Exodus 12

1 Also the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
2 This month, the beginning of months to you, shall be the first in the months of the year. (This month shall be the beginning of months for you, yea, it shall become the first month of the new year.)
3 Speak ye to all the company of the sons of Israel, and say ye to them, In the tenth day of this month, each man take a lamb by his families and houses; (Speak ye to all the Israelites, and say ye to them, On the tenth day of this month, each man take a lamb for his family, one for each household;)
4 but if the number (of people) is less, that it may not suffice to eat the lamb, he shall take (it with) his neighbour, which is joined to his house, by the number of souls, that may suffice to the eating of the lamb. (but if the number of people in his family is too small to eat the lamb, he shall eat it with his neighbour who is near to his house, yea, with the number of souls who shall suffice to eat all of the lamb.)
5 Forsooth the lamb shall be a male of one year, without wem; by which custom ye shall take also a kid, if a lamb may not be had in good manner; (And the lamb shall be a male of one year, without blemish, or without fault; for which rite ye may also take a goat kid, if a lamb cannot be had in good manner;)
6 and ye shall keep him till to the fourteenth day of this month; and all the multitude of the sons of Israel shall offer him at eventide.
7 And they shall take of his blood, and they shall put it on ever either (door-)post, and in the lintels, or higher thresholds, of the houses, in which they shall eat him; (And they shall take some of his blood, and they shall put it on both door-posts, and on the lintels, or the upper thresholds, of the houses, in which they shall eat the lamb;)
8 and in that night they shall eat (the) flesh, roasted with fire, and therf loaves, with the herb lettuce of the field/with bitternesses of the field. (and on that night they shall eat the flesh, roasted with fire, and unleavened bread, and bitter herbs of the field.)
9 Ye shall not eat thereof any raw thing, neither sodden in water, but roasted only by fire; ye shall devour the head with the feet, and with the entrails thereof; (Ye shall not eat any of it raw, or boiled in water, but only that which is roasted in the fire; ye shall devour the head with the feet, and all its entrails;)
10 neither anything thereof shall abide till to the morrowtide; if anything thereof is left (over), ye shall burn it in the fire.
11 Forsooth thus ye shall eat him; ye shall gird your reins, and ye shall have shoes in your feet, and ye shall hold staves in your hands, and ye shall eat it hastily; for it is pask, that is, the passing [forth] of the Lord. (And ye shall eat it thus; ye shall gird up your reins, and ye shall have shoes on your feet, and ye shall hold your staff in your hand, and ye shall eat it hastily; for it is the Passover, that is, the Passing Over of the Lord.)
12 And I shall pass through the land of Egypt in that night, and I shall smite all the first engendered thing(s)/(all) the first begotten thing(s) in the land of Egypt, from man till to beast; and I the Lord shall make dooms in all the gods of Egypt. (And I shall pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and I shall strike down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from man unto beast; and I the Lord shall execute judgement against all the gods of Egypt.)
13 Forsooth [the] blood shall be to you into (a) sign, in the houses in which ye shall be; and I shall see the blood, and I shall pass (over) you; neither a wound destroying shall be in you, when I shall smite the land of Egypt. (And the blood on the houses in which ye shall be, shall be a sign of you; and I shall see the blood, and I shall pass over you; and there shall be no destroying wound inflicted upon you, when I shall strike the land of Egypt.)
14 Forsooth ye shall have this day into mind, and ye shall make it solemn to the Lord in your generations, by everlasting worshipping. (And ye shall remember this day, and on it ye shall dedicate a Feast unto the Lord in all your generations to come, by an everlasting rite.)
15 Seven days ye shall eat therf bread; in the first day nothing dighted with sourdough shall be in your houses; whoever shall eat anything dighted with sourdough, from the first day till to the seventh day, that soul shall perish from Israel. (For seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread; from the first day nothing made with yeast shall be in your houses; whoever shall eat anything made with yeast, from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall perish from the midst of Israel.)
16 The first day shall be holy and solemn, and the seventh day (also) shall be worshipful by the same hallowing; ye shall not do any work in those days, except these things that pertain to meat; (On the first day there shall be a holy gathering, and on the seventh day there shall also be a holy gathering; ye shall not do any work on those days, except those things that pertain to the preparation of meals;)
17 and ye shall keep (the feast of) therf bread. For in that same day I shall lead out of the land of Egypt your host; and ye shall keep this day in your generations by everlasting custom. (and ye shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For on that day I led your host out of the land of Egypt; and ye shall remember this day in all your generations to come, by an everlasting rite.)
18 In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, at eventide, ye shall eat therf bread, till to the one and twentieth day of the same month at eventide. (In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, from the evening on, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the same month, in the evening.)
19 In seven days nothing dighted with sourdough shall be found in your houses; if any eateth anything dighted with sourdough, his soul shall perish from the company of Israel, as well of comelings, that be heathen men converted to the faith of Jews, as of them that be born in the land. (Yea, for seven days nothing made with yeast shall be found in your houses; if anyone eateth anything made with yeast, they shall perish, or be cut off, from the congregation of Israel, yea, this is for both newcomers, that is, the heathen who be converted to the Jewish faith, as well as for those who be born in the land.)
20 Ye shall not eat anything made with sourdough, and ye shall eat therf bread in all your dwelling places.
21 Forsooth Moses called all the elder men of the sons of Israel, and said to them, Go ye, and take ye a beast by your families, and offer ye pask; (And so Moses called all the elders of the Israelites, and said to them, Go ye, and get ye a beast for your families, and offer ye the Passover;)
22 and dip ye a bundle of hyssop, in the blood which is in the threshold, either in a vessel beside the threshold, and sprinkle ye thereof on the lintel, and ever either (door-)post; none of you shall go out at the door of his house till the morrowtide. (and dip ye a bundle of hyssop in the blood which is on the threshold, or in a vessel beside the threshold, and sprinkle some of it on the lintel, and on both door-posts; and then none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.)
23 For the Lord shall pass [forth] smiting the Egyptians; and when he shall see the blood in the lintel, and in ever either post (and when he shall see the blood on the lintel, and on both door-posts), he shall pass (over) the door of the house; and he shall not suffer the smiter to enter into your houses, and to hurt you.
24 Keep thou this word; it shall be a lawful thing to thee and to thy sons till into without end. (Do thou this thing; yea, it shall be an everlasting rite for thee and for thy sons.)
25 And when ye shall enter into the land which the Lord shall give to you, as he promised, ye shall keep these ceremonies;
26 and when your sons shall say to you, What is this religion? (What is the meaning of this rite?)
27 ye shall say to them, It is the sacrifice of the passing (over) of the Lord, when he passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt, and smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses (but spared our houses). And the people was bowed, and worshipped.
28 And the sons of Israel went out (And the Israelites went out), and did as the Lord commanded to Moses and Aaron.
29 Forsooth it was done in the midst of the night, the Lord smote all the first begotten thing(s) in the land of Egypt, from the first begotten of Pharaoh, that sat in the throne of him (who sat on his throne), till to the first begotten of a captive woman, that was in (the) prison, and all the first engendered of beasts.
30 And Pharaoh rose (up) in the night, and all his servants, and all Egypt; and a great cry was made in Egypt; for none house was, in which a dead man lay not (for there was not one house in which there was not a dead son).
31 And when Moses and Aaron were called in the night, Pharaoh said, Rise ye, and go ye out from my people, both ye and the sons of Israel; go ye, offer ye to the Lord, as ye say; (And when Moses and Aaron were called for in the night, Pharaoh said, Rise ye up, and go ye out from my people, both ye and the Israelites; go ye, and worship ye the Lord, as ye say that ye want to do;)
32 (and) take ye your sheep and [your] great beasts, as ye asked (for); and go ye, and (also) bless ye me.
33 And the Egyptians constrained the people to go out of the land swiftly, and said, All we shall die! (And the Egyptians compelled the people to swiftly go out of the land, saying, Or else we shall all die!)
34 Therefore the people took meal sprinkled together, before that it was dighted with sourdough (And so the people took the meal, or the flour, before that any yeast was added to it); and they bound it in mantles, and put it on their shoulders.
35 And the sons of Israel did as the Lord commanded to Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians silver vessels and golden, and full much clothing. (And the Israelites did as the Lord commanded to Moses; and they asked the Egyptians for gold and silver jewelry, and for a great deal of clothes.)
36 Forsooth the Lord gave grace to the people before the Egyptians, that the Egyptians lent to them; and they made bare the Egyptians. (And the Lord gave grace to the people before the Egyptians, so that the Egyptians gave them all these things; and so they plundered the Egyptians.)
37 And the children of Israel went forth from Rameses into Succoth, almost six hundred thousand of footmen, without little children and women; (And the Israelites went forth from Rameses unto Succoth, almost six hundred thousand men on foot, not counting the women and the little children;)
38 but also the common people of males and of females unnumberable went up with them; (and) sheep, and oxen, and full many beasts of diverse kind also.
39 And they baked meal, which sprinkled together a while ago they took from Egypt, and made therf loaves baken under ashes; for the loaves might not be dighted with sourdough, for [the] Egyptians compelled them to go out, and suffered not them to make any tarrying, neither it was leisure to make any stew. (And they baked the meal, which they had taken from Egypt, and made unleavened bread baked under ashes; for the loaves did not have any yeast, for the Egyptians compelled them to go out, and did not allow them to tarry, nor was there time to even make any stew.)
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 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

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