Exodus 12:29-51

Death of Firstborn and Deliverance from Egypt

29 {And} in the middle of the night, Yahweh struck all of the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh sitting on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who [was] in the prison house and every firstborn of an animal.

30 And Pharaoh got up [at] night, he and all his servants and all Egypt, and a great cry of distress was in Egypt because there was not a house where there was no one dead.

31 And he called Moses and Aaron [at] night, and he said, "Get up, go out from the midst of my people, both you as well as the {Israelites}, and go, serve Yahweh, as you have said.

32 Take both your sheep and goats as well as your cattle, and go, and bless also me."

33 And [the] Egyptians urged the people [in order] to hurry their release from the land, because they said, "All of us [will] die!"

34 And the people lifted up their dough before it had yeast; their kneading troughs [were] wrapped up in their cloaks on their shoulder.

35 And the {Israelites} did according to the word of Moses, and they asked from [the] Egyptians [for] objects of silver and objects of gold and [for] clothing.

36 And Yahweh gave the people favor in the eyes of [the] Egyptians, and they granted [their] requests, and they plundered [the] Egyptians.

37 And the {Israelites} set out from Rameses to Succoth; the men [were] about six hundred thousand on foot, besides dependents.

38 And also a {mixed multitude} went up with them and sheep and goats and cattle, very numerous livestock.

39 And they baked the dough that they had brought out from Egypt [as] cakes, unleavened bread, because it had no yeast when they were driven out from Egypt, and they were not able to delay, and also they had not made provisions for themselves.

40 And the period of dwelling of the {Israelites} that they dwelled in Egypt [was] four hundred and thirty years.

41 And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, on this exact day, all of Yahweh's divisions went out from the land of Egypt.

42 It [is] a night of vigils [belonging] to Yahweh for bringing them out from the land of Egypt; it [is] this night [belonging] to Yahweh [with] vigils for all of the {Israelites} throughout their generations.

43 And Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, "This [is] the statute of the Passover: No foreigner may eat it.

44 But any slave of a man, an acquisition by money, and you have circumcised him, then he may eat it.

45 A temporary resident and a hired worker may not eat it.

46 It will be eaten in one house; you will not bring part of the meat out from the house to the outside; and you will not break a bone of it.

47 All of the community of Israel will prepare it.

48 And when an alien dwells with you and he wants to prepare [the] Passover for Yahweh, every male belonging to him must be circumcised, and then he may come near to prepare it, and he will be as the native of the land, but any uncircumcised [man] may not eat it.

49 One law will be for the native and for the alien who is dwelling in your midst."

50 And all the {Israelites} did as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron; so they did.

51 And it was on exactly this day Yahweh brought the {Israelites} out from the land of Egypt by their divisions.

Exodus 12:29-51 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 12

This chapter begins with observing, that the month in which the above wonders were wrought in Egypt, and the following ordinance appointed to the Israelites, should hereafter be reckoned the first month in the year, Ex 12:1,2 on the tenth day of which a lamb here described was to be taken and kept till the fourteenth, and then slain, and its blood sprinkled on the posts of the houses of the Israelites, Ex 12:3-7, the manner of dressing and eating it is shown, Ex 12:8-11 and the reason of the institution of this ordinance being given, Ex 12:12-14, and an order to eat unleavened bread during seven days, in which the feast was to be kept, Ex 12:15-20, directions are also given for the immediate observance of it, and particularly about the sprinkling of the blood of the lamb, and the use of it, Ex 12:21-23, and this ordinance, which they were to instruct their children in, was to be kept by them in succeeding ages for ever, Ex 12:24-27 about the middle of the night it was first observed, all the firstborn in Egypt were slain, which made the Egyptians urgent upon the Israelites to depart in haste, Ex 12:28-33 and which they did with their unleavened dough, and with great riches they had borrowed of the Egyptians, Ex 12:34-36, the number of the children of Israel at the time of their departure, the mixed multitude and cattle that went with them, their baking their unleavened cakes, the time of their sojourning in Egypt, and of their coming out of it that night, which made it a remarkable one, are all particularly taken notice of, Ex 12:37-42, laws and rules are given concerning the persons that should partake of the passover, Ex 12:43-49 and the chapter is concluded with observing, that it was kept according to the command of God, and that it was on the same day it was first instituted and kept that Israel were brought out of Egypt, Ex 12:50,51.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "and it was"
• [b]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [c]. Or "to hasten to release them"
• [d]. Or "We all are dead!"
• [e]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [f]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [g]. Or "footmen," "infantrymen." The word probably has military connotations, as when it is used elsewhere in the numbering of soldiers (compare 2 Sam 10:6; 1 Kgs 20:29; 2 Kgs 13:7)
• [h]. Literally "a large mixture" (compare Jer 25:20; Ezek 30:5)
• [i]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [j]. Or "observances"
• [k]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [l]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [m]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"