Exodus 12:39 · Bible study
Exodus 12:39 Commentary: The Haste of Deliverance
Hebrew · 6 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Does 'thrust out' mean hostile expulsion or urgent departure? Exodus 12:39 explains the haste that produced unleavened bread and its lasting meaning.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The haste of the exodus produces unleavened bread as a symbol of deliverance and dependence on God’s timing.
- Key words: thrust out (גָּרַשׁ, Pual), dough (בָּצֵק), cakes (עֻגֹת, baked on hot stones), unleavened bread (מַצּוֹת), provisions (צֵדָה).
- Main debate: Does 'thrust out' mean hostile expulsion (Exodus 6:1, 11:1) or urgent, persuasive departure (Gill)?
- Theological theme: God’s deliverance demands an immediate, wholehearted response that reshapes ordinary life into worship.
- Best use: Explaining the origin of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and connecting the physical haste to spiritual readiness.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Since their dough had no leaven, the people baked what they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves. For when they had been driven out of Egypt, they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for themselves.
WEB World English Bible 2000
They baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought out of Egypt; for it wasn’t leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt, and couldn’t wait, and they had not prepared any food for themselves.
KJV King James Version 1769
And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victuals.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And 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.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And they baked the dough that they brought forth out of Egypt into unleavened cakes, for it was not leavened; for they were driven out of Egypt, and could not wait; neither had they prepared for themselves any food.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And they baked the meal, which a little before they had brought out of Egypt in dough: and they made hearth cakes unleavened: for it could not be leavened, the Egyptians pressing them to depart, and not suffering them to make any stay; neither did they think of preparing any meat.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y cocieron tortas sin levadura de la masa que habían sacado de Egipto; porque no había leudado, por cuanto echándolos los Egipcios, no habían podido detenerse, ni aun prepararse comida.
E cozeram tortas sem levedura da massa que haviam tirado do Egito; porque não havia levedado, porquanto expulsando-os os egípcios, não haviam podido deter-se, nem ainda preparar para si comida.
Ils firent des gâteaux cuits sans levain avec la pâte qu’ ils avaient emportée d’ Égypte, et qui n’ était pas levée; car ils avaient été chassés d’ Égypte, sans pouvoir tarder, et sans prendre des provisions avec eux.
Und sie buken aus dem rohen Teig, den sie aus Ägypten brachten, ungesäuerte Kuchen; denn es war nicht gesäuert, weil sie aus Ägypten gestoßen wurden und nicht verziehen konnten und sich sonst keine Zehrung zubereitet hatten.
En zij bakten van het deeg, dat zij uit Egypte gebracht hadden, ongezuurde koeken; want het was niet gedesemd; overmits zij uit Egypte uitgedreven werden, zodat zij niet vertoeven konden, noch ook tering voor zich bereiden.
E cossero la pasta che avean portata dall’Egitto, e ne fecero delle focacce azzime; poiché la pasta non era lievitata, essendo essi stati cacciati dall’Egitto senza poter indugiare e senza potersi prendere provvisioni di sorta.
I popiekli z ciasta zadziałanego, które wynieśli z Egiptu, placki przaśne; bo nie było zakwaszone, przeto że wygnani byli z Egiptu, a nie mogli zmieszkać; żywności też sobie byli nie przygotowali.
И испекли они из теста, которое вынесли из Египта, пресные лепешки, ибо оно еще не вскисло, потому что они выгнаны были из Египта и не могли медлить, и даже пищи не приготовили себе на дорогу.
他們用 埃及 帶出來 的 生麵 烤成 無酵 餅。這生麵原 沒有 發起；因為 他們被催逼 離開埃及，不 能 耽延，也 沒有 為自己 預備 甚麼食物。
And they made unleavened cakes from the paste which they had taken out of Egypt; it was not leavened, for they had been sent out of Egypt so quickly, that they had no time to make any food ready.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Exodus 12:39
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the Israelites' hasty departure explains why their dough did not rise. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that the phrase 'thrust out' echoes Exodus 6:1 and 11:1, where God promises to drive Israel out with a strong hand. Gill's Exposition argues that 'thrust out' does not mean violent expulsion but 'earnest entreaties and urgent persuasions to depart', the Egyptians pressed them to leave. Matthew Henry observes that the people 'set forward without delay, and did not defer to a more convenient season.' The unleavened bread emerges directly from the circumstances: there simply was not time to wait for dough to rise. All see this as a concrete historical event that later ritualized the Feast of Unleavened Bread, grounding the symbol in real deliverance rather than abstract theology.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The haste of the departure directly produced unleavened bread, and this event became the perpetual basis for the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'thrust out' | The phrase indicates a swift, pressurized departure from Egypt. | Gill argues it means urgent persuasion, not violent expulsion; others see a stronger sense of expulsion based on Exodus 6:1 and 11:1. |
| Unleavened bread as symbol vs. accident | The unleavened bread began as a practical consequence of haste. | Some emphasize that it later became a commanded symbol; others stress that its symbolic meaning was always implicit in God's timing. |
| The role of Israel's preparation | They lacked prepared food and could not wait for dough to rise. | Whether this showed their faith in God's provision (Matthew Henry) or simply the exit's abruptness (Cambridge). |
| Timing of the exodus | The departure happened exactly 430 years to the day (v.41), showing divine precision. | No significant disagreement in supplied sources. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The verse sits within the climactic departure narrative of Exodus 12. The Israelites had just observed the first Passover, and at midnight the Lord struck down the firstborn of Egypt (Exodus 12:29). By morning, Pharaoh and the Egyptians were urgent to send them away: 'We are all dead men!' (Exodus 12:33). The word thrust out translates the Hebrew גָּרְשׁוּ (gor·shu), a Pual perfect form of גָּרַשׁ, a verb used elsewhere for divorce or expulsion (e.g., Genesis 3:24, of Adam being driven from Eden). In Exodus 6:1, God says Pharaoh will 'drive them out' with a strong hand; in 11:1, 'he will surely thrust you out altogether.' The verb is passive: they were acted upon.
The dough (בָּצֵק) they carried from Egypt was already mixed but unleavened. The cakes baked from this dough are called עֻגֹת (u·got), a term used in Genesis 18:6 and 1 Kings 19:6 for cakes baked quickly on hot stones or under ashes. The Cambridge Bible describes them as 'cakes baked rapidly by being placed on the hot stones', a method requiring no oven and no rising time. The text stresses that the haste left them without provisions (צֵדָה, tze·dah), a word that can refer to food taken on a journey, often game or fish (as Gill notes). The large company, six hundred thousand men plus families and a 'mixed multitude' (v.38), made any delay impossible. The 430-year sojourn ended 'to the day' (v.41), underscoring divine precision. The unleavened bread was not a ritual choice but a necessity born of God's timing.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts.
Reception History
Exodus 12:39 has been central to Jewish observance of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, directly grounding the command to eat matzah. Early Christian writers, such as Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, drew on the imagery to urge believers to 'cleanse out the old leaven' in light of Christ, the Passover lamb. Medieval Jewish commentators like Rashi emphasized the miraculous nature of the provision: the dough did not spoil despite the haste. The verse has also been read pastorally as a picture of the believer's urgent departure from sin and the world's system, a theme echoed in hymns about the Exodus and in devotional literature on sanctification.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The haste of redemption, God’s deliverance often comes when we least expect it and moves faster than our plans. The Israelites had no time to prepare bread; they had to move on God’s word.
- The symbol of unleavened bread, What began as an accident of timing became a permanent sign. God takes our ordinary circumstances and transforms them into holy symbols of His work.
- Provision in the rush, Though they lacked prepared provisions, the dough they carried became enough. God provides what is needed for the journey, even when we feel unprepared.
Five-point outline
- God’s hand moves history, The exodus happens at God’s appointed time, not Israel’s convenience.
- Urgency is part of faith, The people did not linger; they left when God opened the door.
- No room for leaven, In the Hebrew mind, leaven often symbolized sin or corruption; the absence of leaven here begins as a practical reality but later becomes a moral lesson.
- Bread of affliction becomes bread of freedom, Deuteronomy 16:3 calls unleavened bread ‘the bread of affliction,’ linking hardship with redemption.
- A memorial for all generations, This unusual meal becomes a perpetual reminder that God saves in unexpected ways.
Illustration hooks
- A family evacuating their home during a wildfire: they grab only what is in hand, leaving everything else behind. The emergency makes their survival food and water feel holy.
- A cook who forgets to add yeast to the dough discovers that the flatbread cooks faster and tastes better than expected, a happy accident that becomes a family recipe.
- A student who has to leave for a scholarship interview with only a packed sandwich, while all the careful preparations of their peers are useless.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this mean God wants me to act rashly without planning?, The haste was God’s timing, not impulsiveness. Preparation is good; trust is better.
- Why is leaven seen negatively?, Leaven ferments and spreads; in Scripture it often symbolizes pride, hypocrisy, or sin that works through the whole batch (1 Corinthians 5:6-8).
- If they were 'thrust out,' were they victims or willing participants?, They went willingly once God opened the way. The thrusting was God’s strong hand, not human coercion.
Leading a Discussion
Exodus 12:39 sits at the hinge of the exodus story: the people have left Egypt, but the journey has just begun. The detail about unleavened bread is not a footnote, it becomes a centerpiece of Israel’s identity. Read the verse aloud together, noticing the two reasons given for the bread’s condition (v.39b).
Discussion questions
- Observation: What specific words or phrases in the verse describe the speed of the departure? How does each one contribute to the picture?
- Observation: The verb 'thrust out' (גָּרְשׁוּ) is passive. Who is the implied agent? What does this suggest about who is really in control of events?
- Interpretation: The cakes are called both 'bread cakes' (עֻגֹת) and 'unleavened bread' (מַצּוֹת). Why do you think the text uses both terms? What does this tell us about the transition from necessity to ritual?
- Interpretation: Compare Exodus 12:33 with this verse. How does the Egyptian urgency match or differ from the 'thrust out' language? Does it change your sense of whether the departure was hostile or cooperative?
- Application: When have you experienced a time when God moved faster than your preparations? What did you learn about trust in that season?
- Application: The unleavened bread later became a commanded feast (Exodus 12:17-20). Why would God turn a practical reality into a permanent religious practice? What everyday mercies might God be calling you to remember?
- Application: Paul uses leaven as a warning (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). What 'leaven', attitudes, habits, or sins, might need to be left behind when God calls you forward in haste?
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 6:1 | Yahweh said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh, for by a strong hand he shall let them go, and by a strong hand he shall drive them out of his land.” |
| Exodus 11:1 | Yahweh said to Moses, “I will bring yet one more plague on Pharaoh, and on Egypt; afterwards he will let you go. When he lets you go, he will surely thrust you out altogether. |
| Exodus 12:31 | He called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve Yahweh, as you have said! |
| Exodus 12:33 | The Egyptians were urgent with the people, to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, “We are all dead men.” |
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.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary notes that the word for cakes here differs from the usual term for unleavened bread, pointing instead to a specific type of flatbread baked rapidly on hot stones and covered with hot ashes. This detail gives a more concrete picture of the hasty meal the Israelites prepared as they left Egypt.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes highlight that the unleavened bread was not a symbolic choice but a direct result of the Egyptians' urgent expulsion. The Israelites had no time to wait for dough to rise because they were being driven out so quickly they could not even prepare food ahead of time.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill explains that the Israelites baked their unleavened dough under hot ashes, not in ovens, since they left the desert of Succoth. He also clarifies that being "thrust out" of Egypt means they were urgently persuaded to leave, not violently driven away. The haste left them with no prepared food beyond the unleavened dough they carried.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch argue that the traditional starting point of the Exodus at Belbeis is impossible, because a nation of two million people with families and livestock could not cover the distance to the Red Sea in three days. They place the departure instead near Heroopolis, which fits the geography and the timeline of Pharaoh summoning Moses. They also defend the figure of six hundred thousand men as a natural result of population growth over four centuries.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry emphasizes that Israel left Egypt without a moment's delay, knowing Pharaoh's favorable mood would not last. He marvels that 70 souls grew to over 600,000 fighting men in just 200 years, seeing this as the power of God's blessing and a foreshadowing of the early church's explosive growth.