Exodus 12 Footnotes

12:5 This passage appears to contradict Dt 16:2 regarding which animals may be used for the Passover sacrifice. The instruction of Dt 16:2 allows animals of the herd—that is, cattle or oxen—as well as lambs or goats from the flock. But a careful reading suggests that these two passages are addressing different issues. Ex 12:5 deals with the animal that is to be eaten as part of the Passover meal, on the first night of an eight-day celebration that included both the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. On the other hand, Dt 16:2-8 mentions the kinds of sacrificial animals that were to be used for different purposes throughout the festival period. The guidelines of Dt 16:2 are spelled out in greater detail in Nm 28:16-31, which specifies that bulls, sheep, and goats were to be sacrificed on each of the days of this lengthy celebration.

12:7 It was the people’s obedience to God that saved them, not the blood on the doorpost. Those who obeyed the Lord’s instruction to place the blood of an unblemished male lamb or goat on the doorposts of their home were spared. By doing so, they demonstrated that they were placing their trust in a sacrificial death prescribed by God for their salvation. Since the days of the apostles, Christians have seen in this event a foreshadowing of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, “our Passover” (1Co 5:7), whose blood spares us from the coming wrath of God (Rm 5:9).

12:13 God knows all things (1Jn 3:20) and did not need to make an inspection tour through the land, noting the blood on each doorpost to discern who was obedient to him. The blood was the “distinguishing mark,” a sign for the benefit of the Israelites that confirmed their obedience to God and his promise of salvation. The phrase “when I see the blood” is used figuratively to indicate the Lord’s knowledge of those who trust him. The expression looks ahead to God’s response to those who, having entered into the death of Christ (Rm 6:3-7), are protected by his blood from the wrath of God’s judgment.

12:31 If the exodus occurred as the Bible describes it, why does it receive no mention in Egyptian records? The probable answer is that the official Egyptian records were written by government functionaries not to provide an objective recording of historical events but to support the existing political and religious powers of their day. Egyptian annals glorify the accomplishments of the pharaohs and reinforce the prevailing Egyptian religious convictions. Any set of events that cast Egyptian gods and their pharaoh (who was himself considered a god) in a bad light would hardly be mentioned in an official Egyptian document.

12:40 How much time did the Israelites spend in Egypt? The Hebrew text used as the basis for English translations of this verse states literally that “the dwelling of the sons of Israel which they dwelt in Egypt was 430 years.” The Samaritan Pentateuch, on the other hand, states that the Israelites spent 215 years in Egypt. The difference in numbers may not be a true contradiction but the result of different ways of computing Israel’s time in Egypt. The Samaritan Pentateuch, following a very old tradition that is reflected in the NT (see Gl 3:17), probably arrived at the figure 215 by starting with the number 430 and then factoring in certain events associated with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The editors of that version concluded that Jacob’s descendants spent 215 years in the land by taking into account the number of years between Abraham’s visit to Egypt and the birth of Isaac (25 years, see Gn 12:4; 21:5), Isaac’s age when Jacob was born (60 years, Gn 25:26), and Jacob’s age at the time he entered Egypt (130 years, Gn 47:9).

The Septuagint likewise clarifies the number 430 but does so in a different way. It expands the reading found in the Hebrew text, stating that “the dwelling of the sons of Israel, and of their fathers, which they dwelt in the land of Canaan, and in the land of Egypt, was 430” (italics added).

12:43,48 Although the OT requires non-Jews adopting the faith of Israel to be circumcised, the NT discourages the practice (1Co 7:18; Gl 5:2). The Prophet Jeremiah foresaw a time when God would make a new covenant that would replace the one he made with Israel at Mount Sinai (Jr 31:31). Jesus Christ brought that new covenant into being through his sacrificial death on the cross (Heb 9:15). Through Christ a new relationship exists between God and humanity (2Co 5:17; Gl 6:15), one that does not require men to be circumcised (Ac 15:1-21).