The word passover comes from the Hebrew pasach, which usually is interpreted as "passage." (Webster's New World Dictionary, Second College Edition, 1976.)

The name of Passover was given to the feast that was established in commemoration of the children of Israel coming out of Egypt. On the night before their departure, the destroying angel "passed over" the homes the children of Israel had marked with the blood of the sacrificial lamb. The destroying angel slew the firstborn of the Egyptians. (See Ex. 12.)In A Compendium of the Doctrines of the Gospel, Elder Franklin D. Richards and James A. Little explained: "We have an account of the institution of the Passover in the twelfth chapter of Exodus. The Lord commanded Israel, saying, `And the day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; she shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.' (v. 14.) This command rather implies that there might be a change in the manner and time of keeping this passover, by the house of Israel. The essential part of it is that it shall be kept by a feast forever.

"That the passover, as instituted the evening before the departure of Israel out of Egypt, was typical of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, appears to be the generally received opinion of all who have faith in the Bible and its institutions. It is evident that the apostle Paul entertained this view of the subject when he made the following assertion, `For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.' " (1 Cor. 5:7.)

"That our Savior considered the ordinance of the passover a part of the Mosaic law which was to be done away in his sufferings and death, is evident from the wish, which He expressed to His disciples, while keeping the passover with them the evening before His death: `With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer.' (Luke 22:15.) The type was no longer needed and the ordinance was changed to commemorate the great sacrifice He was about to make. Hence, He commanded His disciples to partake of the bread and wine in remembrance of Him."

President Howard W. Hunter, at the April 1985 general conference, said: "The bread and wine, rather than the animals and herbs, would become emblems of the great Lamb's body and blood, emblems to be eaten and drunk reverently and in remembrance of Him forever.

"In this simple but impressive manner the Savior instituted the ordinance now known as the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. With the suffering of Gethsemane, the sacrifice of Calvary, and the resurrection from a garden tomb, Jesus fulfilled the ancient law and ushered in a new dispensation based on a higher, holier understanding of the law of sacrifice. No more would men be required to offer the firstborn lamb from their flock, because the Firstborn of God had come to offer Himself as an `infinite and eternal sacrifice.' "