Exodus 12:42

42 That was for the Lord a night of vigil, to bring them out of the land of Egypt. That same night is a vigil to be kept for the Lord by all the Israelites throughout their generations.

Exodus 12:42 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 12:42

It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord
Or "a night of observations" F20, in which many things are to be observed to the honour and glory of God, as done by him, wherein his power, wisdom, goodness, truth and faithfulness, are displayed; partly by the destruction of the Egyptian firstborn, and particularly for bringing them,
the children of Israel, out from the land of Egypt:
with the leave, and even pressing importunity of the Egyptians, and with so much wealth and riches, having found great favour in their sight, which was from the Lord: this is that night of the Lord to be much observed of all the children
of Israel in their generations
in successive ages unto the coming of the Messiah, for the reasons before given; and the selfsame night is worthy the remembrance of all the spiritual Israel of God, of all true believers in Christ; for that very night after Christ had ate the passover with his disciples, he was betrayed by one of them; and to perpetuate the memory of this, and of his sufferings and death, an ordinance is appointed to be observed until his second coming, see ( 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ) , and the ancient Jews themselves have had some notion of the appearance of the Messiah at this time; for they not only expect his coming at the time of the passover, and speak of their redemption by him in the month of Nisan, as before observed on ( Exodus 12:14 ) , but of this very night, among the four observable things in it, the fourth they say is, Moses shall go out of the midst of the wilderness, and the King Messiah out of Rome; so it is said in the Jerusalem Targum on the place.


FOOTNOTES:

F20 (Myrmv lyl) "nox observantiarum", Munster, Fagius, Vatablus, so Drusius, Piscator, Cartwright, Ainsworth.

Exodus 12:42 In-Context

40 The time that the Israelites had lived in Egypt was four hundred thirty years.
41 At the end of four hundred thirty years, on that very day, all the companies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.
42 That was for the Lord a night of vigil, to bring them out of the land of Egypt. That same night is a vigil to be kept for the Lord by all the Israelites throughout their generations.
43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: This is the ordinance for the passover: no foreigner shall eat of it,
44 but any slave who has been purchased may eat of it after he has been circumcised;
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.