Old Testament Commentary - Exodus 12

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 12 The Lord institutes the Passover, and the feast of unleaven bread— Lambs slain are without blemish— Israel saved by their blood— Firstborn of all Egyptians slain— Israel thrust out of Egypt after 430 years—No bones of paschal lambs shall be broken.	The Lord establishes the Passover which was actually a commeoration of a future event as God works in respect to the 'eternal now' and knows all things past, presetn and future—The Lambs selected like unto the selection of Jehovah in the preexistance, was to be the best of the flock, perfect and without blenish—Israel is saved by the blood of the lamb Jesus Christ, which this event established—As the Firstborn of God would be slain for the sins of the world, because of the unrepentant sinfull nature of Pharaoh and his court, the firstborn of the Egyptians would be slain by the hand of God—After this event, Pharaoh of his own 'free choice' would thrust Israel out of Egypt entirely, not merely to worship and return—In similiture of the sacrifice of Christ, the bones of the paschal lamb were not to be broken.
1 AND the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, *2 This ^amonth shall* be unto you the ^bbeginning of months^a*: it shall* be the first month of the year to you.	*2^a This month shall be* unto you the beginning of months** Here the Lord places the lunar month of Abib [later named Nisan as its Babylonian name] as the first month of the Hebrew religious calendar. The word 'abiyb comes from an unused root meaning 'to be tender' (See Lexicon Strong's Number 24) and it does have reference the young barley ears that are forming of the greening and growing as a crop particularly of barley at this time of year. It likely is also related to that concept of the Savior growing up as a young tender plant as this is the time of the Savior's birth. Thus the month is significant in the bringing forth of the Savior of the world and of his mission of the atonement unto mankind. (See also Bible Dictionary - Green head of grain, particularly barley as Nisan or Abib is the time of the first barley harvest.)	1^a OR consecrate or set apart. ^b Lev. 21:10 (10-15) ^c OR young bull (also vv. 3, 10-12, 14, 36).; Lev. 8:2; 1 Chr. 13:9 2^a Lev. 2:4 ^b HEB mingled OR smeared
Passover Week The Passover Week begins with the 'first day of the week' according to the Hebrew calendar, which is Sunday (Saturday from 6PM to Sunday at 6PM). At the time of Moses, this happened to be the 10^th day of the month of Abib. The actual 'Passover Meal' is to be eaten on the 'fifth day' beginning Thursday night at 6PM, that is the beginning of the fifth day, which begins at sunset and carries over into the next day, Friday until 6PM. This was the day of the Lord's atonement, beginning with the meal, then the suffering in Gethsemane, the Lord's trials and crucifixion the next day in the morning, and his death upon the cross that afternoon, and ending with his body being laid in the seplecure Friday evening. Thus it was the 6^th morning of the sixth day which was the 'day of deliverance' out of Egypt; the day having began the night before. This coorelates with the 6^th day or latter day of the deliverance according to the restoration of the gospel in our day—the next day, the Sabbath being the Day of the Lord's Millennial Reign.
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 ^aeating shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your ^alamb shall be without blemish, a male ^bof the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:		1^a OR consecrate or set apart. ^b Lev. 21:10 (10-15) ^c OR young bull (also vv. 3, 10-12, 14, 36).; Lev. 8:2; 1 Chr. 13:9 2^a Lev. 2:4 ^b HEB mingled OR smeared
6 And ye shall keep it up until the ^afourteenth 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 ^aunleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9 Eat not of it raw, nor ^asodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the ^bpurtenance thereof. 10 And ye shall let nothing of it ^aremain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.		1^a OR consecrate or set apart. ^b Lev. 21:10 (10-15) ^c OR young bull (also vv. 3, 10-12, 14, 36).; Lev. 8:2; 1 Chr. 13:9 2^a Lev. 2:4 ^b HEB mingled OR smeared
11 ¶ And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins ^agirded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in ^bhaste: it is the LORD's passover^a. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the ^afirstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the ^bgods of Egypt I will execute judgment^a: I am the LORD^b. 13 And the blood shall be to you for a ^atoken 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^a. 14 And this ^aday shall be unto you for a ^bmemorial^a; and ye shall keep it a ^cfeast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a ^dfeast by an ordinance ^efor ever.
15 Seven days shall ye eat ^aunleavened 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 ^bcut off from Israel. 16 And in the first day there shall be an holy ^aconvocation, and in the ^bseventh day there shall be an holy convocation^a 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 ^afeast of ^bunleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your ^carmies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations ^dby an ordinance for ever^a.
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 ^astranger, or born in the land. 20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
21 ¶ Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, ^aDraw out and take you a ^blamb according to your ^cfamilies, and kill the ^dpassover. 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 ^ablood 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 ^apass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will ^bpass over the door, and will not ^csuffer the ^ddestroyer 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 ^achildren shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? 27 That ye shall say, It is the ^asacrifice of the LORD's ^bpassover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians^a, and ^cdelivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. 28 And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had ^acommanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
29 ¶ And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD ^asmote all the ^bfirstborn 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^a. 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 ^adead.	29^a all the firstborn of cattle The Egyptians did hold as an item of worship their cattle similar to how the people of India honor, worship and will not kill their cattle. This was a corruption from when the Egyptians first emulated the gospel and its priesthood, thus withholding their cattle offering from the Lord. Thus this taking of the firstborn cattle of the Egyptians was a two fold attack upon the religion and worship of the Egyptians. The Lord showed forth his power against the worshipped deity of the beast by taking of it all the firstborn in commemoration of Him, being the Firstborn of the Father, God's sacrifice for the eternal benefit of all men. It was a culminating way of setting for that He was God and had power over all things, even that which the Egyptians did rever and worship instead of Him.
31 ¶ And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you ^aforth 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 ^aurgent 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 ^aborrowed of the Egyptians jewels of ^bsilver, and jewels of gold, and ^craiment: 36 And the LORD gave the people ^afavour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they ^blent unto them such things as they required. And they ^cspoiled the Egyptians.
37 ¶ And the children of Israel ^ajourneyed from ^bRameses to Succoth^a, about ^csix hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. 38 And ^aa mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. 39 And they baked ^aunleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were ^bthrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any ^cvictual.	37^a the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth The city or Rameses was constructed when the ruling of Egypt 'transfered' from the Southern Kingdom to the Northern Kingdom. Separated from the land of the great pyramids the structures of the great cities of the sites of Rameses are still being discovered today.
40 ¶ Now the ^asojourning 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 ^ato be much ^bobserved unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD^a to be observed of all the children of ^cIsrael in their generations.	42^a that night of the LORD Just as the deliverance of Israel by the hand of Joseph was in similitude of a physical deliverance in parallel witht he Lord's 'spiritual' deliverance of Israel by his hand; so also is the physical night of deliverance of Israel out of servant prison a similitude of the Lord's deliverance of all mankind out of that spirit prison or spirit world where all mankind awaits to be delivered from the bondage of sin and servatude unto Satam. Christ died as the evening and darkness set in. Those three days or a night, a day and a night, did the Savior go and minister unto the Spirit World, setting up his orgainization there for the administration and deliverying the gospel to the Spirits in prision that they might learn and accept the gospel and eventually be judged according to men in the flesh. This is the 'night of the Lord' the night of deliverance to all the spirits which are in and pass through the Spirit World which is deamed a prison being separated and held bound apart from the soul's union of body and spirit.
43 ¶ And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the ^apassover^a: There shall no ^bstranger eat thereof: 44 But every man's servant that is ^abought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. 45 A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.	43^a This is the ordinance of the passover The passover was not just a feast, holy convocation or memorial. It was an ordinance of the Gospel where the blood and the flesh of the lamb where honored in remembrance of the Lord's deliverance from bondage. At the Last Supper, the Lord converted the ordinance from being one of animal sacrifice, for the sacrifice had been fulfilled in him. And he substituted the partaking of bread and wine in remembrance of the blood and flesh of the Lamb of God, His flesh and blood of the atonement now being accomplished that night in Gethsemane.
46 In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ^aought of the flesh ^babroad out of the house; neither shall ye ^cbreak a ^dbone 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 ^acircumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is ^bborn 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 ^aLORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. 51 And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the LORD did ^abring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.