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Exodus 12

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Institution of the Passover and New Calendar 1–13

1
And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2
This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. ​
3
Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
4
And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
5
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: ​
6
And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. ​
7
And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. ​
8
And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9
Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
10
And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11
And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover. ​
12
For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. ​
13
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread 14–20

14
And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. ​
15
Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. ​
16
And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
17
And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
18
In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.
19
Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.
20
Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.

Moses Instructs Israel 21–28

21
Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. ​
22
And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. ​
23
For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. ​
24
And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.
25
And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.
26
And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?
27
That ye 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 smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. ​
28
And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

The Tenth Plague and the Exodus 29–36

29
And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. ​
30
And 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
And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.
32
Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.
33
And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men. ​
34
And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. ​
35
And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:
36
And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians. ​

The Journey Begins 37–42

37
And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. ​
38
And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. ​
39
And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.
40
Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. ​
41
And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.
42
It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations. ​

Regulations for Passover Participation 43–51

43
And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:
44
But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. ​
45
A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.
46
In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. ​
47
All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
48
And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, 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 that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. ​
49
One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. ​
50
Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
51
And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Exodus 12

Verse 2

the beginning of months — Rosh, 'head': the month of the deliverance becomes the head of Israel's year. It is named Abib in 'This day came ye out in the month Abib' (Ex 13:4) and Nisan in Esth 3:7, 'the first month, that is, the month Nisan'. The feasts of Lev 23:5 are counted from it.

Verse 5

without blemish — Tamim, whole, sound, complete; 'a male of the first year' is literally a son of a year. The LORD's law forbids any offering 'wherein is blemish' (Deut 17:1). Peter names the price of redemption, 'the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot' (1 Pet 1:19).

Verse 6

in the evening — The Hebrew joins bein, 'between', with ereb, 'evening'. The lamb taken on the tenth day (v.3) is kept four days, then killed on the fourteenth by 'the whole assembly', each house at the same hour. Lev 23:5 fixes the passover 'in the fourteenth day of the first month at even'.

Verse 7

the two side posts — Mezuzah (doorpost) and mashqoph (lintel): the blood marks the frame of the house through which the household would not go out (v.22). 'Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them' (Heb 11:28).

Verse 11

it is the LORD'S passover — The posture is a traveller's: loins girded, sandals on, staff in hand, eaten in chippazon, hurried flight. Christ borrows the image, 'Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning' (Luke 12:35). Paul names the fulfilment: 'Christ our passover is sacrificed for us' (1 Cor 5:7).

Verse 12

against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment — The same noun (shephet, judgment) is used in Num 33:4: 'upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments'. The plagues answer Pharaoh's 'Who is the LORD?' (Ex 5:2); the closing 'I am the LORD' is the assurance given in Ex 6:2 and fulfilled here.

Verse 14

a memorial — Zikkaron, a reminder; the day is kept as chag, a pilgrim feast, 'throughout your generations' and 'by an ordinance for ever' (olam). Paul carries the keeping into the church: 'Therefore let us keep the feast' (1 Cor 5:8), with 'the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth'.

Verse 15

cut off from Israel — Karat, to cut; the penalty falls on the 'soul' (nephesh), the person himself, as for the uncircumcised in Gen 17:14, 'that soul shall be cut off from his people'. Se'or, leaven, is to be put out of the houses on the first day; Paul reads it of sin: 'Purge out therefore the old leaven' (1 Cor 5:7).

Verse 21

kill the passover — Here pesach names the lamb itself. Moses gathers 'all the elders of Israel', the body he was first told to assemble (Ex 3:16), and they carry the command to the households. 'Draw out' (mashak) is to pick the animal out of the flock, 'according to your families', as in v.3.

Verse 22

a bunch of hyssop — Ezob, a plant used for sprinkling: for cleansing from the dead (Num 19:18) and in David's prayer, 'Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean' (Ps 51:7). The blood is dipped from the 'bason' (saph) and struck on lintel and posts; no one was to go out of the door until morning.

Verse 23

the destroyer — Shachath, to ruin, here a participle: the agent of the stroke. The LORD himself 'will pass through' (v.12), yet will not suffer the destroyer to enter a marked house. Hebrews says 'he that destroyed the firstborn' (Heb 11:28); Paul, of Israel in the wilderness, 'destroyed of the destroyer' (1 Cor 10:10).

Verse 27

who passed over the houses — Pasach, the verb behind 'passover' (v.13); 'delivered' is natsal, to snatch away, the verb rendered 'spoiled' in v.36. The people's response, 'bowed the head and worshipped', is the same as when they first heard of the LORD's visit: 'they bowed their heads and worshipped' (Ex 4:31).

Verse 29

at midnight — As announced in Ex 11:4, 'About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt'. The stroke reaches from the throne to the lowest prisoner, held in a pit (bayith and bor, house and pit). The Psalms keep the memory: 'To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever' (Ps 136:10).

Verse 33

We be all dead men — The Egyptians press (chazaq, to seize hold) for the people to go 'in haste' (mahar), the reverse of Pharaoh's earlier refusals. The Psalm records it: 'Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them' (Ps 105:38).

Verse 34

their dough before it was leavened — Batseq, dough, carried in the mishereth, the kneading-trough, wrapped in their 'clothes' (simlah, mantles) on the shoulder. The same unleavened dough is baked into cakes in v.39. The seven days of unleavened bread (vv.15–20) keep this hurried departure in memory.

Verse 36

they spoiled the Egyptians — Natsal, to snatch away; the people 'lent' what they asked (shaal, the same verb as 'borrowed' in v.35) because 'the LORD gave the people favour'. It fulfils the word to Abraham: 'afterward shall they come out with great substance' (Gen 15:14), and the instruction of Ex 3:22.

Verse 37

six hundred thousand on foot that were men — Geber, men, and ragli, on foot, counted 'beside children' (taph). The census of Num 1:46 gives the total as 'six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty'. They journeyed from Rameses, a city they had built (Ex 1:11), to Succoth, 'booths'.

Verse 38

a mixed multitude — Erev, a mixture: people not of Israel who went up with them, with 'very much cattle'. They are remembered in the wilderness: 'the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting' (Num 11:4). The stranger who wished to keep the passover is provided for in vv.48–49.

Verse 40

four hundred and thirty years — The moshab, dwelling, of Israel in Egypt. Stephen gives the round figure from the promise, 'four hundred years' (Acts 7:6, cf. Gen 15:13), and Paul counts from the promise to the law: 'the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after' (Gal 3:17).

Verse 42

a night to be much observed — Shimmur is from shamar, to keep watch; the same root gives 'observe' in vv.17 and 24. The night is the LORD's own watch over Israel, and Israel's to keep after him. Moses restates it: 'the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night' (Deut 16:1).

Verse 44

bought for money — Miqnah, a purchase. The bought servant eats once circumcised, following the covenant rule: 'he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised' (Gen 17:13). The sojourner (toshab) and hired servant (sakir) of v.45 stand outside the household and do not eat.

Verse 46

neither shall ye break a bone — Repeated in Num 9:12. John records that the soldiers 'brake not his legs' of Jesus on the cross, 'that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken' (John 19:33, 36). Ps 34:20 gives the same promise of the righteous: 'He keepeth all his bones'.

Verse 48

when a stranger shall sojourn with thee — Ger, a sojourner. He may keep the passover once 'all his males be circumcised', the sign of Gen 17; then he is 'as one that is born in the land' (ezrach, native). Num 9:14 repeats it: the stranger keeps it 'according to the ordinance of the passover'. The arel, uncircumcised, may not eat.

Verse 49

One law — Torah, the one instruction for 'him that is homeborn' and the sojourner. The rule recurs: 'One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you' (Num 15:16), and 'Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country' (Lev 24:22).

Verse 51

by their armies — Tsaba, a host, ordered like an army: Israel leaves in divisions, as Ex 6:26 foretold, 'according to their armies', and v.41 calls them 'all the hosts of the LORD'. 'The selfsame day' (etsem, literally 'bone', the very day) repeats vv.17 and 41, tying the exodus to the day itself.