Exodus 12:29-51

The Exodus

29 Now at midnight the Lord struck every firstborn [male] in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon, and every firstborn of the livestock.

30 During the night Pharaoh got up, he along with all his officials and all the Egyptians, and there was a loud wailing throughout Egypt because there wasn't a house without someone dead.

31 He summoned Moses and Aaron during the night and said, "Get up, leave my people, both you and the Israelites, and go, worship the Lord as you have asked.

32 Take even your flocks and your herds as you asked, and leave, and this will also be a blessing to me."

33 Now the Egyptians pressured the people in order to send them quickly out of the country, for they said, "We're all going to die!"

34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls wrapped up in their clothes on their shoulders.

35 The Israelites acted on Moses' word and asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing.

36 And the Lord gave the people such favor in the Egyptians' sight that they gave them what they requested. In this way they plundered the Egyptians.

37 The Israelites traveled from Rameses to Succoth, about 600,000 soldiers on foot,^[a] besides their families.

38 An ethnically diverse crowd also went up with them, along with a huge number of livestock, both flocks and herds.

39 The people baked the dough they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves, since it had no yeast; for when they had been driven out of Egypt they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for themselves.

40 The time that the Israelites lived in Egypt^[b] was 430 years.

41 At the end of 430 years, on that same day, all the divisions of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.

42 It was a night of vigil in honor of the Lord, because He would bring them out of the land of Egypt. This same night is in honor of the Lord, a night vigil for all the Israelites throughout their generations.

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.^[c]

47 The whole community of Israel must celebrate^[d] 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;^[e] 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 12:29-51 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]. Nm 1:45-46
• [b]. LXX, Sam add and in Canaan
• [c]. Nm 9:12; Ps 34:20; Jn 19:33,36
• [d]. Lit do
• [e]. Lit may come near to do it