Exodus 12:1-12 · Bible study
Exodus 12:1-12 Commentary: The Passover Commanded
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
An in-depth study of the first Passover instructions given to Israel in Egypt, focusing on the lamb, the blood, and the new calendar.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The Passover establishes Israel’s redemption from slavery and marks the beginning of their life as God’s people; the lamb substitutes for the firstborn.
- Key words: Pesach (Passover), ta mim (unblemished), dam (blood), seh (lamb).
- Main debate: The meaning of “between the evenings” (v.6): some say the time between noon and sunset, others between the ninth and eleventh hours.
- Theological theme: Judgment falls on Egypt; mercy covers Israel through the blood. This prefigures Christ’s atoning sacrifice.
- Best use: Foundational OT passage for understanding Communion/Eucharist as the new covenant Passover.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
1Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
2“This month is the beginning of months for you; it shall be the first month of your year.
3Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must select a lamb for his family, one per household.
4If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly.
5Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats.
6You must keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight.
7They are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.
8They are to eat the meat that night, roasted over the fire, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
9Do not eat any of the meat raw or cooked in boiling water, but only roasted over the fire—its head and legs and inner parts.
10Do not leave any of it until morning; before the morning you must burn up any part that is left over.
11This is how you are to eat it: You must be fully dressed for travel, with your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. You are to eat in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.
12On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.
WEB World English Bible 2000
1Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2“This month shall be to you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year to you.
3Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth day of this month, they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household;
4and if the household is too little for a lamb, then he and his neighbor next to his house shall take one according to the number of the souls. You shall make your count for the lamb according to what everyone can eat.
5Your lamb shall be without defect, a male a year old. You shall take it from the sheep or from the goats.
6You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at evening.
7They shall take some of the blood, and put it on the two door posts and on the lintel, on the houses in which they shall eat it.
8They shall eat the meat in that night, roasted with fire, with unleavened bread. They shall eat it with bitter herbs.
9Don’t eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted with fire; with its head, its legs and its inner parts.
10You shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; but that which remains of it until the morning you shall burn with fire.
11This is how you shall eat it: with your belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste: it is Yahweh’s Passover.
12For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and animal. I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt. I am Yahweh.
KJV King James Version 1769
1And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
3Speak 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:
4And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
7And 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.
8And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
10And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s passover.
12For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
1And Jehovah spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
3Speak 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 their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household:
4and if the household be too little for a lamb, then shall he and his neighbor next unto his house take one according to the number of the souls; according to every man’s eating ye shall make your count for the lamb.
5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old: ye shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats:
6and ye shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at even.
7And they shall take of the blood, and put it on the two side-posts and on the lintel, upon the houses wherein they shall eat it.
8And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9Eat not of it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roast with fire; its head with its legs and with the inwards thereof.
10And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; but that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11And thus shall ye eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is Jehovah’s passover.
12For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am Jehovah.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
1And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses and unto Aaron, in the land of Egypt, saying,
2`This month is to you the chief of months--it is the first to you of the months of the year;
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.
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,)
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 .
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;
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.
8`And they have eaten the flesh in this night, roast with fire; with unleavened things and bitters they do eat it;
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;
10and ye do not leave of it till morning, and that which is remaining of it till morning with fire ye do burn.
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,
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.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
1And Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
3Speak unto all the assembly of Israel, saying, On the tenth of this month let them take themselves each a lamb, for a father's house, a lamb for a house.
4And if the household be too small for a lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take [it] according to the number of the souls; each according to [the measure] of his eating shall ye count for the lamb.
5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a yearling male; ye shall take [it] from the sheep, or from the goats.
6And ye shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; and the whole congregation of the assembly of Israel shall kill it between the two evenings.
7And they shall take of the blood, and put [it] on the two door-posts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
8And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; with bitter [herbs] shall they eat it.
9Ye shall eat none of it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roast with fire; its head with its legs and with its in-wards.
10And ye shall let none of it remain until the morning; and what remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11And thus shall ye eat it: your loins shall be girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste; it is Jehovah's passover.
12And I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all thegods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am Jehovah.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
1And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:
2This month shall be to you the beginning of months; it shall be the first in the months of the year.
3Speak ye to the whole assembly of the children of Israel, and say to them: On the tenth day of this month let every man take a lamb by their families and houses.
4But if the number be less than may suffice to eat the lamb, he shall take unto him his neighbour that joineth to his house, according to the number of souls which may be enough to eat the lamb.
5And it shall be a lamb without blemish, a male, of one year; according to which rite also you shall take a kid.
6And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; and the whole multitude of the children of Israel shall sacrifice it in the evening.
7And they shall take of the blood thereof, and put it upon both the side posts, and on the upper door posts of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
8And they shall eat the flesh that night roasted at the fire, and unleavened bread with wild lettuce.
9You shall not eat thereof any thing raw, nor boiled in water, but only roasted at the fire; you shall eat the head with the feet and entrails thereof.
10Neither shall there remain any thing of it until morning. If there be any thing left, you shall burn it with fire.
11And thus you shall eat it: you shall gird your reins, and you shall have shoes on your feet, holding staves in your hands, and you shall eat in haste; for it is the Phase (that is the Passage) of the Lord.
12And I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and will kill every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast: and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments; I am the Lord.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Exodus 12:1
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this passage lays the foundation for Israel's identity as God's redeemed people. Keil and Delitzsch describe the Passover as the ceremony through which “the deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt was at hand; also their adoption as the nation of Jehovah.” The instructions are given in Egypt, before the exodus, as the first law for the congregation. Matthew Henry notes that the month of Abib becomes “the beginning of months”, a new calendar marking spiritual birth. The lamb is central: it must be a male, one year old, and without defect. Gill and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown see this as a clear type of Christ, the spotless Lamb of God. The blood on the doorposts serves as a sign of protection: as Barnes explains, the Lord passes over those houses when He sees the blood, distinguishing between judgment and mercy. All these elements, the new year, the chosen lamb, the applied blood, the meal eaten in haste, point to a wholly new beginning for Israel.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God commanded Israel to celebrate the Passover as a memorial of their deliverance from Egypt, with the lamb's blood protecting them from the judgment on the firstborn.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose of the Passover | The Passover was instituted as a memorial of Israel's deliverance from the tenth plague and from Egypt itself. | Some traditions emphasize the Passover as a domestic family festival; others see it as a national religious event centered on the Temple. The first Passover was domestic; later observance was centralized in Jerusalem. |
| The lamb as a type of Christ | Christians across traditions see the Passover lamb as a clear foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away sin. | Catholic and Orthodox readers emphasize the sacrificial and Eucharistic dimensions; Protestant readers often focus on substitutionary atonement. Both affirm the typology. |
| The meaning of 'between the evenings' | The lamb was slaughtered at a specific time on the fourteenth day, distinct from both full daylight and full night. | Jewish tradition interprets it as the interval between noon and sunset; some Christian commentators follow the Karaite view that it is between sunset and full dark. The exact timing affects the understanding of the hour of Christ's death. |
| Who participated in the first Passover | Every Israelite household was commanded to take part; the community as a whole was involved. | Whether the Passover was exclusively for Hebrew families or could include resident foreigners (gerim) was debated later. The original instructions focus solely on the congregation of Israel. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This revelation comes “in the land of Egypt” (v.1), a detail the Cambridge Bible says is unique to these regulations. The people are still slaves, yet God speaks of a new calendar: “This month shall be to you the beginning of months” (v.2). The month is Abib (later called Nisan), corresponding to March-April, when barley was in ear. Previously the year began in autumn, but from now on Israel’s sacred year starts with this month of redemption.
The lamb is selected on the tenth day and kept until the fourteenth (v.3,6). This four-day period of examination, as Clarke and JFB observe, prefigured the testing of Christ before His crucifixion. The lamb is slaughtered “at evening” (v.6), literally “between the two evenings,” understood by Jewish tradition as the time between the sun’s decline and sunset. Each household shares the lamb; if a family is too small, they join with neighbors (v.4). The blood is painted on the two doorposts and the lintel (v.7), a rite that consecrates the house and marks it for deliverance.
The meal is roasted with fire, not boiled or raw (v.8-9), and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Unleavened bread recalls haste, no time for dough to rise, and the bitter herbs symbolize the bitterness of slavery. The participants must eat “with your belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand” (v.11), fully prepared for travel. Wesley notes that God’s instructions assume departure at a moment’s notice. The name “Passover” (Pesach) comes from the Lord’s promise to “pass over” the houses marked with blood, while He brings judgment on Egypt (v.12). This judgment also falls on the gods of Egypt: Gill and Calvin both emphasize that the plagues expose the impotence of Egypt’s deities.
Cross-references to later worship (Leviticus 23:5; Numbers 28:16) show that this single night became an annual memorial, the foundation of Israel’s festival calendar.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Exodus 12:1-12. The Hebrew text is stable, and the main interpretive questions concern the meaning of the instructions rather than their wording.
Reception History
The Passover command has been central to both Jewish and Christian observance. In Judaism, the Seder meal on the first night of Passover follows the structure established here, with the lamb, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs. The early church, from Paul onward (1 Corinthians 5:7), identified Christ as “our Passover sacrificed for us.” By the second century, Christians celebrated Easter (Pascha) as the new Passover, focusing on Christ’s resurrection. The details of the lamb being without blemish and its bones not broken (John 19:36) were seen as fulfilled in Jesus. Throughout history, the passage has been read as a model of salvation by grace through faith, where the blood provides protection and the meal sustains the redeemed community on their journey.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- A new beginning: God resets Israel’s calendar. The month of redemption becomes the first month of the year. Grace starts a new count for God’s people.
- A sacrificed lamb: The lamb must be without blemish, male, one year old. It is examined for four days, then slain. Its blood marks the door for deliverance.
- A protected household: The blood says “pass over.” Under the blood, every home is safe. The meal is eaten in haste, ready to move. Salvation is both shelter and summons.
Five-point outline
- Selection (vv.3-5): Each family chooses a lamb on the tenth day. The lamb is a shared provision, not individual.
- Examination (v.6): The lamb is kept until the fourteenth day, a period of inspection, pointing to Christ under scrutiny.
- Slaughter (v.6): The whole assembly joins in the act of killing the lamb. Community participation in the sacrifice.
- Application (v.7): The blood is put on the doorposts and lintel. Not just the act of sacrifice, but its appropriation.
- Consumption (vv.8-11): The roasted lamb is eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The posture is readiness, loins girded, sandals on, staff in hand.
Illustration hooks
- Four days of inspection: Think about the deliberation before a major purchase or commitment. The lamb was not rushed into sacrifice. God wanted Israel to understand what they were doing.
- The shared meal: If a family was too small, they shared with a neighbor. The Passover was never solitary. Salvation draws people together.
- Eating in haste: A quick meal before a long journey. Sometimes the most important moments require us to be ready to move, not to linger.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why did God start Israel’s year in the spring instead of the fall?
- What does it mean that the blood was applied with hyssop? Does that connect to the Crucifixion?
- How can I see Christ in the Passover when I read the Old Testament?
Leading a Discussion
This passage describes the night that changed everything for Israel. God gave specific instructions for a meal that saved them from the final plague. As you discuss, consider how the details of the lamb, the blood, and the haste all speak to God’s rescue plan.
Discussion questions
- Read vv.1-2. Why does God change the calendar for Israel? What does it mean for a people in slavery to start a new year?
- Describe the lamb: what qualities were required (v.5)? Why do you think God insisted on an unblemished male yearling?
- What does the four-day waiting period (v.3,6) add to the meaning? How might it help the people prepare spiritually?
- The blood is put on the doorposts and lintel (v.7). Why not the threshold? What does this placement suggest about protection?
- The meal includes unleavened bread and bitter herbs (v.8). What do these elements represent about their situation and their deliverance?
- Notice the posture in v.11: dressed for travel, staff in hand. How does this shape your understanding of what it means to receive salvation?
- v.12 says the Lord will “execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt.” What does this tell us about God’s power over false gods?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 13:4 | Today you go out in the month Abib. |
| Exodus 23:15 | You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it you came out of Egypt), and no one shall appear before me empty. |
| Exodus 34:18 | “You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib; for in the month Abib you came out of Egypt. |
| Leviticus 23:5 | In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, is Yahweh’s Passover. |
| Numbers 28:16 | “‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, is Yahweh’s Passover. |
| Deuteronomy 16:1 | Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to Yahweh your God; for in the month of Abib Yahweh your God brought you out of Egypt by night. |
| Esther 3:7 | In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, and chose the twelfth month, which is the month Adar. |
| Genesis 4:4 | Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat. Yahweh respected Abel and his offering, |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
5 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that God commanded a lamb slain in every house so each family would personally feel the grace as uniquely given to them, not to divide the people. The same common sacrifice was applied particularly, just as baptism is common yet given to each believer individually to confirm their personal share in redemption.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible treats this passage as a Priestly source text, focusing on its historical and technical details. It notes that the spring month replaced an older autumn new year, and explains the disputed meaning of the phrase "between the two evenings." The commentary emphasizes the domestic nature of the Passover, seeing the blood rite as a survival of archaic custom.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB reads the Passover primarily as a family-centered ritual that foreshadows Christ. The lamb, chosen four days before sacrifice, examined and spotless, prefigures Christ’s public examination and innocence. The blood on the doorposts, visible and not trampled, represents the blood of sprinkling that secures mercy for sinners.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch treat the Passover as a divine consecration, not merely a deliverance ritual, but the very founding of Israel's birth into a new life of grace and fellowship with God. They suggest the four-day interval between choosing and slaughtering the lamb may symbolize the four generations Israel spent growing into a nation in Egypt.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees the Passover lamb as a clear type of Christ, noting it was to be a male in its prime, symbolizing Christ's strength and sufficiency. He also stresses that the lamb was not a formal altar sacrifice but a religious ceremony acknowledging God's deliverance, and the whole observance was to be kept as an annual memorial.