2 Kings 23:22, When Did Passover Begin?

//Scholars argue about when certain religious feasts and rituals began among the Hebrews, and the Passover celebration is no exception. The Bible states that the first Passover was just before Israel escaped from Egypt, before there was ever a Hebrew presence in Palestine. But if this is so, the Passover holiday was long forgotten by the time of the kings in Israel.

We do know that the annual timing of the Passover grew out of a common harvest festival, celebrated by the Canaanites before Israel arrived in the land. The Passover celebration then piggybacked with the celebration of Unleavened Bread, culminating finally in the Feast of the Firstfruits after a week-long celebration. The observance of a harvest festival predates the Passover celebration in Israel … Israel merely made it grander, more meaningful.

Today’s verse provides a clue about when the Passover was first observed—or reinstated, after hundreds of years of no celebration—in Israel. It was in the time of King Josiah in the 7th century B.C.