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
The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2
“This month shall be to you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year to you. ​
3
Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth day of this month, they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household;
4
and if the household is too little for a lamb, then he and his neighbor next to his house shall take one according to the number of the souls; according to what everyone can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.
5
Your lamb shall be without defect, a male a year old. You shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats: ​
6
and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at evening. ​
7
They shall take some of the blood, and put it on the two door posts and on the lintel, on the houses in which they shall eat it. ​
8
They shall eat the flesh in that night, roasted with fire, and unleavened bread. They shall eat it with bitter herbs.
9
Don’t eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted with fire; with its head, its legs and its inner parts.
10
You shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; but that which remains of it until the morning you shall burn with fire.
11
This is how you shall eat it: with your belt on your waist, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’s Passover. ​
12
For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and animal. Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. ​
13
The blood shall be to you for a token on the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and there shall no plague be on you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

14
This day shall be to you for a memorial, and you shall keep it a feast to the LORD: throughout your generations you shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever. ​
15
“‘Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away yeast out of your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. ​
16
In the first day there shall be to you a holy convocation, and in the seventh day a holy convocation; no kind of work shall be done in them, except that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you.
17
You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this same day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance forever.
18
In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty first day of the month at evening.
19
There shall be no yeast found in your houses for seven days, for whoever eats that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a foreigner, or one who is born in the land.
20
You shall eat nothing leavened. In all your habitations you shall eat unleavened bread.’”

Moses Instructs Israel

21
Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said to them, “Draw out, and take lambs according to your families, and kill the Passover. ​
22
You shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two door posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. ​
23
For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood on the lintel, and on the two door posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to strike you. ​
24
You shall observe this thing for an ordinance to you and to your sons forever.
25
It shall happen when you have come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he has promised, that you shall keep this service.
26
It will happen, when your children ask you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’
27
that you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians, and spared our houses.’” The people bowed their heads and worshiped. ​
28
The children of Israel went and did so; as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

The Tenth Plague and the Exodus

29
At midnight, the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from 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 livestock. ​
30
Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
31
He called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as you have said!
32
Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also!”
33
The Egyptians were urgent with the people, to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, “We are all dead men.” ​
34
The people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. ​
35
The children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing.
36
The LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. They plundered the Egyptians. ​

The Journey Begins

37
The children of Israel traveled from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot who were men, besides children. ​
38
A mixed multitude went up also with them, with flocks, herds, and even very much livestock. ​
39
They baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought out of Egypt; for it wasn’t leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt, and couldn’t wait, neither had they prepared for themselves any food.
40
Now the time that the children of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred thirty years. ​
41
At the end of four hundred thirty years, to the day, all of the LORD’s armies went out from the land of Egypt.
42
It is a night to be much observed to the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt. This is that night of the LORD, to be much observed of all the children of Israel throughout their generations. ​

Regulations for Passover Participation

43
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner shall eat of it,
44
but every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then shall he eat of it. ​
45
A foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat of it.
46
In one house shall it be eaten; you shall not carry out anything of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall you break a bone of it. ​
47
All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
48
When a stranger shall live as a foreigner with you, and will keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one who is born in the land: but no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. ​
49
One law shall be to him who is born at home, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you.” ​
50
All the children of Israel did so. As the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
51
That same day, the LORD brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies. ​

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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