Exodus 12

1 And the Lorde spake vnto Moses and Aaron in the londe of Egipte saynge:
2 This moneth shall be youre chefe moneth: eue the first moneth of the yere shal it be vnto you
3 Speake ye unto all the felowshipe of Israel saynge: that they take the .x. daye of this moneth to euery housholde, a shepe.
4 Yf the housholde be to few for a shepe, then lett him and his neghbour that is nexte vnto his house, take acordinge to the nombre of soulles, and counte vnto a shepe acordinge to euery mans eatinge.
5 A shepe with out spott and a male of one yere olde shall it be, and from amonge the lambes ad the gootes shall ye take it.
6 And ye shall kepe him in warde, vntyll the xiiij. daye of the same moneth. And euery ma of the multitude of Israel shall kyll him aboute eue.
7 And they shall take of the bloud ad strike it on the .ij. syde postes ad on the vpper dor post of the houses, wheri they eate hi.
8 And thei shall eate the flesh the same nyght, rost with fyre, ad with vnleueded bread, ad with sowre herbes they shall eate it.
9 Se that ye eate not therof sode in water, but rost with fyre: both head fete ad purtenance together.
10 And se that ye let nothinge of it remayne vnto the mornynge: yf oughte remayne burne it with fyre.
11 Off this maner shall ye eate it: with youre loines girded, ad shoes on youre fete, ad youre staves in youre handes. And ye shall eate it in haste, for it is the Lordes passeouer,
12 for I will go aboute i the lade of Egipte this same nyghte, ad will smyte all the firstborne in the lande off Egipte: both of ma ad beest, ad apo al the goddes off Egipte will I the Lorde do execution.
13 And the bloude shall be vnto you a toke vppon the houses where in ye are, for whe I se the bloude, I will passe ouer you, ad the plage shall not be vppo you to destroye you, when I smyte the londe off Egipte.
14 And this daye shall be vnto you a remebraunce, ad ye shall kepe it holie vnto the Lorde: euen thorow out youre generacions after you shall ye kepe it holie daye, that it be a custome for euer.
15 vij. dayes shal ye eate vnleveded breed, so that euen the first daye ye shall put awaye leuen out off youre housses. For whosoeuer eateth leuended bread from the first daye vntyll the .vij. daye, that soule shall be plucked out fro Israel.
16 The first daye shall be a holie feast vnto you, and the .vij. also. There shal be no maner off worke done in the, saue aboute that only which euery man must eate that only may ye do.
17 And see that ye kepe you to vnleueded breed.For vppo that same daye I will brynge youre armyes out off the londe of Egipte, therfore ye shall obserue this daye and all youre childern after you, that yt be a custume for euer.
18 The first moneth and the .xiiij. daye off the moneth at euen, ye shall eate swete brede vnto the .xxj. daye off the moneth at euen agayne.
19 Seuen dayes se that there be no leuended bred foude in youre housses. For whosoeuer eateth leuended bred, that soule shall be roted out fro the multitude of Israel: whether he be a straunger or borne in the londe.
20 Therfore se that ye eate no leuended bred, but in all youre habitacions eate swete bred.
21 And Moses called for the elders off Israel and sayde vnto them: chouse out and take to euery housholde a shepe, ad kyll passeouer.
22 And take a bunch of ysope, ad dyppe it in the bloud that is in the basyn, and stryke it vppon the vpperposte and on the .ij. syde postes, and se that none of you goo out at the doore of his house vntyll the mornynge.
23 For the Lorde will goo aboute and smyte Egipte. And when he seyth the bloude vppon the vpper doorposte ad on the .ij. syde postes, he will passe ouer the doore and will not suffre the destroyer to come in to youre housse to plage you.
24 Therfore se that thou obserue this thinge, that it be an ordinaunce to the, and thy sonnes for euer.
25 And when ye be come in to the land which the Lorde will geue you acordinge as he hath promysed, se that ye kepe this seruice.
26 And when youre childern axe you what maner off seruice is this ye doo.
27 Ye shall saye, it is the sacrifiice of the Lordes passeouer which passed ouer the housses of the childern of Israel in Egipte, as he smote the Egiptians and saued oure housses. Than the people bowed them selues and worshipped.
28 And the childern of Israel went and dyd as the Lorde had commauded Moses and Aaron.
29 And at mydnyghte the Lorde smote all the firstborne in the lode of Egipte: from the firstborne of Pharao that satt on his seat, vnto the firstborne of the captyue that was in presone, and all firstborne of the catell.
30 Than Pharao arose the same nyghte and al his servauntes ad all the Egiptians, and there was a great crieng thorowe out Egipte, for there was no housse where there was not one dead.
31 And he called vnto Moses and Aaron by nyghte saynge: Ryse vp and gett you out from amonge my people: both ye and also the children of Israel, and goo and serue the Lorde as ye haue sayde.
32 And take youre shepe and your oxen with you as ye haue sayde, ad departe ad blesse me also.
33 And the Egiptians were ferce vppon the people and made haste to send the out of the lad: for they sayde: we be al deed me
34 And the people toke the dowe before it was sowered which they had in stoare, and bounde it in clothes ad put it vpo their shulders
35 And the childern of Israel dyd acordinge to the saynge of Moses: ad they borowed of the Egiptians: iewels of syluer, and iewels of gold, and rayment.
36 And the Lorde gat the people fauoure in the syghte of the Egiptians: ad so they borowed and robbed the Egiptians.
37 Thus toke the childern of Israel their yourney fro Raemses to suchoth .vj. hundred thousand me of foote, besyde childern.
38 And moch comon people went also with the, ad shepe ad oxen ad catell exceadinge moch.
39 And they baked swete cakes of the dowe which thy broughte out of Egipte, for it was not sowered: because they were thrust out of Egipte and coude not tarie, nether had they prepared them any other prouision of meate.
40 And the tyme of the dwellinge of the childern of Israel which they dwelled in Egipte, was .iiij. hundred and .xxx. yere.
41 And whe the iiij. hundred and .xxx. yeres mere expyred, eue the selfe same daye departed all the hostes of the Lorde out of the lande of Egipte.
42 This is a nyghte to be obserued to the Lorde, because he broughte them out of the lande of Egipte. This is a nyghte of the Lorde, to be kepte of all the childern of Israel and of their generacions after them.
43 And the Lorde sayde vnto Moses ad Aaron, this is the maner of Passeover: there shall no straunger eate there of,
44 but all the seruauntes that are bought for money shall ye circumcise, and then let them eat there of.
45 A strauger and a hyerd seruaunte shall not eate thereof.
46 In one housse shall it be eate. Ye shall carie none of the flesh out at the doores: moreouer, se that ye breke not a bone there of.
47 All the multitude of the childern of Israel shall obserue it
48 Yf a straunger dwell amonge you ad wyll holde Passeover vnto the Lorde, let him circucise all that be males, ad the let him come and obserue it ad be take as one that is borne i the lode. No vncircucised persone shall eate there of.
49 One maner of lawe shalbe vnto the that are borne in the lode, ad vnto the straugers that dwell amoge you.
50 And all the childern of Israel dyd as the Lorde comauded Moses ad Aaro.
51 And eue the selfe same daye dyd the Lorde brynge the childern of Israel out of the londe of Egipte with their armies.

Exodus 12 Commentary

Chapter 12

The beginning of the year changed, The passover instituted. (1-20) The people instructed how to observe the passover. (21-28) The death of the first-born of the Egyptians The Israelites urged to leave the land of Egypt. (29-36) The Israelites' first journey to Succoth. (37-42) Ordinance respecting the passover. (43-51)

Verses 1-20 The Lord makes all things new to those whom he delivers from the bondage of Satan, and takes to himself to be his people. The time when he does this is to them the beginning of a new life. God appointed that, on the night wherein they were to go out of Egypt, each family should kill a lamb, or that two or three families, if small, should kill one lamb. This lamb was to be eaten in the manner here directed, and the blood to be sprinkled on the door-posts, to mark the houses of the Israelites from those of the Egyptians. The angel of the Lord, when destroying the first-born of the Egyptians, would pass over the houses marked by the blood of the lamb: hence the name of this holy feast or ordinance. The passover was to be kept every year, both as a remembrance of Israel's preservation and deliverance out of Egypt, and as a remarkable type of Christ. Their safety and deliverance were not a reward of their own righteousness, but the gift of mercy. Of this they were reminded, and by this ordinance they were taught, that all blessings came to them through the shedding and sprinkling of blood. Observe, 1. The paschal lamb was typical. Christ is our passover, #1Co. 5:7 |. Christ is the Lamb of God, ( John 1:29 ) ; often in the Revelation he is called the Lamb. It was to be in its prime; Christ offered up himself in the midst of his days, not when a babe at Bethlehem. It was to be without blemish; the Lord Jesus was a Lamb without spot: the judge who condemned Christ declared him innocent. It was to be set apart four days before, denoting the marking out of the Lord Jesus to be a Saviour, both in the purpose and in the promise. It was to be slain, and roasted with fire, denoting the painful sufferings of the Lord Jesus, even unto death, the death of the cross. The wrath of God is as fire, and Christ was made a curse for us. Not a bone of it must be broken, which was fulfilled in Christ, Joh. 19:33 , denoting the unbroken strength of the Lord Jesus. 2. The sprinkling of the blood was typical. The blood of the lamb must be sprinkled, denoting the applying of the merits of Christ's death to our souls; we must receive the atonement, ( Romans 5:11 ) . Faith is the bunch of hyssop, by which we apply the promises, and the benefits of the blood of Christ laid up in them, to ourselves. It was to be sprinkled on the door-posts, denoting the open profession we are to make of faith in Christ. It was not to be sprinkled upon the threshold; which cautions us to take heed of trampling under foot the blood of the covenant. It is precious blood, and must be precious to us. The blood, thus sprinkled, was a means of preserving the Israelites from the destroying angel, who had nothing to do where the blood was. The blood of Christ is the believer's protection from the wrath of God, the curse of the law, and the damnation of hell, ( Romans 8:1 ) . 3. The solemn eating of the lamb was typical of our gospel duty to Christ. The paschal lamb was not to be looked upon only, but to be fed upon. So we must by faith make Christ our own; and we must receive spiritual strength and nourishment from him, as from our food, see ( john 6:53 john 6:55 ) . It was all to be eaten; those who by faith feed upon Christ, must feed upon a whole Christ; they must take Christ and his yoke, Christ and his cross, as well as Christ and his crown. It was to be eaten at once, not put by till morning. To-day Christ is offered, and is to be accepted while it is called to-day, before we sleep the sleep of death. It was to be eaten with bitter herbs, in remembrance of the bitterness of their bondage in Egypt; we must feed upon Christ with sorrow and brokenness of heart, in remembrance of sin. Christ will be sweet to us, if sin be bitter. It was to be eaten standing, with their staves in their hands, as being ready to depart. When we feed upon Christ by faith, we must forsake the rule and the dominion of sin; sit loose to the world, and every thing in it; forsake all for Christ, and reckon it no bad bargain, ( hebrews 13:13 hebrews 13:14 ) . 4. The feast of unleavened bread was ( 1 Corinthians. 5:7 ) Christ Jesus the Lord, we must continually delight ourselves in Christ Jesus. No manner of work must be done, that is, no care admitted and indulged, which does not agree with, or would lessen this holy joy. The Jews were very strict as to the passover, so that no leaven should be found in their houses. It must be a feast kept in charity, without the leaven of malice; and in sincerity, without the leaven of hypocrisy. It was by an ordinance for ever; so long as we live we must continue feeding upon Christ, rejoicing in him always, with thankful mention of the great things he has done for us.

Verses 21-28 That night, when the first-born were to be destroyed, no Israelite must stir out of doors till called to march out of Egypt. Their safety was owing to the blood of sprinkling. If they put themselves from under the protection of that, it was at their peril. They must stay within, to wait for the salvation of the Lord; it is good to do so. In after-times they should carefully teach their children the meaning of this service. It is good for children to ask about the things of God; they that ask for the way will find it. The keeping of this solemnity every year was, 1. To look backward, that they might remember what great things God had done for them and their fathers. Old mercies, to ourselves, or to our fathers, must not be forgotten, that God may be praised, and our faith in him encouraged. 2. It was designed to look forward, as an earnest of the great sacrifice of the Lamb of God in the fulness of time. Christ our passover was sacrificed for us; his death was our life.

Verses 29-36 The Egyptians had been for three days and nights kept in anxiety and horror by the darkness; now their rest is broken by a far more terrible calamity. The plague struck their first-born, the joy and hope of their families. They had slain the Hebrews' children, now God slew theirs. It reached from the throne to the dungeon: prince and peasant stand upon the same level before God's judgments. The destroying angel entered every dwelling unmarked with blood, as the messenger of woe. He did his dreadful errand, leaving not a house in which there was not one dead. Imagine then the cry that rang through the land of Egypt, the long, loud shriek of agony that burst from every dwelling. It will be thus in that dreadful hour when the Son of man shall visit sinners with the last judgment. God's sons, his first-born, were now released. Men had better come to God's terms at first, for he will never come to theirs. Now Pharaoh's pride is abased, and he yields. God's word will stand; we get nothing by disputing, or delaying to submit. In this terror the Egyptians would purchase the favour and the speedy departure of Israel. Thus the Lord took care that their hard-earned wages should be paid, and the people provided for their journey.

Verses 37-42 The children of Israel set forward without delay. A mixed multitude went with them. Some, perhaps, willing to leave their country, laid waste by plagues; others, out of curiosity; perhaps a few out of love to them and their religion. But there were always those among the Israelites who were not Israelites. Thus there are still hypocrites in the church. This great event was 430 years from the promise made to Abraham: see ( Galatians 3:17 ) . So long the promise of a settlement was unfulfilled. But though God's promises are not performed quickly, they will be, in their season. This is that night of the Lord, that remarkable night, to be celebrated in all generations. The great things God does for his people, are to be not only a few days' wonder, but to be remembered throughout all ages; especially the work of our redemption by Christ. This first passover-night was a night of the Lord, much to be observed; but the last passover-night, in which Christ was betrayed and in which the first passover, with the rest of the Jewish ceremonies, was done away, was a night of the Lord, much more to be observed. Then a yoke, heavier than that of Egypt, was broken from off our necks, and a land, better than that of Canaan, set before us. It was a redemption to be celebrated in heaven, for ever and ever.

Verses 43-51 In times to come, all the congregation of Israel must keep the passover. All that share in God's mercies should join in thankful praises for them. The New Testament passover, the Lord's supper, ought not to be neglected by any. Strangers, if circumcised, might eat of the passover. Here is an early indication of favour to the gentiles. This taught the Jews that their being a nation favoured by God, entitled them to their privileges, not their descent from Abraham. Christ our passover ( 1 Corinthians. 5:7 1 Corinthians. 5:8 ) for our souls; without the shedding of it there is no remission; without the sprinkling of it there can be no salvation. Have we, by faith in him, sheltered our souls from deserved vengeance under the protection of his atoning blood? Do we keep close to him, constantly depending upon him? Do we so profess our faith in the Redeemer, and our obligations to him, that all who pass by may know to whom we belong? Do we stand prepared for his service, ready to walk in his ways, and to separate ourselves from his enemies? These are questions of vast importance to the soul; may the Lord direct our consciences honestly to answer them.

Chapter Summary

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.

Exodus 12 Commentaries

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