our Passeover, and the Evange[illegible: 1 letter]ist calls the Lamb of God. The Law of the Passeover was again repeated, Levit. 23.5, 6, 7, 8. Numb. 28.16. The first and last of the Days of unleavened Bread (as may be seen there) were to be Days of an holy Convocation. There were some di[illegible: 1 letter]ferences betwixt the Observation of the first Passover in Egypt and their after Observat[illegible: 1 letter]ons of it. At the Passover in Egypt, the Blood was to be S[illegible: 1 letter]rinkled on the D[illegible: 1 letter]or P[illegible: 1 letter]sts, in following times, the Blood and the Fat were to be Sprinkled upon the Altar; at the Passover in [illegible: 1 word], every Paschal Society, [illegible: 2 letters]ew the Passover in their own House, but afterwards they were all slain in the Temple, and then carried to be Roa[illegible: 2 letters]ed, and Eaten by the several Societies, The Passover in Egypt was to be Eaten Standing, with their Loi[illegible: 1 letter]s girded, their shoes on their Feet, and Staves in their Hands, in token of their being ready to take their Journey out of Eg[illegible: 1 letter]pt: But in their following Pa[illegible: 2 letters]overs they (in token of the Liberty into which God had brought them) did Eat it sitting; [illegible: 1 letter]ence, we shall find that Christ sate down with the twelve, when he ate the Passover. In other things the Observation was much alike. They strictly kept to the time the fourteenth Day of the Month Nisan or Abib, which answereth part of our March and April. This great Festival was to be kept after two Days (saith our Saviour) whether the two Days are to be understood as including or excluding the Day when he spake is incertain, and not Material for us to know; probably he spake this on the Tuesday (as we call it) Friday being to be the Passoverday. And the Son of Man is betrayed to be Crucifyed. Tho he was not yet Actually betrayed that we read of, yet he knew both what Counsels his Adversaries had already been taking, and were further about to take, and what was in the Heart of Iudas, he therefore forewarneth his Disciples, that when the thing should come to pass they might not be surprized, and might know that he was the Son of God who could foretel future Contingencies, tho he was also as the Son of Man to be Crucifyed.

Marginal references: Mar. 14.1. Joh. 13.1.