Exodus 12:21

21 And Moses called all the elders of the children of Israel, and said to them, Go away and take to yourselves a lamb according to your kindreds, and slay the passover.

Exodus 12:21 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 12:21

Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel
Not in age but in office, who were either heads of families, or at least principal men in the tribes; which explains in what manner he was to speak to the congregation of Israel, and convey to them the will of God concerning the observation of these feasts, ( Exodus 12:3 ) , and said unto them, draw out;
a lamb or a kid, out of the flocks on the tenth day of the month, and keep it up until the fourteenth, as in ( Exodus 12:3 Exodus 12:6 ) and take you a lamb, according to your families;
or "take ye of the flock" F18, whether a lamb or a kid; a lamb for every family, if there was a sufficient number in it to eat it up; if not, two or more families were to join and keep the feast together: and kill the passover;
the lamb for the passover, which was to be done on the fourteenth day of the month; and before the priesthood was established in the family of Aaron, and before the Israelites were possessed of the land of Canaan, and the temple was built at Jerusalem, the passover was killed by the heads of families, and in their own houses, but afterwards it was killed only by the priests, and at Jerusalem and in the temple there, see ( Deuteronomy 16:5 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F18 (zau) "de filiis gregis", Onk. & Jon.

Exodus 12:21 In-Context

19 Seven days leaven shall not be found in your houses; whosoever shall eat anything leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, both among the occupiers of the land and the original inhabitants.
20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened, but in every habitation of your ye shall eat unleavened bread.
21 And Moses called all the elders of the children of Israel, and said to them, Go away and take to yourselves a lamb according to your kindreds, and slay the passover.
22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and having dipped it into some of the blood that is by the door, ye shall touch the lintel, and upon both door-posts, even of the blood which is by the door; but ye shall not go out every one from the door of his house till the morning.
23 And the Lord shall pass by to smite the Egyptians, and shall see the blood upon the lintel, and upon both the door-posts; and the Lord shall pass by the door, and shall not suffer the destroyer to enter into your houses to smite .

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.