Deuteronomy 16:6

6 but only at the place that Yahweh your God will choose, to let his name dwell there; you shall offer the Passover sacrifice {in the evening at sunset}, [at the] designated time of your going out from Egypt.

Deuteronomy 16:6 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 16:6

But at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place
his name in
To place the ark and the mercy seat with the cherubim over them, where he caused his Shechinah, or divine Majesty, to dwell; and this was at Jerusalem, where the temple was built by Solomon:

there thou shalt sacrifice the passover;
kill and eat the paschal lamb:

at even, at the going down of the sun;
between the two evenings it was killed, before the sun was set, and afterwards at night it was eaten; the Targum of Jonathan is,

``and at evening, at the setting of the sun, ye shall eat it until the middle of the night:''

at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt;
or as the same Targum,

``the time of the beginning of your redemption out of Egypt;''

which was when Pharaoh rose at midnight, and gave them leave to go; from thence their redemption commenced, though they did not actually set out until the morning.

Deuteronomy 16:6 In-Context

4 And leaven shall not be seen with you in any of your territory for seven days, and none of the meat that you will slaughter on the evening on the first day shall remain overnight until morning.

5 You are not allowed to offer the Passover sacrifice in one of your {towns} that Yahweh your God is giving to you,

6 but only at the place that Yahweh your God will choose, to let his name dwell there; you shall offer the Passover sacrifice {in the evening at sunset}, [at the] designated time of your going out from Egypt.

7 And you shall cook, and you shall eat [it] at the place that Yahweh your God will choose; and you may turn in the morning and go to your tents.

8 Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day [there shall be] an assembly for Yahweh your God; you shall not do work.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "in the evening as the sun goes/sets"
• [b]. The Hebrew word here indicates the specific time that God had chosen to bring Israel out of Egypt