Exodus 12:29-51

The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn

29 1At midnight the 2LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, 3from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock.
30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was 4a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead.
31 Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, "Up, go out from among my people, 5both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as you have said.
32 6Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!"

The Exodus

33 7The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, "We shall all be dead."
34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders.
35 The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had 8asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing.
36 9And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that 10they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
37 And the 11people of Israel journeyed from 12Rameses to Succoth, 13about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.
38 A 14mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds.
39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because 15they were thrust out of Egypt and 16could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.
40 The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years.
41 At the end of years, on that very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.
42 It was a night of watching by the LORD, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a 17night of watching kept to the LORD by all the people of Israel throughout their generations.

Institution of the Passover

43 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it,
44 but every slave that is 18bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him.
45 19No foreigner or hired servant may eat of it.
46 It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and 20you shall not break any of its bones.
47 21All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
48 22If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he 23shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.
49 There shall be 24one law for the native and for the 25stranger who sojourns among you."
50 All the people of Israel did just as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron.
51 And on that very day the 26LORD brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their 27hosts.

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.

Cross References 28

  • 1. Exodus 11:4
  • 2. Numbers 8:17; Numbers 33:4; Psalms 78:51; Psalms 105:36; Psalms 135:8; Psalms 136:10
  • 3. Exodus 4:23; Exodus 11:5
  • 4. Exodus 11:6; [Amos 5:16, 17]
  • 5. [Exodus 10:9-11]
  • 6. [Exodus 10:24-26]
  • 7. Exodus 6:1; Exodus 11:1, 8; Psalms 105:38
  • 8. Exodus 3:22; Exodus 11:2
  • 9. Exodus 3:21; Exodus 11:3
  • 10. Genesis 15:14; Psalms 105:37
  • 11. Numbers 33:3, 5
  • 12. Genesis 47:11; [Exodus 1:11]
  • 13. [Exodus 38:26; Numbers 1:46; Numbers 2:32; Numbers 11:21; Numbers 26:51]
  • 14. Leviticus 24:10, 11; Numbers 11:4; [Nehemiah 13:3]
  • 15. [See ver. 33 above]
  • 16. [Deuteronomy 16:3]
  • 17. Galatians 3:17; [Genesis 15:13; Acts 7:6]
  • 18. See Deuteronomy 16:1-6
  • 19. [Genesis 17:12, 13]
  • 20. Leviticus 22:10
  • 21. Numbers 9:12; Cited John 19:36
  • 22. ver. 6
  • 23. Numbers 9:14
  • 24. ver. 19
  • 25. Numbers 9:14; Numbers 15:15, 16
  • 26. [See ver. 48 above]
  • 27. ver. 41; Acts 13:17
  • 28. ver. 17
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.