Exodus 12:15-20

15 '1Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, 2that person shall be cut off from Israel.
16 '3On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be prepared by you.
17 'You shall also observe 4the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this 5very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as 6a permanent ordinance.
18 '7In the first month, on the fourteenth * day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first * day of the month at evening.
19 '8Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened, that 9person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an alien or a native of the land.
20 'You shall not eat anything leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.' "

Exodus 12:15-20 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.

Cross References 9

  • 1. Exodus 13:6, 7; Exodus 23:15; Exodus 34:18; Leviticus 23:6; Numbers 28:17; Deuteronomy 16:3, 8
  • 2. Genesis 17:14; Exodus 12:19; Numbers 9:13
  • 3. Leviticus 23:7, 8; Numbers 28:18, 25
  • 4. Deuteronomy 16:3-8
  • 5. Exodus 12:41
  • 6. Exodus 12:14; Exodus 13:3, 10
  • 7. Exodus 12:2; Leviticus 23:5-8; Numbers 28:16-25
  • 8. Exodus 12:15; Exodus 23:15; Exodus 34:18
  • 9. Numbers 9:13

Footnotes 6

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