Exodus 12:40-51

40 Forsooth the dwelling of the sons of Israel, by which they dwelled in Egypt, was of four hundred and thirty years; (And the Israelites had lived in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years;)
41 and when those years were fulfilled, all the host of the Lord went out of the land of Egypt in the same day. (and when those years were ended, all the Lord's army went out of the land of Egypt on the same day.)
42 This night is worthy to be kept in the worshipping of the Lord, when he led them out of the land of Egypt; all the sons of Israel ought to keep this night in their generations. (This night is worthy to be kept for worshipping the Lord, when he led them out of the land of Egypt; all the Israelites ought to keep watch on this night in all their generations.)
43 Also the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, This is the religion of pask; each alien shall not eat thereof; (And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, This is the rite of the Passover; each foreigner, or each stranger, shall not eat it;)
44 soothly each servant bought shall be circumcised, and so he shall eat; (but each bought servant, or slave, shall be circumcised first, and then he shall eat it;)
45 a comeling and a hired man shall not eat thereof; (but the newcomer and the hired man shall not eat it;)
46 it shall be eaten in one house; neither ye shall bear out the flesh thereof; neither ye shall break a bone thereof.
47 Each company of the sons of Israel shall make that pask; (All the congregation of Israel shall keep this Feast;)
48 that if any pilgrim will pass into your faith and worshipping, and make [the] pask of the Lord, each male kind of him shall be circumcised before the solemnity, and then he shall make it lawful(ly), and he shall be together with them as a man born of the land; forsooth if any man is not circumcised, he shall not eat thereof. (and if any foreigner will join your faith and worshipping, and he desire to keep the Lord's Passover, each male of them shall be circumcised before the Feast, and then he shall keep it lawfully, and he shall be like a man born in the land; but if any man is not circumcised, he shall not eat it.)
49 The same law shall be to a man born of the land, and to a comeling, that taketh your faith, the which is a pilgrim with you. (The same law shall be for a man born in the land, as for a newcomer, who taketh your faith, yea, he who is a foreigner among you.)
50 And all the sons of Israel did as the Lord commanded to Moses and Aaron.
51 And in the same day the Lord led out of the land of Egypt the sons of Israel, by their companies. (And so on that day the Lord led the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, by their tribes.)

Exodus 12:40-51 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.