2. Heb. hamets, properly "ferment." In
(Numbers 6:3) "vinegar of wine" is
more correctly "fermented wine." In
(Exodus 13:7) the proper
rendering would be, "Unfermented things [Heb. matstsoth] shall
be consumed during the seven days; and there shall not be seen
with thee fermented things [hamets], and there shall not be seen
with thee leavened mass [seor] in all thy borders." The chemical
definition of ferment or yeast is "a substance in a state of
putrefaction, the atoms of which are in a continual motion." The
use of leaven was strictly forbidden in all offerings made to
the Lord by fire
(Leviticus 2:11; 7:12; 8:2; Numbers 6:15) Its secretly
penetrating and diffusive power is referred to in
(1 Corinthians 5:6) In
this respect it is used to illustrate the growth of the kingdom
of heaven both in the individual heart and in the world
