Exodus 12:43-51

Passover Instruction

43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner may eat it.

44 But any slave a man has purchased may eat it, after you have circumcised him.

45 A temporary resident or hired hand may not eat the Passover.

46 It is to be eaten in one house. You may not take any of the meat outside the house, and you may not break any of its bones.^[a]

47 The whole community of Israel must celebrate^[b] it.

48 If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate the Lord's Passover, every male in his household must be circumcised, and then he may participate;^[c] he will become like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat it.

49 The same law will apply to both the native and the foreigner who resides among you."

50 Then all the Israelites did [this]; they did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.

51 On that same day the Lord brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt according to their military divisions.

Exodus 12:43-51 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]. Nm 9:12; Ps 34:20; Jn 19:33,36
• [b]. Lit do
• [c]. Lit may come near to do it