Exodus12

Exodus 12 details the institution of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The LORD commanded Israel to sacrifice a blemishless lamb, apply its blood to their doorposts, and eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread, as a sign for protection from the coming plague on Egypt's firstborn. This night culminated in the smiting of Egypt's firstborn, prompting Pharaoh to release Israel, leading to their hasty departure after 430 years of sojourning.

Institution of the Passover and New Calendar

1
ADONAI spoke to Moshe and Aharon in the land of Egypt; he said,
2
"You are to begin your calendar with this month; it will be the first month of the year for you. ​
3
Speak to all the assembly of Isra'el and say, 'On the tenth day of this month, each man is to take a lamb or kid for his family, one per household -
4
except that if the household is too small for a whole lamb or kid, then he and his next-door neighbor should share one, dividing it in proportion to the number of people eating it.
5
Your animal must be without defect, a male in its first year, and you may choose it from either the sheep or the goats. ​
6
"'You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, and then the entire assembly of the community of Isra'el will slaughter it at dusk. ​
7
They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the two sides and top of the door-frame at the entrance of the house in which they eat it. ​
8
That night, they are to eat the meat, roasted in the fire; they are to eat it with matzah and maror.
9
Don't eat it raw or boiled, but roasted in the fire, with its head, the lower parts of its legs and its inner organs.
10
Let nothing of it remain till morning; if any of it does remain, burn it up completely.
11
"'Here is how you are to eat it: with your belt fastened, your shoes on your feet and your staff in your hand; and you are to eat it hurriedly. It is ADONAI's Pesach [Passover]. ​
12
For that night, I will pass through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both men and animals; and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt; I am ADONAI. ​
13
The blood will serve you as a sign marking the houses where you are; when I see the blood, I will pass over [Hebrew: pasach] you - when I strike the land of Egypt, the death blow will not strike you.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

14
"'This will be a day for you to remember and celebrate as a festival to ADONAI; from generation to generation you are to celebrate it by a perpetual regulation. ​
15
"'For seven days you are to eat matzah - on the first day remove the leaven from your houses. For whoever eats hametz [leavened bread] from the first to the seventh day is to be cut off from Isra'el. ​
16
On the first and seventh days, you are to have an assembly set aside for God. On these days no work is to be done, except what each must do to prepare his food; you may do only that.
17
You are to observe the festival of matzah, for on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you are to observe this day from generation to generation by a perpetual regulation.
18
From the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day, you are to eat matzah.
19
During those seven days, no leaven is to be found in your houses. Whoever eats food with hametz in it is to be cut off from the community of Isra'el - it doesn't matter whether he is a foreigner or a citizen of the land.
20
Eat nothing with hametz in it. Wherever you live, eat matzah.'"

Moses Instructs Israel

21
Then Moshe called for all the leaders of Isra'el and said, "Select and take lambs for your families, and slaughter the Pesach lamb. ​
22
Take a bunch of hyssop leaves and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and smear it on the two sides and top of the door-frame. Then, none of you is to go out the door of his house until morning. ​
23
For ADONAI will pass through to kill the Egyptians; but when he sees the blood on the top and on the two sides, ADONAI will pass over the door and will not allow the Slaughterer to enter your houses and kill you. ​
24
You are to observe this as a law, you and your descendants forever.
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"When you come to the land which ADONAI will give you, as he has promised, you are to observe this ceremony.
26
When your children ask you, 'What do you mean by this ceremony?'
27
say, 'It is the sacrifice of ADONAI's Pesach [Passover], because [ADONAI] passed over the houses of the people of Isra'el in Egypt, when he killed the Egyptians but spared our houses.'"The people of Isra'el bowed their heads and worshipped. ​
28
Then the people of Isra'el went and did as ADONAI had ordered Moshe and Aharon - that is what they did.

The Tenth Plague and the Exodus

29
At midnight ADONAI killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh sitting on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. ​
30
Pharaoh got up in the night, he, all his servants and all the Egyptians; and there was horrendous wailing in Egypt; for there wasn't a single house without someone dead in it.
31
He summoned Moshe and Aharon by night and said, "Up and leave my people, both you and the people of Isra'el; and go, serve ADONAI as you said.
32
Take both your flocks and your herds, as you said; and get out of here! But bless me, too."
33
The Egyptians pressed to send the people out of the land quickly, because they said, "Otherwise we'll all be dead!" ​
34
The people took their dough before it had become leavened and wrapped their kneading bowls in their clothes on their shoulders. ​
35
The people of Isra'el had done what Moshe had said - they had asked the Egyptians to give them silver and gold jewelry and clothing;
36
and ADONAI had made the Egyptians so favorably disposed toward the people that they had let them have whatever they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. ​

The Journey Begins

37
The people of Isra'el traveled from Ra'amses to Sukkot, some six hundred thousand men on foot, not counting children. ​
38
A mixed crowd also went up with them, as well as livestock in large numbers, both flocks and herds. ​
39
They baked matzah loaves from the dough they had brought out of Egypt, since it was unleavened; because they had been driven out of Egypt without time to prepare supplies for themselves.
40
The time the people of Isra'el lived in Egypt was 430 years. ​
41
At the end of 430 years to the day, all the divisions of ADONAI left the land of Egypt.
42
This was a night when ADONAI kept vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt, and this same night continues to be a night when ADONAI keeps vigil for all the people of Isra'el through all their generations. ​

Regulations for Passover Participation

43
ADONAI said to Moshe and Aharon, "This is the regulation for the Pesach lamb: no foreigner is to eat it.
44
But if anyone has a slave he bought for money, when you have circumcised him, he may eat it. ​
45
Neither a traveler nor a hired servant may eat it.
46
It is to be eaten in one house. You are not to take any of the meat outside the house, and you are not to break any of its bones. ​
47
The whole community of Isra'el is to keep it.
48
If a foreigner staying with you wants to observe ADONAI's Pesach, all his males must be circumcised. Then he may take part and observe it; he will be like a citizen of the land. But no uncircumcised person is to eat it. ​
49
The same teaching is to apply equally to the citizen and to the foreigner living among you." ​
50
All the people of Isra'el did just as ADONAI had ordered Moshe and Aharon.
51
On that very day, ADONAI brought the people of Isra'el out of the land of Egypt by their divisions. ​

Study Notes for Exodus 12

Verse 2

This command re-orders the religious calendar, effectively establishing the month of Nisan (Abib), marking Israel’s redemption, as the first month, symbolizing a new beginning for the nation.

Verse 5

The requirement that the lamb be 'without blemish' and a 'male of the first year' emphasizes the need for a perfect sacrifice, foreshadowing the ultimate sacrifice of Christ (1 Pet. 1:19).

Verse 6

The phrase 'in the evening' (Hebrew: *ben ha-arbayim*) refers to the twilight period, usually understood by later Jewish tradition as the time between sundown and full darkness, or mid-afternoon.

Verse 7

The application of the blood to the doorposts was the crucial act of faith and obedience, providing a visible 'token' of identification for the LORD to 'pass over' the house during judgment.

Verse 11

Eating in haste emphasizes readiness for immediate departure; the ritual clothing (girded loins, shoes, staff) symbolizes preparation for a journey. The name 'Passover' (*Pesach*) is officially established here.

Verse 12

The judgment was explicitly directed against 'all the gods of Egypt,' demonstrating Yahweh's sovereignty and power over the entire Egyptian pantheon and worldview.

Verse 14

The Passover and the subsequent seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread are established as a perpetual 'memorial' and 'ordinance for ever,' ensuring the memory of the Exodus remains central to Israel’s identity.

Verse 15

Leaven (yeast) often symbolizes corruption or sin in Scripture. Its removal represents the spiritual purification necessary for a people redeemed by God. To violate this rule meant being 'cut off' (excommunicated/punished).

Verse 21

Moses now transmits the lengthy divine instructions to the elders, who would then ensure the entire congregation understood and complied with the detailed, urgent requirements.

Verse 22

Hyssop, a small shrub, was used for sprinkling in purification rites (cf. Ps. 51:7). Remaining inside the house until morning emphasized that protection was only guaranteed within the covenant boundaries marked by the blood.

Verse 23

The 'destroyer' is often understood as a divine agent, possibly an angel, executing God’s judgment. Yahweh ensures this agent bypasses the blood-marked homes.

Verse 27

The instruction for future generations establishes the Passover as a teaching tool, ensuring that the historical truth of deliverance is passed down. The people's immediate worship demonstrates faith and obedience before the event occurred.

Verse 29

The plague struck 'at midnight,' emphasizing the suddenness and finality of God's judgment. The devastation spanned the entire social structure, from the highest royalty to the lowest captive, proving Yahweh’s absolute power.

Verse 33

The Egyptians, terrified by the universal death, now actively urge the Israelites to leave immediately, reversing Pharaoh’s earlier stubborn refusal.

Verse 34

The dough was unleavened because they were forced to leave so quickly, providing the practical and historical basis for the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread (Matzah).

Verse 36

The Israelites 'spoiled the Egyptians,' receiving valuable items as compensation for centuries of forced, unpaid labor, fulfilling the prophecy given to Abraham (Gen. 15:14).

Verse 37

The figure 'six hundred thousand on foot that were men' suggests a total population (including women and children) of perhaps two million people, marking the beginning of the nation's movement toward the Promised Land.

Verse 38

The 'mixed multitude' included non-Israelites who joined the Exodus, likely impressed by Yahweh's demonstration of power. This group later proved to be a source of trouble and complaining (Num. 11:4).

Verse 40

This precise timeline (430 years) confirms the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises regarding the length of their sojourn and oppression (Gen. 15:13).

Verse 42

This night is designated as a 'night to be much observed'—a vigil (*shimmurim*)—dedicated to Yahweh, recognizing that their deliverance was solely due to His intervention.

Verse 44

The rules emphasize that participation in the Passover is tied to covenant membership and ownership. Bought servants could participate only after circumcision, signifying their inclusion into the household of faith.

Verse 46

The prohibition against breaking a bone of the lamb is highly specific and later understood by the New Testament writers as a prophecy fulfilled in the crucifixion of Jesus (John 19:33-36).

Verse 48

A stranger (resident alien) could participate only if all males in his household submitted to circumcision. This universal requirement stresses that covenant markers must precede participation in covenant rituals.

Verse 49

The principle of 'one law' established equality before God’s covenant requirements, regardless of whether a person was a native Israelite or a circumcised sojourner.

Verse 51

The final verse summarizes the fulfillment of the entire divine plan: God brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their 'armies' (organized groups/tribes), confirming their identity as a unified, liberated people.

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