Luke 6:1

On the second sabbath, &c.— On the first sabbath after the second of the passover. Commentators are much at a loss to understand what St. Luke means by the second sabbath after the first;— Σαββατω δευτεροπρωτω. Some think the proper translation of his words is, the first second-day's sabbath; understanding thereby, the ordinary sabbath which happened in the passover-week, and assigning the following reason of its name:—the law enjoined, that on the second day of the passover-week, they should offer the sheaf of the first-fruits, Leviticus 23:10; but in case of a backward season, they placed an intercalary month between the last month Adar, and the first month Abib, answering to our March, and called it, the Adar, or the second Adar. From the second day of the passover-week, on which the first sheaf was offered with prayers for a blessing on the beginning of harvest, they counted seven weeks to Pentecost. See Leviticus 23:15. Deuteronomy 16:9. Exodus 23:16. The day on which they offered the first barley sheaf, and from which they accounted the seven weeks of harvest to the feast of Pentecost, being the second day of the passover-week, it is supposed that the ordinary sabbaths happening in these weeks, carried in their names a memorial of the term whence they were computed. Thus the first of them was called Σαββατον δευτεροπρωτον, the first second day's sabbath; or, "the first sabbath after the second day of unleavened bread:" the second was called Σαββατον δευτεροδευτερον, the second second day's sabbath; and so on, till the seventh. There are, besides this, a variety of other interpretations and opinions: but upon the whole it may be observed, that according to all the interpretations of the passage, this first second day's sabbath happened near some passover.