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Exodus Chapter
Twelve
New King James Version
(NKJV)
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, Exodus 12:1 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, Exodus 12:3, the
manner of dressing and eating it is shown, Exodus 12:8 and the
reason of the institution of this ordinance being given, Exodus 12:12, and
an order to eat unleavened bread during seven days, in which the feast was to
be kept, Exodus 12:15,
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, Exodus 12:21, and
this ordinance, which they were to instruct their children in, was to be kept
by them in succeeding ages for ever, Exodus 12:24 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, Exodus 12:28 and
which they did with their unleavened dough, and with great riches they had
borrowed of the Egyptians, Exodus 12:34, 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, Exodus 12:37, laws
and rules are given concerning the persons that should partake of the passover,
Exodus 12:43 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, Exodus 12:50.
Exodus 12:1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses
and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
YLT 1And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses and unto
Aaron, in the land of Egypt, saying,
And the Lord
spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,.... Before they and the
children of Israel came out of it, before the slaying of the firstborn, yea,
before Moses came from the presence of Pharaoh, and had given him notice of it;
and it is very probable even before the three days darkness, seeing it seems
necessary it should be four days before the passover, since on the tenth day
the lamb was to be taken, and on the fourteenth slain, Exodus 12:3 and by
what follows it looks as if it was at the beginning or first day of the month,
and so the words may be rendered, "the Lord had spoke"F25ויאמר "alloquutus antem fuerat", Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator; "dixerat autem"; so some in Drusius, and
Ainsworth. ; and the following account is deferred to this place, that there
might be no interruption of the history of the plagues, and that the passover,
with all its rites and ceremonies, both at the first institution and observance
of it, and in later times, might be laid together.
Exodus 12:2 2 “This month shall be
your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to
you.
YLT 2`This month [is] to you the chief of months
-- it [is] the first to you of the months of the year;
This month
shall be unto you the beginning of months,.... Not only the first,
as after expressed, but the chief and principal of them, now famous for their
coming out of Egypt in it, and would be more so for the sufferings and death of
the Messiah, and redemption by him from sin, Satan, and the world, law, hell,
and death, for he suffered at the time of the passover. This month was called
Abib, Exodus 13:4, which
signifies an ear of corn, and at this time we find that the barley was in ear, Exodus 9:31 which
clearly shows in what month the above things were transacted; afterwards it was
called Nisan, which seems to be the Chaldean name for it, Nehemiah 2:1, it
shall be the first month of the year to you; which before was the seventh;
while the Israelites were in Egypt they observed the same beginning of the year
and course of months as the Egyptians, as JosephusF26Antiqu. l. 1.
c. 3. sect. 3. intimates; and with the Egyptians, the month Thot was the first
month, which answered to Tisri with the Jews, and both to our September, or a
part of it, so that the beginning of the year was then in the autumnal equinox,
at which season it is thought the world was created; but now to the Israelites
it was changed unto the vernal equinox, for this month of Abib or Nisan answers
to part of our March and part of April; though indeed both beginnings of the
year were observed by them, the one on ecclesiastic, the other on civil
accounts; or, as JosephusF1Antiqu. l. 1. c. 3. sect. 3. expresses
it, the month of Nisan was the beginning with respect to things divine, but in
buying and selling, and such like things, the ancient order was observed; and
so the Targum of Jonathan here paraphrases it,"from hence ye shall begin
to reckon the feasts, the times, and the revolutions.'Indeed the Jews had four
beginnings of the year according to their MisnahF2Misn.
Roshhashanah, c. 1. sect. 1. ; the first of Nisan (or March) was the beginning
of the year for kings and for festivals; the first of Elul (or August) for the
tithing of cattle; the first of Tisri (or September) for the sabbatical years,
jubilees, and planting of trees and herbs; and the first of Shebet (or January)
for the tithing the fruit of trees.
Exodus 12:3 3 Speak to all the
congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall
take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb
for a household.
YLT 3speak ye unto all the company of Israel,
saying, In the tenth of this month -- they take to them each man a lamb for the
house of the fathers, a lamb for a house.
Speak ye unto
all the congregation of Israel,.... That is, to the elders of the people,
and heads of families; unless we can suppose that they had been gradually
gathered, and were now gathered together in a body by the direction of Moses,
by whom they were assured that their departure was at hand; and the rather it
may be thought that so it was, since the following order concerned the whole
and every individual:
saying, in the
tenth day of this month; the month Abib or Nisan, which shows that
this direction must be given before that day, and so very probably on the first
of the month, as before observed:
they shall take
to them every man a lamb; not every individual person, but every master of a family, or
head of an house, as follows:
according to
the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house; if large enough to eat
up a whole lamb, otherwise they were to do as next directed: the Targum of
Jonathan suggests, that this direction of taking a lamb to them on the tenth
day of the month was only for this time, and not for following ages; and so the
Jewish doctorsF3Ben Gersom in loc. Maimon. Korban Pesach. c. 10.
sect. 15. commonly understand it as being peculiar to the passover in Egypt,
and not in later times; for theyF4Misn. Pesach. c. 9. sect. 5.
say,"what difference is there between the passover in Egypt, and the
passover in later ages? the passover in Egypt was taken within the tenth day,
and was obliged to sprinkling with a bunch of hyssop upon the lintel, and upon
the two side posts, and was eaten with haste in one night, but the passover in
later ages was kept all the seven days.'The ground and reason of this special
direction for taking up a lamb on the tenth day was, that they might have a lamb
ready; and that through the multiplicity of business, and the hurry they would
be in at their departure, they might not forget it, and neglect it; and that
they might have time enough to examine whether it had all the prerequisites and
qualifications that were necessary; and that while they had it in view, they
might be led to meditate upon, and talk of, expect and firmly believe their
deliverance; yea, that their faith might be directed to a far greater
deliverance by the Messiah, which this was only typical of, Hebrews 11:28 but
some of these reasons would hold good in later times, and it seems by some
circumstances that this rule was attended to.
Exodus 12:4 4 And if the household is
too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it
according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall
make your count for the lamb.
YLT 4`(And if the household be too few for a lamb,
then hath he taken, he and his neighbour who is near unto his house, for the
number of persons, each according to his eating ye do count for the lamb,)
And if the
household be too little for the lamb,.... That they cannot eat
it up at once:
let him and his
neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; which
JosephusF5De Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 9. sect. 3. says were never fewer
than ten, and were often twenty, but no man might feast alone; with which
agrees the Jewish canonF6Misn. Pesach. c. 8. sect. 7. ,"they do
not kill the passover lamb for a single person, nor even for a society
consisting of one hundred, that cannot eat the quantity of an olive:"
every man
according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb: that is, a
man must reckon up how many he has in his own house to eat of the lamb, and
what their appetites be, by which he will he able to judge whether he can
dispense with a lamb himself, or whether he must take in some of his
neighbours, and how many, so as to eat up the whole lamb, for, for such persons
the lamb was to be slain. The rule is,"if a man slays it for those that do
not eat of it, or for those that are not counted, for the uncircumcised, and
the unclean, it was wrong, and not allowed ofF7lbid. c. 5. sect. 3.
.'The taking in his neighbours may respect the call of the Gentiles to partake
of Christ with the Jews, see Ephesians 3:5.
Exodus 12:5 5 Your lamb shall be without
blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or
from the goats.
YLT 5a lamb, a perfect one, a male, a son of a
year, let be to you; from the sheep or from the goats ye do take [it].
Your lamb shall
be without blemish,.... Without any spot or defect in it. MaimonidesF8Hilchot
Biath Hamikdash, c. 7. sect. 1. reckons no less than fifty blemishes in a
creature, anyone of which makes it unfit for sacrifice, see Leviticus 21:21.
This lamb was a type of Christ, who is therefore said to be our passover
sacrificed for us, 1 Corinthians 5:7
comparable to a lamb for his innocence and harmlessness, for his meekness,
humility, and patience, for usefulness both for food and raiment, as well as
for being fit for sacrifice; and who is a lamb without spot and blemish, either
of original sin, or actual transgression, holy in his nature, harmless in his
life:
a male of the
first year; anyone within that time, but not beyond it; denoting the
strength and vigour of Christ, in the flower of his age, his short continuance
among men, and his being tender and savoury food for the faith of his people:
ye shall take
it out from the sheep, or from the goats; it might be either a
lamb, or a kid of the goats; for the most part, or generally, it was a lamb
that was taken; so the Jewish canon runsF9Misn. Pesach. c. 8. sect.
2. ,"he that says to his servant, go and slay for me the passover, if he
slays a kid he may eat it; if he slays a lamb he may eat of it; if he slays a
kid and a lamb, he may eat of the first.'The goat being of an ill smell may
denote Christ being made sin, and a sin offering for his people; and the taking
of a lamb from these may signify the choice of Christ from among the people in
the council and covenant of God; the preordination of him to be the lamb slain
from the foundation of the world; the preservation of him from the infection of
sin in his incarnation, and the separation of him from sinners in his
conversation.
Exodus 12:6 6 Now you shall keep it
until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the
congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.
YLT 6`And it hath become a charge to you, until
the fourteenth day of this month, and the whole assembly of the company of
Israel have slaughtered it between the evenings;
And ye shall
keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month,.... In their
houses; this may denote the preservation of Christ in his infancy, and to the
appointed time of his sufferings and death; and it is remarkable, that on this
very day, the tenth of Nisan, four days before the passover, and so as many
days before his sufferings and death, he made his entry into Jerusalem, near to
which he was to be offered up, John 12:1,
and the whole
assembly of the congregation shall kill it in the evening; that is, of
the fourteenth of Nisan; not between the two suns, as the Targum of Jonathan,
between the sun setting and the sun rising; nor between the setting of the sun,
and the entire disappearance of its rays of light reflecting in the air and
clouds after it, as Aben Ezra; so it is said in the TalmudF11T. Bab.
Sabbat, fol. 34. 2. , after the sun is set, all the time that the face of the
east is red; others say as long as a man can walk half a mile after sun
setting; and others, the twinkling of an eye; but "between the two
evening's"F12בין הערבים
"inter duas vesperas", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator, Ainsworth. , as it may be rendered; which respects that space of time
after the sun begins to decline, and the entire setting of it; when the sun
begins to decline, as it does after noon, that is the first evening, and when
it is set, that is the second; and the middle space between the one and the other
is about the nineth hour of the day, according to the Jewish computation, and,
with us, about three o'clock in the afternoon, about which time the passover
used to be killed; for they sayF13Misn. Pesach. c. 5. sect. 1.
,"the daily sacrifice was slain at eight and a half, and offered at the
nineth; but on the evening of the passover it was slain at seven and a half,
and offered at eight and a half, whether on a common day, or on a sabbath; and
if the evening of the passover happened to be on the evening of the sabbath, it
was slain at six and a half, and offered up at seven and a half, and after that
the passover;'which was done, that there might be time before the last evening
for the slaying of the passover lamb. JosephusF14De Bello Jud. l. 6.
c. 9. sect. 3. says, at the passover they slew the sacrifice from the nineth
hour to the eleventh; See Gill on Matthew 26:17, and
it being at the nineth hour that our Lord was crucified, the agreement between
him and the paschal lamb in this circumstance very manifestly appears, Matthew 27:46
though it may also in general denote Christ's appearing in the last days, in
the end of the world, to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself: the slaying
of the paschal lamb is ascribed to the "whole assembly of the
congregation", because it was to be slain by their order, and in their
name, for their use, and they present; and thus the crucifixion of Christ, his
sufferings and death, are attributed to the men of Israel, and all the house of
Israel, Acts 2:22.
Exodus 12:7 7 And they shall take some
of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the
houses where they eat it.
YLT 7and they have taken of the blood, and have
put on the two side-posts, and on the lintel over the houses in which they eat
it.
And they shall
take of the blood,.... Of the lamb, being received into a basin, Exodus 12:22,
and strike it
on the two side posts; with a bunch of hyssop dipped into it:
and on the
upper doorpost of the houses, wherein they shall eat it; but not on
the posts of those houses, the inhabitants of which joined with their
neighbours in eating it; though Levi Ben Gersom thinks they were sprinkled as
the rest; but to what purpose, when there were no Israelites, and no firstborn
in them? the two side posts were the posts of a folding door, on which the two
folds were hung, and the upper doorpost is what is afterwards called the
lintel, Exodus 12:23 and
has its name in Hebrew from looking out; for, as Aben Ezra says, there was a
window over the door, as is the custom throughout the whole country of the
Ishmaelites or Arabians; and so Schindler saysF15Lex. Pentaglott.
col. 1938. , which perhaps he took from him, that the word signifies either a
lintel, or a little window over the door, through which it might be seen who
called or knocked at the door; and adds, in Egypt, as now in Arabia, there were
windows over the doors of houses. The sprinkling the blood of the paschal lamb
was typical of the sprinkling of the blood of Christ upon the hearts and
consciences of his people, and of their peace, safety, and security by it from
the wrath of God, and the vengeance of divine justice; of the further use of
this rite, see Exodus 12:22, Aben
Ezra mentions it as the opinion of some, that the sprinkling of the blood on
those places was to show that they slew the abomination of the Egyptians
openly; but he himself gives a much better reason for this rite, namely, that
it was to be a propitiation for everyone that ate in the house, and was a sign
to the destroyer, that he might look upon it in like manner, as it is said Ezekiel 9:4,
"set a mark, &c." this seems to be peculiar to the passover in
Egypt, and was not used in later times.
Exodus 12:8 8 Then they shall eat the
flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with
bitter herbs they shall eat it.
YLT 8`And they have eaten the flesh in this night,
roast with fire; with unleavened things and bitters they do eat it;
And they shall
eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire,.... The night of the
fourteenth of Nisan; and as the Jews reckoned their days from the evening
preceding, this must be the beginning of the fifteenth day, which being
observed, will serve to reconcile some passages relating to this ordinance. The
lamb was to be roasted, not only because its flesh thereby would be more
palatable and savoury, but because soonest dressed that way, their present
circumstances requiring haste; but chiefly to denote the sufferings of Christ,
the antitype of it, when he endured the wrath of God, poured out as fire upon
him; and also to show, that he is to be fed upon by faith, which works by love,
or to be received with hearts inflamed with love to him:
and unleavened
bread; this also was to be eaten at the same time, and for seven days
running, even to the twenty first day of the month, Exodus 12:15, where
see more concerning this: the reason of this also was, because they were then
in haste, and could not stay to leaven the dough that was in their troughs; and
was significative of the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, with which
the true passover lamb is to be eaten, in opposition to the leaven of error,
hypocrisy, and malice, 1 Corinthians 5:7,
and with bitter
herbs they shall eat it; the Vulgate Latin version renders it, "with wild lettuces",
which are very bitter; and the worst sort of which, for bitterness, Pliny saysF16Nat.
Hist. l. 19. c. 8. & 21. 17. & 32. 22. , is what they call
"picris", which has its name from the bitterness of it, and is the
same by which the Septuagint render the word here: the Targum of Jonathan
is,"with horehound and endive they shall eat it;'and so the Targum on Song of Solomon 2:9.
Wild endive; of which Pliny saysF17Ibid. , there is a wild endive,
which in Egypt they call cichory, and bids fair to be one of these herbs;
according to the MisnahF18Misn. Pesach. c. 2. sect. 6. and
MaimonidesF19Hilchot, Chametz Umetzah, c. 7. sect. 13. , there were
five sorts of them, and anyone, or all of them, might be eaten; their names
with both are these, Chazoreth, Ulshin, Thamcah, Charcabinah, and Maror; the
four first of which may be the wild lettuce, endive, horehound, or perhaps
"tansie"; and cichory the last. Maror has its name from bitterness,
and is by the Misnic commentatorsF20Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn.
Pesach. ut supra. (c. 2. sect. 6.) said to be a sort of the most bitter
coriander; it seems to be the same with "picris": but whatever they
were, for it is uncertain what they were, they were expressive of the bitter
afflictions of the children of Israel in Egypt, with which their lives were
made bitter; and of those bitter afflictions and persecutions in the world,
which they that will live godly in Christ Jesus must expect to endure; as well
as they may signify that as a crucified Christ must be looked upon, and lived
upon by faith, so with mourning and humiliation for sin, and with true
repentance for it as an evil and bitter thing, see Zechariah 12:10.
Exodus 12:9 9 Do not eat it raw, nor
boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its
entrails.
YLT 9ye do not eat of it raw, or boiled at all in
water, but roast with fire, its head with its legs, and with its inwards;
Eat not of it
raw,.... Not roasted enough; and so Jarchi says, that what is not
sufficiently roasted, or is not thoroughly and down roasted, is in the Arabic
language called נא F21"cruda fuit
caro", Golius, col. 2476. Semicocta, "cruda fuit caro", Castell.
Lex. col. 2296. Vid. Hottinger. Smegma Oriental. p. 169, 170. , the word here
used; and so MaimonidesF23Hilchot Korban Pesach. c. 8. sect. 6. says
it signifies flesh, on which the fire begins to operate, and is roasted a
little, but not enough for eating. And indeed there seems to be no necessity of
a prohibition of eating the flesh quite raw: someF24Oleaster apud
Rivet in loc. Gusset. Comment. Ebr. p. 487, 488; so some in Aben Ezra. derive
the word from a root which signifies to break, and suppose that this rule
forbids the breaking or cutting it in pieces; that as it was to be roasted
whole, and not a bone of it to be broken, so it was to be brought to table
whole, and the whole to be eaten; but then it could not be eaten without being
cut to pieces. AbarbinelF25So Marinus Brixianus in Arca Noe. takes
the word in the usual signification of it, "now", as if the sense
was, ye shall not eat of it now, not before the evening of the fourteenth day;
but whereas Moses had told them, Exodus 12:6, that
the lamb was to be kept up until the fourteenth day, it was needless to tell
them that they should not eat it now or immediately; the first sense is best,
and this shows that Christ, the antitype of this lamb, is not to be eaten in a
carnal but spiritual manner, of which our Lord treats in John 6:31, nor
sodden at all with water; the Targum of Jonathan is,"neither boiled in
wine, nor in oil, nor in other liquor, nor boiled in water.'This, with respect
to the antitype, shows, that Christ is not to be received in a cold lukewarm
manner, and with indifference; and that nothing is to be mixed, added, and
joined unto him, but he alone is to be regarded in the business of our
acceptance, justification, and salvation:
but roast with
fire; for the reasons before given: the manner of roasting it,
according to the Jewish canonsF26Misn. Pesach. c. 7. sect. 1, 2. ,
was this, they bring a spit made of the wood of pomegranate, and thrust it into
its mouth quite through it, and put the thighs and entrails within it; they do
not roast the passover lamb on an iron spit, nor on an iron grate. MaimonidesF1Hilchot
Korban Pesach. c. 8. sect. 10. is a little more particular and exact in his
account; to the question, how do they roast it? he replies,"they transfix
it through the middle of the mouth to its posteriors, with a wooden spit, and
they hang it in the midst of a furnace, and the fire below:'so that it was not
turned upon a spit, according to our manner of roasting, but was suspended on a
hook, and roasted by the fire underneath, and so was a more exact figure of
Christ suspended on the cross, and enduring the fire of divine wrath. And
Justin MartyrF2Dialog. cum Trypho Jud. p. 259. is still more
particular, who was by birth a Samaritan, and was well versed in Jewish
affairs; he, even in conversing with Trypho the Jew, who could have
contradicted him had he said what was wrong, says, the lamb was roasted in the
form of a cross; one spit, he says, went through from the lower parts to the
head, and again another across the shoulders, to which the hands (or rather the
legs) of the lamb were fastened and hung; and so was a very lively emblem of
Christ crucified:
his head, with
his legs, and with the purtenance thereof; or with its inwardsF3ועל קרבו "et cum
interioribus ejus", Pagninus, Tigurine version, so Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator. , these were all to be roasted together, the whole lamb
with all that belonged to it, with which the above canon of the Jews agrees.
Exodus 12:10 10 You shall let none of it
remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with
fire.
YLT 10and ye do not leave of it till morning, and
that which is remaining of it till morning with fire ye do burn.
And ye shall
let nothing of it remain until the morning,.... It was to be all ate
up; a whole Christ is to be received and fed upon by faith; Christ in both his
natures, divine and human, united in his person, in all his offices of prophet,
priest, and King, and with all the benefits and blessings of his grace, and
which come by his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice:
and that which
remaineth of it until the morning, ye shall burn with fire: what of the
flesh which remaineth not ate, and what of it that could not be eaten, as the
bones, which were not broken, and the nerves and sinews, which might not be
eaten; and so runs the Jewish canonF4Misn. ut supra, (Persch. c. 7.)
sect. 10. ,"the bones, and the sinews, and what remains, they shall burn
on the sixteenth day; and if the sixteenth happens on the sabbath, they shall
burn on the seventeenth.'The reason of this law was, that what was left might
not be converted to common or superstitious uses, as also that the Israelites
might not be burdened with it in their journey, nor the Egyptians have an
opportunity of treating it with contempt.
Exodus 12:11 11 And
thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your
feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is
the Lord’s
Passover.
YLT 11`And thus ye do eat it: your loins girded,
your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand, and ye have eaten it in
haste; it is Jehovah's passover,
And thus shall
ye eat it,.... After the following manner, in the habit and posture
described: the Targum of Jonathan adds,"at this time, and not in ages
following;'for these rites were peculiar to the passover in Egypt, and not to
be observed in later times:
with your loins
girded; that is, with their garments girt about their loins, for the
better convenience in travelling; for in those countries they wore long loose
garments, which reached to their feet, and unless girt up, were a great
hinderance in walking; and may denote the saints being girt with the girdle of
truth, and their readiness and fitness to perform every good work:
your shoes on
your feet; which used to be put off at feasts, in order to have their feet
washed, which was frequently done at such times, as we learn from many
instances in Scripture, which could not be done unless the shoes were off, Genesis 18:4,
besides, it is highly probable that the Israelites in Egypt did not wear shoes
in common, it being a hot country, and they in a state of poverty and bondage;
but now being about to depart the land, and to take a journey, they are ordered
to have their shoes on, to be ready for it: and was a token of their
deliverance and freedom, and joy on that occasion; and may, in an evangelic
sense, denote the feet of the saints being shod with the preparation of the
Gospel of peace, Ephesians 6:15,
and your staff
in your hand; such as travellers make use of to support and assist, protect
and defend them, in their journey, and may be expressive of faith in the word
and promises of God, which are the support of his people in their passage
through this world, Psalm 23:4.
and ye shall
eat it in haste; because upon slaying the firstborn the Egyptians would be urgent
upon them to depart immediately. Aquila renders it, "with fear", and
so the Targum of Jonathan; but the other sense suits best with the
circumstances of the Israelites:
it is
the Lord's passover; which he has commanded, and is a sign and token of his passing
over the houses of the Israelites, when he destroyed the firstborn in all the
houses of the Egyptians, and which is explained in the following verse, and the
reason of its name given; the act of passing was his, the ordinance was
appointed by him, and it was typical of the Lord Jesus Christ, the true
passover, 1 Corinthians 5:7.
Exodus 12:12 12 ‘For I will pass through
the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike 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.
YLT 12and I have passed over through the land of
Egypt during this night, and have smitten every first-born in the land of
Egypt, from man even unto beast, and on all the gods of Egypt I do judgments; I
[am] Jehovah.
For I will pass
through the land of Egypt this night,..... Which must be
understood consistent with his omnipresence, and of the manifestation of his
powerful presence, or of the exertion of his mighty power in the following
event: and will smite all the
firstborn in
the land of Egypt, both man and beast; as had been declared to
Pharaoh, Exodus 11:5.
and against all
the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment; meaning either
figuratively, the nobles, princes, judges and civil magistrates, who are
sometimes called Elohim, gods; but since the firstborn of these, as of others,
and so the judgment on them, are comprehended in the preceding clause, this is,
rather to be understood literally of the idols of the Egyptians, their images
of gold and silver, or of whatever they were made of: the Targum of Jonathan
is,"on all the idols of the Egyptians I will exercise four judgments; the
molten idols shall be melted, the idols of stone shall be cut asunder, the
idols of earth shall be broke to pieces, and the idols of wood shall become
ashes;'see Numbers 33:4 and
there are some traces of this in Heathen writers; ArtapanusF5Apud
Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 27. p. 436. says, that by an earthquake most
of the temples in Egypt fell; and JustinF6E Trogo, l. 36. c. 2.
reports, that Moses, being the leader of the exile Israelites, stole away the
sacred things of the Egyptians, i.e. their gods, which they endeavoured to
regain by force of arms:
I am the Lord; God Almighty,
faithful and true, and therefore what was threatened should certainly be
performed, and thereby the Egyptians and all others might know that he was
Jehovah alone, and that there is no God beside him.
Exodus 12:13 13 Now the blood shall be a
sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I
will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you
when I strike the land of Egypt.
YLT 13`And the blood hath become a sign for you on
the houses where ye [are], and I have seen the blood, and have passed over you,
and a plague is not on you for destruction in My smiting in the land of Egypt.
And the blood
shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are,.... The blood
of the passover lamb being sprinkled on the two sideposts and upper doorposts
of the houses inhabited by the Israelites, or where they were eating the
passover; this should be a sign or token to them of the Lord's making good his
promises, to them, and so of their safety, and to the destroying angel not to
enter therein, but pass by and save them:
and when I see
the blood, I will pass over you; for which reason this ordinance now
instituted was called the passover, because the Lord, on sight of the blood
sprinkled, passed over the houses of the Israelites to those of the Egyptians;
or "leaped", as Jarchi says, the word signifies, skipped from one
Egyptian house to another, passing by that of the Israelites:
and the plague
shall not be upon you, to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt, the
pestilence with which the firstborn should be destroyed.
Exodus 12:14 14 ‘So this day shall be to
you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout
your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.
YLT 14`And this day hath become to you a memorial,
and ye have kept it a feast to Jehovah to your generations; -- a statute
age-during; ye keep it a feast.
And this shall
be unto you for a memorial,.... To be remembered, and that very
deservedly, for the destruction of the firstborn of the Egyptians, and for the
deliverance of the children of Israel out of Egypt, and as memorable a day it
is, and much more so, for the redemption of the spiritual Israel by the
Messiah; for it was on this selfsame day that he suffered for the redemption
and salvation of his people: the Jews not only having a saying,"that in
the month Nisan they were redeemed, and in the month Nisan they will be
redeemedF7Roshhashanah, fol. 11. 1. 2. 'but they expressly
say,"on the same day, the fifteenth of Nisan, Israel is to be redeemed, in
the days of the Messiah, as they were redeemed on that day, as it is said,
according to the days, &c. Micah 7:15 F8Cabalistae
apud Fagium in loc. :"
and you shall
keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; as the
fifteenth day was properly the Chagigah; or festival day, when they made a
feast both of the flock and of the herd, of both sheep and oxen, Deuteronomy 16:2.
you shall keep
it a feast by an ordinance for ever; unto the end of the
Jewish economy and church state, until the Messiah come, the true passover, and
be sacrificed for us.
Exodus 12:15 15 Seven days you shall eat
unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses.
For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that
person shall be cut off from Israel.
YLT 15Seven days ye eat unleavened things; only --
in the first day ye cause leaven to cease out of your houses; for any one
eating anything fermented from the first day till the seventh day, even that
person hath been cut off from Israel.
Seven days
shall ye eat unleavened bread,.... From the evening of the fourteenth day
to the evening of the twenty first; and this was a distinct festival from what
was properly called the feast of the passover, and does not respect the first
passover in Egypt; for though the passover lamb was eaten with unleavened
bread, and the Israelites ate no other, not only for seven days, but for thirty
days following; yet this was not only by the divine command, but through
necessity, they having no other bread to eat; but in later times they were
commanded to keep a feast for seven days, in which they were not to eat
leavened bread, in commemoration of their hasty departure out of Egypt, not
having time to leaven the dough in their troughs, and of their distress and
want of savoury bread:
even the first
day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses; out of their dwelling
houses, which were to be diligently searched for that purpose, and every hole
and crevice in them; and not only their lower rooms, their dining rooms and
parlours, but their upper rooms and bedchambers; because it was possible a man
might sometimes go into them with a piece of bread in his hand, and drop or
leave some of it behind him: yea, synagogues and schools were to be searched,
since children might carry thither leavened breadsF9Lebush, par. 1.
No. 433. sect. 1. 3. 10. Schulcan Aruch, par. 1. No. 433. sect. 3. 10. : and
this search was to be made by the light of a lamp or candle, not by the light
of the moon, if in the night; nor by the light of the sun, if in the day, but
by the light of a lamp or candle, and not by the light of a torch, or of a lump
of fat, or grease, or oil, but by a lamp or candle of waxF11Lebush
& Schulcan ib. sect. 1. : and this search was to be made at the beginning
of the night of the fourteenth of Nisan; yea, it is said that leavened bread
was forbidden from the seventh hour of the day, that is, one o'clock in the
afternoon and upwards, which is the middle of the dayF12Lebush &
Schulcan No. 431. sect. 1. : the account of the Misnic doctors isF13Misn.
Pesach c. 1. sect. 4. ,"R. Meir says, that they may eat leaven the whole
fifth hour, i.e. eleven o'clock in the morning, and burn it the beginning of
the sixth, or twelve o'clock; R. Judah says, they may eat it all the fourth
hour, or tenth o'clock, and suspend it the whole fifth hour, and burn it the
beginning of the sixth:"
for whosoever
eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day; from the
first of the seven days to the last of them, beginning at the night at the
fourteenth, and ending at the night of the twenty first:
that soul shall
be cut off from Israel; either from the commonwealth of Israel, and be disfranchised,
and not accounted as an Israelite; or from the Israelitish church state, and
have no communion in it, or partake of the ordinances at it; or if it is to be
understood of cutting off by death, it is either by the hand of the civil
magistrate, or by the immediate hand of God; and is sometimes by the Jews
interpreted of a man dying either without children, or before he is fifty years
of age, and some even understand it of destruction of soul and body, or of
eternal damnation.
Exodus 12:16 16 On the first day there
shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy
convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that
which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you.
YLT 16`And in the first day [is] a holy
convocation, and in the seventh day ye have a holy convocation; any work is not
done in them, only that which is eaten by any person -- it alone is done by
you,
And in the
first day there shall be an holy convocation,.... An holy day, in
which the people be called to holy exercises, and wholly abstain from worldly
business, done on other days:
and in the
seventh day there shall be an holy convocation unto you; observed in a
festival way, and in the like religious manner the first day was, the day of
their going out of Egypt; and the seventh was the day in which Pharaoh and his
host were drowned in the Red sea, as Aben Ezra observes; for which reason those
days are distinguished from the rest, and appointed to be holy convocations,
and which appear from the journeying of the children of Israel, as computed by
Junius: they came to Succoth on the fifteenth, to Etham the seventeenth, to
Pihahiroth the eighteenth, where they were ordered to stay, and wait the coming
of their enemies, on the twentieth the army of Pharaoh came up to them, and the
night following the Israelites passed through the sea and the Egyptians were
drowned:
no manner of
work shall be done in them; as used to be done on other days, and as
were on the other five days of this festival: the Jewish canons are,"it is
forbidden to do any work on the evening of the passover, from the middle of the
day and onward, and whoever does work from the middle of the day and onward,
they excommunicate him; even though, he does it for nothing, it is forbiddenF14Lebush,
par. 1. No. 468. sect. 1. Schulcan Aruch, par. 1. No. 468. sect. 1. : R. Meir
says, whatever work anyone begins before the fourteenth (of Nisan) he may
finish it on the fourteenth, but he may not begin it on the beginning of the
fourteenth, though he could finish it: the wise men say, three workmen may work
on the evening of the passover unto the middle of the day, and they are these,
tailors, barbers, and fullers: R. Jose bar Judah says, also shoemakersF15Misn.
Pesach. c. 4. sect. 6. ,'but in the text no exception is made but the
following:
save that which
every man must eat, that only may be done of you; so that kindling fire
and preparing food might be done on those days, which might not be done on
sabbath days; and the prohibition of work was not so strict on those days as on
that.
Exodus 12:17 17 So you shall observe the
Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your
armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day
throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance.
YLT 17and ye have observed the unleavened things,
for in this self-same day I have brought out your hosts from the land of Egypt,
and ye have observed this day to your generations -- a statute age-during.
And ye shall
observe the feast of unleavened bread,.... Which was a distinct
feast from the passover feast; for though at that unleavened bread was eaten,
it was kept but one night, this seven days; and it is repeated that it might be
taken notice of, and the rather, as it was to be observed in all ages as long
as the Jewish economy lasted; the reason of which follows:
for in this
selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt; which, though
not already done, was just on doing, and was certain; and besides, it respects
the day when it should come about another year: by their "armies" are
meant the tribes of Israel, not so much for their military force, for as yet
they were an unarmed people, but for their numbers, which were sufficient to
make several considerable armies, and for their order and ease, and their being
without any fear of the enemy, in which they marched out of Egypt:
therefore shall
ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever; according to
the rules given, with the same exactness, strictness, and constancy, as the
first of the passover, and as long as that continued; See Gill on Exodus 12:14.
Exodus 12:18 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.
YLT 18`In the first [month], in the fourteenth day
of the month, in the evening, ye do eat unleavened things until the one and
twentieth day of the month, at evening;
In the first
month,.... As it was now ordered to be reckoned, the month Abib or
Nisan:
the fourteenth
day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread; that is, at
the evening following, the fourteenth of Nisan, and which was the beginning of
the fifteenth day, the Jews beginning their day from the evening: hence the
Targum of Jonathan is,"on the fourteenth of Nisan ye shall slay the
passover, in the evening of the fifteenth ye shall eat unleavened bread:"
unto the
twentieth day of the month at even; which would make just
seven days; the above Targum adds,"on the evening of the twenty second ye
shall eat leavened bread,'which was the evening following the twenty first day.
This long abstinence from leaven denotes, that the whole lives of those who are
Israelites indeed should be without guile, hypocrisy, and malice, and should be
spent in sincerity and truth.
Exodus 12:19 19 For seven days no leaven
shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same
person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a
stranger or a native of the land.
YLT 19seven days leaven is not found in your
houses, for any [one] eating anything fermented -- that person hath been cut
off from the company of Israel, among the sojourners or among the natives of
the land;
Seven days there
shall be no leaven found in your houses,..... Wherefore, on the
fourteenth day the most diligent search was made, and whatever was found was
burnt, or cast into the sea, or dispersed with the wind; about which the
traditionary writers of the Jews, give many rules and canons; see Gill on Exodus 12:15,
for whoso
eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the
congregation of Israel; which is repeated to deter them from the breach of this
ordinance; See Gill on Exodus 12:15, and
it is added for further explanation, of whom it concerns:
whether he be a
stranger, or born in the land; by a "stranger" is meant, not a
mere Heathen, who was not bound by this law, but a proselyte; and not a
proselyte of the gate, one that was only a sojourner among them, and observed
the commandments of the sons of Noah; but a proselyte of righteousness, who
professed the Jewish religion, and proposed to conform to it in all respects,
and therefore was obliged to observe this as other precepts: and by one
"born in the land", is intended a native of the land of Canaan, whither
they were now going in order to possess it, or a real Israelite, such as were
born of Israelitish parents, and proper inhabitants of Canaan, which they would
be put into the possession of.
Exodus 12:20 20 You shall eat nothing
leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”
YLT 20anything fermented ye do not eat, in all your
dwellings ye do eat unleavened things.'
Ye shall eat
nothing leavened,.... Bread or anything else that had any leaven in it:
in all your
habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread, that is, if they eat any
bread at all, it must be such; otherwise they might eat cakes of almonds or of
eggs mixed with sugar, provided there was no leaven used, and this the Jews
call the rich unleavened breadF16See Leo Modena's History of the
Rites, &c. of the Jews, par. 3. c. 3. sect. 5. : this is repeated over and
over, that they might be the more careful of observing this precept; but as
this was limited for a certain time, it plainly appears to be a mistake of
TacitusF17Hist. l. 5. c. 4. the Roman historian, who represents
unleavened bread as the bread the Jews eat of in common.
Exodus 12:21 21 Then
Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take
lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb.
YLT 21And Moses calleth for all the elders of
Israel, and saith unto them, `Draw out and take for yourselves [from] the
flock, for your families, and slaughter the passover-sacrifice;
Then Moses
called for all the elders of Israel,.... Not in age but in
office, who were either heads of families, or at least principal men in the
tribes; which explains in what manner he was to speak to the congregation of
Israel, and convey to them the will of God concerning the observation of these
feasts, Exodus 12:3,
and said unto
them, draw out; a lamb or a kid, out of the flocks on the tenth day of the
month, and keep it up until the fourteenth, as in Exodus 12:3.
and take you a
lamb, according to your families; or "take ye of the
flock"F18צאז "de filiis
gregis", Onk. & Jon. , whether a lamb or a kid; a lamb for every
family, if there was a sufficient number in it to eat it up; if not, two or
more families were to join and keep the feast together:
and kill the
passover; the lamb for the passover, which was to be done on the
fourteenth day of the month; and before the priesthood was established in the
family of Aaron, and before the Israelites were possessed of the land of
Canaan, and the temple was built at Jerusalem, the passover was killed by the
heads of families, and in their own houses, but afterwards it was killed only
by the priests, and at Jerusalem and in the temple there, see Deuteronomy 16:5.
Exodus 12:22 22 And you shall take a bunch
of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike
the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin.
And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning.
YLT 22and ye have taken a bunch of hyssop, and have
dipped [it] in the blood which [is] in the basin, and have struck [it] on the
lintel, and on the two side-posts, from the blood which [is] in the basin, and
ye, ye go not out each from the opening of his house till morning.
And ye shall
take a bunch of hyssop,.... Which some take to be "mint", others
"origanum" or "marjoram", as KimchiF19Sepher
Shorash, rad. אזב. , others "rosemary", as
Piscator, Rivet, and many more; and indeed this seems to be fitter to strike or
sprinkle with than hyssop; but it is more generally understood of hyssop,
because the Hebrew word "ezob" is so near in sound to it; though
whether it means the same herb we call hyssop is uncertain: Jarchi says, three
stalks of it are called a bunch, and so the Misnic canon runsF20Misn.
Parah, c. 11. sect. 9. ,"the command concerning hyssop is three stalks
(which Maimonides on the place interprets roots), and in them three
branches;'which some have allegorically applied to the Trinity, by whom the
hearts of God's people are sprinkled with the blood of the true paschal Lamb,
and are purged from dead works: the Heathens in their sacrifices used sometimes
branches of laurel, and sometimes branches of the olive, to sprinkle withF21Vid.
Kipping. Rom. Antiqu. p. 241. Virgil Aeneid. 6. Ovid. Fast. l. 5. :
and dip it in
the blood that is in the basin: which, according to the Targum of Jonathan,
was an earthen vessel, into which the blood of the lamb was received when
slain, and into this the bunch of hyssop was dipped; so it was usual with the
Heathens to receive the blood of the sacrifice in cups or basinsF24"-------------tepidumque
cruorem Succipiunt pateris----------" Virgil. Aeneid. 6. : the blood being
received into a basin, and not spilled on the ground and trampled on, may
denote the preciousness of the blood of Christ, the true passover lamb, which
is for its worth and excellent efficacy to be highly prized and esteemed, and
not to be counted as a common or unholy thing; and the dipping the bunch of
hyssop into the blood of the lamb may signify the exercise of faith on the
blood of Christ, which is a low and humble grace, excludes boasting in the
creature, deals alone with the blood of Jesus for peace, pardon, and cleansing,
and by which the heart is purified, as it deals with that blood:
and strike the
lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin: an emblem of
the sprinkling of the hearts and consciences of believers with the blood of
Christ, and cleansing them from all sin by it:
and none of you
shall go out at the door of his house until the morning; that they
might not be in the way of the destroyer; and though the destroying angel knew
an Israelite from an Egyptian, yet this was to be the ordinance of protection
to them, abiding in their houses, marked with the blood of the passover lamb;
signifying that their safety was in their being under that blood, as the safety
of believers lies in their being justified by the blood of Christ; for to that
it is owing that they are saved from wrath to come: this is the purple covering
under which they pass safely through this world to the heavenly glory, Romans 5:9, this
circumstance was peculiar to the passover in Egypt; in later times there was
not the like danger.
Exodus 12:23 23 For the Lord will pass
through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and
on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door
and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.
YLT 23`And Jehovah hath passed on to smite the
Egyptians, and hath seen the blood on the lintel, and on the two side-posts,
and Jehovah hath passed over the opening, and doth not permit the destruction
to come into your houses to smite.
For the Lord
will pass though to smite the Egyptians,.... All the firstborn in
the several families, in all the towns and cities in Egypt:
and when he
seeth the blood upon the lintel, and upon the two side posts; which must be
understood of his taking notice of it with a special view to the good of those
within the house; otherwise every thing is seen by his all seeing eye: and thus
Christ, the Lamb of God, is in the midst of the throne, as though he had been
slain, and is always in the view of God and his divine justice; and his blood,
righteousness, and sacrifice, are always looked unto by him with pleasure,
delight, and satisfaction, to the advantage of his people, as applied unto
them, who are hereby accepted with him, justified in his sight, and secure from
condemnation and wrath:
the Lord will
pass over the door; and the house where this blood is sprinkled, and go to the next,
or where Egyptians dwell; and thus justice passes over, and passes by, acquits
and discharges them who are interested in the blood and sacrifice of Christ:
and will not
suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you; the
destroying angel, as the Targum of Jonathan; for he seems to be distinct from
the Lord, who is said to pass through and pass over, being an attendant and
minister of his, to execute vengeance upon the Egyptians; and whether a good or
a bad angel, it matters not, since God can make use of either to inflict
judgments on men; but it may be more probably the former, even such an one as
was employed in destroying the whole host of the Assyrians in one night, 2 Kings 19:35 and
answers better in the antitype or emblem to the justice of God taking vengeance
on ungodly sinners, when it is not suffered to do the saints any harm.
Exodus 12:24 24 And you shall observe this
thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever.
YLT 24`And ye have observed this thing, for a
statute to thee, and to thy sons -- unto the age;
And ye shall
observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and thy sons for ever. Not this last
thing of sprinkling the blood, which was peculiar to the passover in Egypt; but
the whole before observed relating to the feast of the passover, and the feast
of unleavened bread, and all the rites appertaining to them, which were to be
observed until the coming of Christ.
Exodus 12:25 25 It will come to pass when
you come to the land which the Lord will give you, just as He
promised, that you shall keep this service.
YLT 25and it hath been, when ye come in unto the
land which Jehovah giveth to you, as He hath spoken, that ye have kept this
service;
And it shall
come to pass, when ye be come to the land,.... To the land of
Canaan, towards which they were just about to set forward on their journey, and
in a few years would be in the possession of:
which the Lord
will give you according as he hath promised; to their fathers,
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to them:
that ye shall
keep this service; enjoined them, respecting the passover lamb, and leavened bread,
with all the rites and ceremonies relative thereunto, excepting such as were
peculiar to the first passover in Egypt.
Exodus 12:26 26 And it shall be, when your
children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’
YLT 26and it hath come to pass when your sons say
unto you, What [is] this service ye have?
And it shall
come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, what mean ye by this
service? Of killing and roasting a lamb, and eating it with bitter herbs,
and of abstaining from leavened bread.
Exodus 12:27 27 that you shall say, ‘It is
the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the
houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and
delivered our households.’” So the people bowed their heads and worshiped.
YLT 27that ye have said, A sacrifice of passover it
[is] to Jehovah, who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt, in
His smiting the Egyptians, and our houses He delivered.'
That ye shall
say, it is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover,.... This lamb is a
sacrifice, both eucharistical, or by way of thanksgiving for their safety, when
the firstborn of the Egyptians were slain, and for their deliverance out of
Egypt; and also propitiatory, the blood of this lamb being a propitiation or
atonement for all within the house where it was sprinkled, as before observed
from Aben Ezra; and typical of the atoning sacrifice of Christ our passover, 1 Corinthians 5:7
and this was commanded by the Lord, and approved of and accepted by him, and
therefore called his sacrifice as well as passover, for the following reason:
who passed over
the houses of the children of Israel, when he smote the Egyptians, and
delivered our houses; their families, not suffering the destroying angel to enter into
them, which was a very distinguishing mercy, and worthy of remembrance. Now in
this they were to instruct their children in successive generations, that the
memory of it might be kept up, and a sense of the goodness of God continued,
and his name glorified. MaimonidesF25Hilchot Chametz Umetzah, c. 7.
sect. 2, 3. says,"it is a command to make this known to children, even
though they do not ask it, as it is said, "and thou shall show thy
son", Exodus 13:8.
According to the son's knowledge, his father teaches him; how if he is a little
one or foolish? he says to him, my son, all of us were servants, as this
handmaid, or this servant, in Egypt; and on this night the holy blessed God redeemed
us, and brought us into liberty: and if the son is grown up, and a wise man, he
makes known to him what happened to us in Egypt, and the wonders which were
done for us by the hand of Moses our master, all according to the capacity of
his son; and it is necessary to make a repetition on this night, that the
children may see, and ask, and say, how different is this night from all other
nights! until he replies and says to them, so and so it happened, and thus and
thus it was:"
and the people
bowed the head and worshipped; signifying the deep sense they had of the
mercy shown them, their thankfulness for it, and their readiness to observe the
ordinance now instituted.
Exodus 12:28 28 Then the children of
Israel went away and did so; just as the Lord had commanded
Moses and Aaron, so they did.
YLT 28And the people bow and do obeisance, and the
sons of Israel go and do as Jehovah commanded Moses and Aaron; so have they
done.
And the
children of Israel went away,.... The elders of the people, Exodus 12:21 they
departed to their several tribes and families at Goshen and elsewhere:
and did as the
Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they; they took a lamb on the
tenth day, and kept it till the fourteenth, on which day they slew it, and
roasted it with fire, and ate it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
Exodus 12:29 29 And it came to pass at
midnight that 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.
YLT 29And it cometh to pass, at midnight, that
Jehovah hath smitten every first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born
of Pharaoh who is sitting on his throne, unto the first-born of the captive who
[is] in the prison-house, and every first-born of beasts.
And it came to
pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt,.... The
midnight of the fifteenth of Nisan, as the Targum of Jonathan, when fast
asleep, and thoughtless of any danger; and it being at such a time must strike
with a greater horror and terror, when sensible of the blow, which might be
attended with a great noise, that might awaken the rest:
from the
firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne; the heir to his crown,
who was to have sat upon his throne, or already did, being taken a partner with
him in it:
unto the
firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; or prison, that was
grinding at the mill there, Exodus 11:5 which
was the work and business the prisoners were often put to, as appears from the
case of Samson, Judges 16:21,
and all the
firstborn of cattle; which were left of the other plagues, which had consumed great
numbers of them.
Exodus 12:30 30 So Pharaoh rose in the
night, he, 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.
YLT 30And Pharaoh riseth by night, he and all his
servants, and all the Egyptians, and there is a great cry in Egypt, for there
is not a house where there is not [one] dead,
And Pharaoh
rose up in the night,.... Being awakened by the uncommon noise he heard:
he and all his
servants, and all the Egyptians; he and his nobles, and ministers of state,
courtiers, and counsellors, and his subjects in common, perhaps everywhere in
his kingdom, but particularly in the metropolis:
and there was a
great cry in Egypt; throughout the whole land, the firstborn being everywhere slain,
which caused a most dreadful lamentation of parents for their eldest son, of
brethren and sisters for their elder brother, and of servants and maidens for
the principal and heir of the family; a cry so loud and general as perhaps was
never heard before or since, and under which distress they could have no
relief, or any to be their comforter, since all were in the same circumstances:
for there was not a house wherein there was not one dead; for if there was no
firstborn in it, as it can hardly be thought there should be in every house,
though some have been of opinion that it was so ordered in Providence that
there should; yet the principal or most considerable person in the family, that
is next to the master, might be called the firstborn, as Jarchi notes from Psalm 89:27. Though
this may be taken as an hyperbolical expression, or, as Aben Ezra observes, it
being usual with the Scripture to say that of all, which is true of the
greatest part.
Exodus 12:31 31 Then
he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise, go out from among my
people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the Lord as you have
said.
YLT 31and he calleth for Moses and for Aaron by
night, and saith, `Rise, go out from the midst of my people, both ye and the
sons of Israel, and go, serve Jehovah according to your word;
And he called
for Moses and Aaron by night,.... Not that Pharaoh went in person, but he
sent his servants to call them; for they never saw his face more after he had
drove them from his presence; but now was fulfilled what Moses told him, that
his servants should come to him in a very suppliant manner, and entreat him and
his people to get away in all haste, Exodus 10:28. Where
Moses and Aaron now were is not certain, probably in the city, or suburbs of
it, where Pharaoh's palace was, for it is not likely that they were gone to
Goshen:
and said, rise
up; from their beds in which they now were, being midnight:
and get ye
forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; even all of
them, without any exception of women or children as before; and without
limiting them to place or time, where they should go, and how long they should
stay, and without obliging them to promise to return:
and go, serve
the Lord, as ye have said; as they had entreated they might, and as
they had demanded in the name of the Lord that they should; to which now he
gave his consent, though he afterwards repented of it.
Exodus 12:32 32 Also take your flocks and
your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.”
YLT 32both your flock and your herd take ye, as ye
have spoken, and go; then ye have blessed also me.'
Also take your
flocks and your herds, as ye have said,.... Which they had
insisted upon should go with them, but he had refused, but now he is willing
they should go with them:
and be gone; out of his
city and country in all haste:
and bless me
also; or pray for me, as the Targum of Onkelos; pray the Lord to
bestow a blessing upon me also, as I have done well by you in suffering you to
depart with your whole families, flocks, and herds. The Targum of Jonathan
is,"I desire nothing else of you, only pray for me, that I die not;'and so
Jarchi. As he found his firstborn, and the heir to his crown and kingdom, was
dead, he might justly fear it would be his case next, and perhaps very soon;
and therefore desires their prayers for him, that his life might be spared.
Exodus 12:33 33 And the Egyptians urged
the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said,
“We shall all be dead.”
YLT 33And the Egyptians are urgent on the people,
hasting to send them away out of the land, for they said, `We are all dead;'
And the
Egyptians were urgent upon the people,.... The people of
Israel; not using force, but strong entreaties, the most powerful arguments,
and importunate language they were masters of:
that they might
send them out of the land in haste: this looks as if it was
the people about Pharaoh, his ministers and courtiers, they were pressing upon
to dismiss the Israelites at once, and to hasten their departure; or else Moses
and Aaron, and the elders of the people, to stir them up to a quick dispatch of
their affairs, that they might be soon rid of them; unless the sense is, that
they were very solicitous and earnest with the people, that they would get away
out of the land as fast as they could:
for they said,
we be all dead men; for their firstborn
being all slain, they expected that they themselves, and the rest of their
families, would be struck with death next; and this they feared would be the
case in a very little time, if they did not depart:
for they had
sufficient reason to convince them, that it was purely on
their account, and because they had not leave to go out of the land, that all
the above judgments, and particularly the last, were inflicted on them.
Exodus 12:34 34 So the people took their
dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their
clothes on their shoulders.
YLT 34and the people taketh up its dough before it
is fermented, their kneading-troughs [are] bound up in their garments on their
shoulder.
And the people
took their dough before it was leavened,.... They had that
evening mixed their flour with water, and made it into dough, but had put no
leaven into it; and the Egyptians being so very earnest to have them gone, they
stayed not to put any leaven into it:
but their kneadingtroughs, or rather "their
dough":
being bound up
in their clothes upon their shoulders; for it is not likely
that their troughs should be wrapped up in the skirts of their garments; but
their dough might, if their clothes were like the hykes of the Arabs now, as
Dr. ShawF26Travels, p. 224, 225. Edit. 2. thinks they were, and
which are pretty much like the plaids of the Scotch, and which are large enough
for such a purpose; as even the veil which Ruth wore held six measures of
barley, 3:15 and so these clothes of theirs, like
the Arabs' hykes, and the Scotch plaids, might be so made, that large lumps of
dough being bound up in them might be thrown over their shoulders, and so
carried by them when they journeyed.
Exodus 12:35 35 Now the children of Israel
had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians
articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing.
YLT 35And the sons of Israel have done according to
the word of Moses, and they ask from the Egyptians vessels of silver and vessels
of gold, and garments;
And the
children of Israel did according to the word of Moses,.... Exodus 3:22.
and they
borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment; or "they
asked"F1וישאלו "et
postulaverunt", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus; "petierunt",
Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. them of the Egyptians to give them them,
which they readily did to get rid of them; for upon their being urgent with the
Israelites to be gone in haste, they might reply, that they were not provided
with things suitable for a journey, and therefore requested such things of
them, which they at once freely consented to; See Gill on Exodus 3:22, Exodus 11:2, Exodus 11:3.
Exodus 12:36 36 And the Lord had given the
people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what
they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
YLT 36and Jehovah hath given the grace of the
people in the eyes of the Egyptians, and they cause them to ask, and they spoil
the Egyptians.
And the Lord
gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians,.... Their
minds were disposed towards them, and their hearts were inclined to grant their
request, and did grant it:
so they lent
unto them: such things as they required; or "they gave unto them"F2וישאלום "ut petita darent", Tigurine version,
"ut dederint", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Ainsworth,
Cartwright. ; made presents of them freely to them; and so Josephus saysF3Antiqu.
l. 2. c. 14. sect. 6. , that they honoured them with gifts:
and they
spoiled the Egyptians; stripped them of their substance and riches, of their most
valuable things; in doing which they were in no wise criminal, since they did
it by the direction and authority of God, who has a right to dispose of all the
things in the world; and to take of them from one, and give to another, as he
pleases; nor was any injustice done to the Egyptians, who owed all this, and
perhaps abundantly more, to the Israelites, for the labour and service they had
served them in for many years; besides, they were the avowed enemies of Israel,
and the Lord had now put himself at the head of the armies of Israel, and was
contending with them, and they with him, who should overcome; and this was
doing no other than what, acceding to the law of nations, is lawful to be done
in time of war; to spoil, plunder, and distress an enemy, in whatsoever way it
can be done. And thus the promise made to Abraham, that his posterity should
come out with great substance, was fulfilled, Genesis 15:14. This
circumstance is taken notice of by some Heathen writers, as ArtapanusF4Apud
Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 27. p. 436. ; who says they borrowed many
cups of the Egyptians, and not a little raiment, besides a great quantity of
other treasure and riches; and so Ezekiel the tragedianF5Apud Euseb.
ib. c. 29. p. 443. speaks of a vast deal of gold and silver, raiment, and other
things, the Israelitish women had of the Egyptians at their departure, and who
relates the history of Moses and the above plagues very agreeably to the sacred
writings.
Exodus 12:37 37 Then the children of
Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on
foot, besides children.
YLT 37And the sons of Israel journey from Rameses
to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, apart from infants;
And the
children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth,.... Rameses
was a place in Goshen, or rather the land of Goshen, from whence the country
was so called; See Gill on Genesis 47:11. The
Targum of Jonathan takes it to be Pelusium, or Sin, now called Tinah, formerly
the strength of Egypt, and which lay at the entrance of it, and says it was one
hundred and thirty miles to Succoth; and Jarchi says one hundred and twenty.
But the distance between these two places was not so great; for Succoth from Rameses
it is computed was eight milesF6See Bunting's Travels, p. 81. only.
The latter place is so called by anticipation; for it was now a desert, as
JosephusF7Ut supra, (antiqu. l. 2.) c. 15. sect. 1. says, which he
calls Latopolis, but had its name Succoth from the children of Israel pitching
their tents there; for the word signifies tents or tabernacles. The number of
the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt
were about six
hundred thousand on foot, that were men, besides children; and which is confirmed
by the account that ChaeremonF8Apud Joseph. contr. Apion, l. 1.
sect. 32. the Heathen gives, who makes the number of those drove out of Egypt,
as he calls them, 250,000; and says that when they came to Pelusium, they found
there 380,000 left there by Amenophis; which makes in all 630,000. And so Philo
the Jew saysF9De Vita Mosis, l. 1. p. 625. , they were above
600,000, besides old men, children, and women, that could not easily be
numbered; and the word "about" will admit of it, since it may be used
not to diminish, but to increase the number; and it is certain that in the
second year after they were come out of Egypt, their number was 600,550 without
the Levites, who were not numbered; and they that were numbered were such as
were twenty years old and upward, and able to go forth to war, Numbers 1:9 and
such were those here, as Jarchi observes; so that if there were 600,000 men of
twenty years old and upwards, able to bear arms, besides women, children, and
old men, it may well be thought that in all there were no less than near two
millions and a half; for, according to the ordinary proportion allowed in other
nations of four to one between the number of the whole people in a nation, and
those men fit to bear arms, that the number of the Israelites alone, of all
ages and sexes which went out of Egypt along with Moses, will amount to
2,400,000 soulsF10Bp. of Clogher's Chronology of the Hebrew Bible,
p. 271. See Judah Leon's Relation of Memorable Things, &c. p. 2. ; which
was a prodigious increase of seventy persons in little more than two hundred
years, and a most marvellous thing it was, that in so large a number of persons
there was not one feeble among them, Psalm 105:37.
Exodus 12:38 38 A mixed multitude went up
with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of livestock.
YLT 38and a great rabble also hath gone up with
them, and flock and herd -- very much cattle.
And a mixed
multitude went up also with them,.... Some of these were
Egyptians, and some of other nations that had resided in Egypt, and who, on
various accounts, might choose to go along with the children of Israel; some
through intermarriages with them, being loath to part with their relations, see
Leviticus 20:10,
others on account of religion, being proselytes of righteousness, and others
through worldly interest, the land of Egypt being by the plagues a most
desolate place; and such wonders being wrought for the children of Israel, they
saw they were a people that were the favourites of heaven, and judged it safest
and best and most for their interest to keep with them; the Targum of Jonathan
computes the number of those to be two hundred and forty myriads:
and flocks and
herds, even very much cattle; the greatest part of
which must be supposed to belong to the children of Israel, whose cattle were
not destroyed when those of the Egyptians were; and the rest might be the
cattle of such who feared and regarded the word of God, and took their cattle
into their houses at the time of the plague of hail, whereby they were
preserved; and which might be an inducement to them to take their herds and
their flocks, and go along with the children of Israel, see Exodus 9:20.
Exodus 12:39 39 And they baked unleavened
cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not
leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had
they prepared provisions for themselves.
YLT 39And they bake with the dough which they have
brought out from Egypt unleavened cakes, for it hath not fermented; for they
have been cast out of Egypt, and have not been able to delay, and also
provision they have not made for themselves.
And they baked
unleavened cakes,.... While they were at Succoth; but since that was a desert place,
where could they get ovens to bake them in? they might lay them upon coals, and
by frequent turning them bake them, or under hot ashes, under a pan covered
with hot embers and coals, on an hearth, in which way cakes and other things
are now baked with us in many places: of the quick way of dressing cakes in the
eastern countries; see Gill on Genesis 18:6 and
some render the word, "cakes under ashes"F11עגת "subcineritios panes", V. L.
"subcineritia", Samar, εγκρυφιας, Sept. so
Munster. which were made
of the dough
which they brought forth out of Egypt; for it was not leavened; of the manner
of their bringing it; see Gill on Exodus 12:34, and
the reason why it was not leavened follows:
because they
were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry: to leaven their dough,
in such haste did they go out from thence. When they are said to be
"thrust out", it is not to be understood of force and compulsion
used, or of any indecent and ill behaviour towards them; but of earnest
entreaties and urgent persuasions to depart; though this no doubt gave rise to
the stories told by JustinF12E Trogo, l. 36. c. 2. , TacitusF13Hist.
l. 5. c. 3. Manetho apud Joseph. contr. Apion, l. 1. c. 15. & Chaeremon
apud ib. c. 32. & Lysimachus apud ib. c. 34. , and others, that they were
drove and cast out of Egypt by force, because they were a filthy diseased
people, infected with the scab, itch, and leprosy; whereas there was not a
sick, unsound, infirm, and feeble person among them, as before observed:
neither had
they prepared for themselves any victual; they had their flocks
and their herds, out of which they could take for their use, and they had
dough, though unleavened and unbaked; but they had nothing ready dressed; what
remained of the passover lamb they were obliged to burn; they had nothing which
was got by hunting or fishing, as the wordF14צדת
"vox autem proprie significat aliquid venando captum", Piscator. used
signifies; neither venison nor fish, of the latter of which there was great
plenty in Egypt.
Exodus 12:40 40 Now the sojourn of the
children of Israel who lived in Egypt[a] was
four hundred and thirty years.
YLT 40And the dwelling of the sons of Israel which
they have dwelt in Egypt [is] four hundred and thirty years;
Now the
sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt,.... The
Septuagint version adds, "and in the land of Canaan"; and the
Samaritan version is,"the sojourning of the children of Israel, and of
their fathers, in the land of Canaan, and in the land of Egypt.'Agreeably to
which are both the Talmuds: in oneF15T. Hieros. Magillah, fol. 71.
4. of them the words are,"in Egypt and in all lands,'and in the otherF16T.
Bab. Megillah, fol. 9. 1. ,"in Egypt, and in the rest of the lands;'and in
the same way Aben Ezra interprets the words. And certain it is, that Israel did
not dwell in Egypt four hundred and thirty years, and even not much more than
two hundred years; but then they and their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
dwelt so long in Mesopotamia, in Canaan, and in Egypt, in foreign countries, in
a land not theirs, as the phrase is, Genesis 15:13 where
the place of their sojourning, and the time of it, are given by way of
prophecy. The Jews reckon from the vision of God to Abraham between the pieces
to the birth of Isaac thirty years, so the Targum of Jonathan; but that cannot
be, though from his coming out of his own native place, Ur of the Chaldeans, to
the birth of Isaac, might be so many years, since he was seventy five years of
age when he came out of Haran, Genesis 12:4 and if
he stayed at Haran five years, as probably he did, then there were just thirty
from his coming out of Ur of the Chaldees to Isaac's birth, since he was born
when he was one hundred years old; and from the birth of Isaac to the birth of
Jacob was sixty years, Genesis 25:26 and
from thence to his going down to Egypt was one hundred and thirty, Genesis 47:9 and
from thence to the coming of Israel out of Egypt were two hundred and ten
years, as is generally computed, which make the exact sum of four hundred and
thirty years; of these See Gill on Acts 7:6, Galatians 3:17.
Exodus 12:41 41 And
it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very
same day—it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from
the land of Egypt.
YLT 41and it cometh to pass, at the end of four
hundred and thirty years -- yea, it cometh to pass in this self-same day -- all
the hosts of Jehovah have gone out from the land of Egypt.
And it came to
pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years,.... As soon as
completed:
even the
selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the
land of Egypt; which was the fifteenth of Nisan; and Jarchi says it was on the
fifteenth of Nisan that the decree was made known to Abraham between the
pieces, concerning the affliction of his posterity four hundred years in a land
not theirs; but this is not to be depended on; yet it looks as if at the close
of the four hundred and thirty years, from the date of them, exactly to a day,
the children of Israel, the armies of the Lord, came out of Egypt in great
order: however, it seems certain by this that they all came out the same day,
which was very wonderful that such a large number should be collected together,
and that they should march out of the land on one and the same day; and it is
pretty plain it was in the daytime, and very likely in the midst of the day;
for they were not to stir out of their houses till morning, and then they had
what remained of the passover to burn, as well as many other things to do, it
is very probable, and some which they could not do; so that they did not go by
night, or by stealth, but openly at noon day; and the words will bear to be
rendered, "in the strength or body of the day"F18בעצם היזם הזה
"in corpore diei hujus", Pagninus, Montanus; "in the body"
or "strength of that day", Ainsworth. , when it is at its height, as
it is at noon; and so the Jews represent the Lord speaking after this mannerF19Pirke
Eliezer, c. 48. fol. 58. 2. ,"If I bring out Israel by night, the
Egyptians will say, now he does his work after the manner of thieves; but
behold, I will bring them out in the midst of the day, in the strength of the
sun, as is said, "and it was in the selfsame day", &c.'
Exodus 12:42 42 It is a night of
solemn observance to the Lord
for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn
observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.
YLT 42A night of watchings it [is] to Jehovah, to
bring them out from the land of Egypt; it [is] this night to Jehovah of
watchings to all the sons of Israel to their generations.
It is a night
to be much observed unto the Lord,.... Or "a night of
observations"F20ליל שמרים "nox observantiarum", Munster, Fagius,
Vatablus, so Drusius, Piscator, Cartwright, Ainsworth. , in which many things
are to be observed to the honour and glory of God, as done by him, wherein his
power, wisdom, goodness, truth and faithfulness, are displayed; partly by the
destruction of the Egyptian firstborn, and particularly
for bringing
them, the children of Israel:
out from the
land of Egypt: with the leave, and even pressing importunity of the Egyptians,
and with so much wealth and riches, having found great favour in their sight,
which was from the Lord:
this is that
night of the Lord to be much observed of all the children of Israel in their
generations in successive ages unto the coming of the Messiah, for the
reasons before given; and the selfsame night is worthy the remembrance of all
the spiritual Israel of God, of all true believers in Christ; for that very
night after Christ had ate the passover with his disciples, he was betrayed by
one of them; and to perpetuate the memory of this, and of his sufferings and
death, an ordinance is appointed to be observed until his second coming, see 1 Corinthians 11:23,
and the ancient Jews themselves have had some notion of the appearance of the
Messiah at this time; for they not only expect his coming at the time of the
passover, and speak of their redemption by him in the month of Nisan, as before
observed on Exodus 12:14, but
of this very night, among the four observable things in it, the fourth they say
is, Moses shall go out of the midst of the wilderness, and the King Messiah out
of Rome; so it is said in the Jerusalem Targum on the place.
Exodus 12:43 43 And the Lord said to Moses
and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall
eat it.
YLT 43And Jehovah saith unto Moses and Aaron, `This
[is] a statute of the passover; Any son of a stranger doth not eat of it;
And the Lord
said unto Moses and Aaron,.... At the same time he acquainted them
with the above things:
this is the
ordinance of the passover; as before delivered, and these the laws and
rules, according to which it is to be observed, as now related, both with
respect to the lamb, and to the unleavened bread; and the following is an
account of the persons that were to partake of it:
there shall no
stranger eat thereof, one that is of another country, an entire Heathen, and
unacquainted with, and does not profess the Jewish religion, which was the
religion of God.
Exodus 12:44 44 But every man’s servant
who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it.
YLT 44and any man's servant, the purchase of money,
when thou hast circumcised him -- then he doth eat of it;
But every man's
servant that is bought for money,.... And so his own
property:
when thou hast
circumcised him; as such an one ought to be, according to the covenant of
circumcision given to Abraham, Genesis 17:13,
though one should think not without his consent; wherefore care was to be taken
to purchase such servants as would be willing to conform to that rite, and
pains were to be taken with them to instruct them in it, and persuade them to
it; to which, when they had submitted, they had a right to eat the passover,
but if they did not, it was not allowed:
then shall he
eat thereof; but not otherwise.
Exodus 12:45 45 A sojourner and a hired
servant shall not eat it.
YLT 45a settler or hired servant doth not eat of
it;
A foreigner and
an hired servant shall not eat thereof. One of another nation,
and one that was only hired by the day, week, or year; as they were not obliged
to circumcision, so without it they had no right to eat of the passover, none
but such as became proselytes of righteousness.
Exodus 12:46 46 In one house it shall be
eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you
break one of its bones.
YLT 46in one house it is eaten, thou dost not carry
out of the house [any] of the flesh without, and a bone ye do not break of it;
In one house
shall it be eaten,.... For though there might be more lambs than one eaten in a
house, where there were a sufficient number to eat them; and there might be
more societies than one in a house, provided they kept themselves distinct, and
were large enough each of them to eat up a lamb; yet one lamb might not be
eaten in different houses, a part of it in one house, and a part of it in
another; which may denote the unity of the general assembly and church of the
firstborn, and the distinct separate congregations of the saints, and the right
that each have to a whole Christ, who is not to be divided from his ministers,
word, and ordinances; See Gill on Matthew 26:18,
thou shall not
carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house: into another
house; for where there was not a sufficient number in one house to eat a lamb,
their neighbours in the next house were to join with them; but then they were
not to part it, and one portion of it to be eaten in one house, and the other
in another, but they were to meet together in one of their houses, and there
partake of it; thus, though Christ may be fed upon by faith any where by
particular believers, yet in an ordinance way only in the church of God:
neither shall
ye break a bone thereof; any of its tender bones to get out the marrow; and so the Targum
of Jonathan adds,"that ye may eat that which is in the midst of it:'this
was remarkably fulfilled in Christ the antitype, John 19:32.
Exodus 12:47 47 All the congregation of
Israel shall keep it.
YLT 47all the company of Israel do keep it.
All the
congregation of Israel shall keep it. The passover, and the
feast of unleavened bread only; for a Gentile was first to be circumcised, and
be joined to the congregation, and then partake of it, and not before.
Exodus 12:48 48 And when a stranger dwells
with you and wants to 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 a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it.
YLT 48`And when a sojourner sojourneth with thee,
and hath made a passover to Jehovah, every male of his [is] to be circumcised,
and then he doth come near to keep it, and he hath been as a native of the
land, but any uncircumcised one doth not eat of it;
And when a
stranger shall sojourn with thee, Who by so doing became a
proselyte of the gate, he observing the commands of the sons of Noah:
and will keep
the passover of the Lord; is desirous of being admitted to that ordinance:
let all his
males be circumcised, and then let him come near, and keep it: first
himself, and then all his male children and male servants, and then, and not
till then, he might approach to this ordinance, and observe it; for by this
means he would become a proselyte of righteousness, and in all respects as an
Israelite, or son of Abraham, as it follows:
and he shall be
as one that is born in the land; a native and proper inhabitant of Canaan,
enjoying all the privileges and immunities of such:
for no
uncircumcised person shall eat thereof; these laws and rules
concerning those persons that were to eat of the passover are such as were to
be observed in all successive generations, to the coming of Christ; and were
the rather necessary to be given now, because of the mixed multitude who now
came up with the children of Israel out of Egypt.
Exodus 12:49 49 One law shall be for the
native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.”
YLT 49one law is to a native, and to a sojourner
who is sojourning in your midst.'
One law shall
be to him that is homeborn,.... A proper Israelite, one that is so by
descent:
and unto the
stranger that sojourneth among you; that becomes a proselyte
to the true religion; these were both bound by the same law, and obliged to
observe the same rites and ceremonies, and partook of the same ordinances,
benefits, and privileges; this was a dawn of grace to the poor Gentiles, and
presignified what would be in Gospel times, when they should be fellow citizens
with the saints, and of the household of God, be fellow heirs of the same body,
and partakers of the promises of Christ by the Gospel, Ephesians 2:19.
Exodus 12:50 50 Thus all the children of
Israel did; as the Lord
commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
YLT 50And all the sons of Israel do as Jehovah
commanded Moses and Aaron; so have they done.
Thus did all
the children of Israel,.... They slew a lamb, and roasted and ate it, with unleavened
bread, and bitter herbs, and took a bunch of hyssop, and dipped it in the
blood, and struck the lintel and the side posts of the doors of their houses:
this they did on the night of their deliverance out of Egypt:
as the Lord
commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they; being instructed by
them; which is an instance of their ready and cheerful obedience to the divine
will, which they were under great obligation to perform, from a grateful sense
of the wonderful mercy and favour they now were made partakers of.
Exodus 12:51 51 And it came to pass, on
that very same day, that the Lord brought the children of
Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.
YLT 51And it cometh to pass in this self-same day,
Jehovah hath brought out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, by their
hosts.
And it came to
pass the selfsame day,.... That the above ordinance was instituted and celebrated in
the night:
that the Lord
did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, by their armies; by their
several tribes, which were like so many armies, marching in large numbers, and
with great order and regularity; see Gill on Exodus 7:4.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New
King James Version (NKJV)
a.
Exodus 12:40
Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint read Egypt and Canaan.