Exodus 12:45 · Bible study
Exodus 12:45 Commentary: Why Foreigners & Hired Servants Are Excluded
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why were foreign residents and hired servants excluded from the Passover? This study explores the covenant boundaries reflected in Exodus 12:45.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Foreign residents and hired laborers are prohibited from the Passover because they lack covenantal commitment, symbolized by circumcision.
- Key words: תּוֹשָׁב (toshab, settler) and שָׂכִיר (sakhir, hired laborer) denote temporary, non-covenantal relationships with Israel.
- Main debate: Why can the bought servant (v. 44) be circumcised and participate, but not the hired servant? The answer centers on permanence of relationship and the master's authority.
- Theological theme: Covenant membership requires visible commitment; proximity to God's people is not enough.
- Best use: Teaching on the nature of church membership, the meaning of baptism/Communion, and the cost of discipleship.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
A temporary resident or hired hand shall not eat the Passover.
WEB World English Bible 2000
A foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat of it.
KJV King James Version 1769
A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
a settler or hired servant doth not eat of it;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
A settler and a hired servant shall not eat it.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
The stranger and the hireling shall not eat thereof.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
El extranjero y el asalariado no comerán de ella.
O estrangeiro e o assalariado não comerão dela.
L’ habitant et le mercenaire n’ en mangeront point.
Ein Beisaß und Mietling sollen nicht davon essen.
Geen uitlander noch huurling zal er van eten.
L’avventizio e il mercenario non ne mangino.
Przychodzień i najemnik nie będzie jadł z niego.
поселенец и наемник не должен есть ее.
寄居的 和雇工人 都不可 吃。
A man from a strange country living among you, and a servant working for payment, may not take part in it.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Exodus 12:45
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 Exodus 12:45 draws a sharp line around the Passover meal based on covenantal status. Clarke, Gill, and Keil & Delitzsch all note that the foreigner (תּוֹשָׁב, toshab) and the hired servant (שָׂכִיר, sakhir) are excluded because they are not circumcised and therefore stand outside the covenant community. Unlike the bought servant who could be incorporated through circumcision (v. 44), these two categories represent temporary or external relationships with Israel. Keil & Delitzsch explain that such persons "stood in a purely external relation, which might be any day dissolved." Matthew Henry adds that "no stranger that was uncircumcised might be admitted to eat of it," and Cambridge Bible notes the technical distinction between these terms and the ger (sojourner) of v. 48. The shared conviction is that participation in the Passover required more than presence in Israel; it demanded a visible sign of belonging to God's people.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Social status view: The toshab and sakhir are excluded because their ties to Israel are purely economic or residential, not familial or covenantal (Keil & Delitzsch, Cambridge Bible).
- Circumcision condition view: The prohibition is simply a restatement of the general rule that uncircumcised persons cannot eat the Passover (v. 48). The toshab and sakhir are assumed to be uncircumcised, whereas the bought servant in v. 44 can be circumcised (Gill, Clarke).
- Transitional regulation view: These rules were given on the fly due to the mixed multitude; later texts (e.g., Numbers 9:14) may simplify or expand the conditions for foreign participation.
What is clear: The verse clearly excludes those who are not circumcised and do not belong to the covenant household from participating in the Passover meal.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Definition of toshab (תּוֹשָׁב) vs ger (גֵּר) | Both terms refer to non-Israelites living among Israel; both lack full civil rights. | Whether the toshab is more permanently settled than the ger, or whether the ger is a broader category including the toshab. Cambridge Bible notes the distinction is 'not altogether clear' and suggests the toshab may be included in the ger of v. 48. |
| Why hired servant is excluded but bought servant is not | Both are servants; the difference lies in the nature of their service. | Keil & Delitzsch and Gill argue that the hired servant's relationship is temporary and can be dissolved, so he cannot be incorporated. Others suggest the bought servant is under the master's legal authority to compel circumcision, while the hired servant remains an independent agent. |
| Relevance to New Testament church membership | The principle of covenant boundary applies; participation in sacred meals requires faith and belonging to Christ. | Whether the Old Testament category of 'covenant community' maps directly onto local church membership or refers more broadly to the universal body of believers. Some traditions require baptism for Communion; others invite all who trust Christ. |
| Application of v. 48 alongside v. 45 | The sojourner (ger) who desires the Passover may enter through circumcision; the toshab and sakhir are not automatically excluded forever. | Whether v. 48 revises v. 45 by allowing the toshab to be treated as a ger if he seeks circumcision, or whether toshab and ger remain distinct categories with different paths to inclusion. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Exodus 12:45 appears in a block of supplementary Passover regulations given just after the exodus from Egypt (vv. 43, 49). The historical setting is crucial: a "mixed multitude" (v. 38) had joined Israel, raising urgent questions about who could participate in the defining meal of the nation's birth. The Passover was not a public festival but a household observance, eaten in one house (v. 46), symbolizing the unity of the covenant family.
The terms in this verse reflect ancient Near Eastern social categories. The toshab (תּוֹשָׁב) denotes a foreigner who settles more permanently than a passing traveler, yet without civil rights or full integration into the tribe. Cambridge Bible connects it to the Greek πάροικος, a resident alien dependent on a patron. The sakhir (שָׂכִיר) is a hired laborer, paid by the day or year, whose tie to the household was economic, not kin-based. Both stood in contrast to the ger (גֵּר, v. 48), a sojourner who might seek full covenantal status by submitting to circumcision.
Keil & Delitzsch argue that these regulations were not given earlier because the presence of the mixed multitude forced clarity. Israel had to define itself as a people constituted by divine call, not ethnic descent. The exclusion of the toshab and sakhir underscored that temporary connection to Israel did not grant access to its most sacred rites. This principle, that covenant membership requires personal commitment, runs through the rest of Scripture and finds New Testament expression in the call to be "fellow citizens with the saints" (Ephesians 2:19).
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Exodus 12:45. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts, and the key terms תּוֹשָׁב and שָׂכִיר appear consistently in the major traditions.
Reception History
Exodus 12:45 has been read through two lenses across church history. Early Christian writers, such as those in the catechetical schools, used this verse to teach that the sacraments of the new covenant require instruction and repentance, just as the Passover required circumcision. The Didache (late 1st/early 2nd century) echoes this principle in its instructions for baptism and the Eucharist: "Let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist but those who have been baptized in the name of the Lord." During the Reformation, both Catholic and Protestant interpreters saw the verse as grounding church discipline around the Lord's Table. The broader principle, that covenant signs belong to covenant members, has been consistently affirmed, though with varying applications regarding children and the unbaptized. In modern evangelical reception, the verse is often cited in discussions about who may take Communion, alongside 1 Corinthians 11:27-29.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The question of belonging. Exodus 12:45 asks who is truly part of God's people. The foreigner and hired servant are near Israel but not of Israel. Their exclusion shows that proximity, geographical, economic, even social, does not make someone a member of the covenant community.
- The cost of inclusion. The bought servant could eat the Passover after circumcision (v. 44). The hired servant could not, because his relationship was temporary. Covenant membership requires a permanent, costly commitment, symbolized by the sign of circumcision, which in the New Testament becomes the circumcision of the heart (Romans 2:28-29).
- The open door. Verse 48 immediately extends the Passover to the ger who desires it and submits to circumcision. The door is not shut to outsiders; it is opened on the basis of covenant faith. This prefigures the gospel invitation to all nations.
Five-point outline
- The Passover as a family meal of the covenant household.
- Two excluded groups: the settled foreigner and the wage laborer.
- Why they were excluded: no circumcision, no covenantal bond.
- Contrast with the bought servant (v. 44) and the sojourner (v. 48).
- The principle: salvation is not by association but by incorporation into Christ.
Illustration hooks
- Being a regular at a coffee shop does not make you an employee. Likewise, being near God's people does not make you a member of His family.
- A temp worker has a desk and a badge, but no stake in the company's future. The hired servant's exclusion highlights that the Passover belonged to those who had a permanent share in Israel's inheritance.
- Think of a wedding feast. Friends and caterers may attend, but only the bride and groom have entered covenant. The Passover required the guests to be part of the family.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this mean that church membership itself saves us?
- If I have a friend who is not a Christian but wants to take Communion, should I let them?
- How does this Old Testament rule relate to Jesus' invitation to "come to me all who labor" (Matthew 11:28)?
Leading a Discussion
Exodus 12:45 raises deep questions about who belongs to God's people and what that belonging costs. The verse does not stand alone; it is part of a larger passage that distinguishes between temporary residents and those who have made a permanent covenant. As you discuss this text, notice how God carefully defines the boundaries of the Passover meal, and consider how these boundaries find their fulfillment in Christ. The goal is not to build walls but to recognize that the gospel itself creates a new covenant community with its own marks of membership.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think God gave such detailed rules about who could eat the Passover? What does this teach about His character?
- What is the difference between a hired servant and a bought servant in this passage? Why does that difference matter for participation?
- The toshab (settler) and sakhir (hired worker) were excluded, but the ger (sojourner) in verse 48 could participate after circumcision. What does this tell us about God's heart toward outsiders?
- How does circumcision function as a sign of covenant commitment in this context? What is the New Testament equivalent for Christians?
- In what ways might churches today be tempted to open the Lord's Table to people who have not genuinely committed to Christ? What are the dangers?
- Read Ephesians 2:12-13. How does Paul's description of Gentiles as "separate from Christ" and "strangers to the covenants" echo the situation of the excluded groups in Exodus 12?
- How can we balance the clear boundaries of covenant membership with Jesus' command to invite all to come to Him (Matthew 11:28-30)?
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)
| Leviticus 22:10 | “‘No stranger shall eat of the holy thing: a foreigner living with the priests, or a hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing. |
| Ephesians 2:12 | that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. |
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
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke draws a parallel between Old Testament covenant membership and New Testament salvation: just as only circumcised Israelites could eat the Passover, only those who obey Christ and are sanctified by the Spirit receive eternal salvation. External association without covenant obligation grants no right to God’s privileges.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the word translated as "foreigner" means something more specific: a sojourner, someone who lives in the land without a permanent home and without belonging to an Israelite household. For him this term points to a person without fixed roots or family ties in the community.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes a puzzle in the Passover law: a foreigner who settles permanently in Israel is excluded from the meal, while a more temporary visitor may join if circumcised. One would expect the opposite, but the law makes the stranger more welcome than the resident alien.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
A stranger or an hyred seruant shall not eat thereof.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill explains that foreigners and hired servants were excluded from eating the Passover because they were not circumcised. Without that sign of covenant membership, they had no right to partake unless they became full converts, proselytes of righteousness. The restriction ties participation directly to entering the covenant community.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch draws a sharp line between foreigners who are incorporated into Israel by circumcision and those who remain outside. Purchased slaves, as permanent property, could be circumcised and join the Passover. But settlers and hired workers, in a purely temporary and external relationship, were excluded because the meal signified Israel’s unique covenantal fellowship with God.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights that the Passover ordinance establishes Israel's distinct religious communion, with circumcision as the prerequisite for participation. He notes the mixed multitude joined voluntarily, attracted by faith
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry stresses that the Passover was a corporate act of the whole congregation, not merely private families. He draws a direct parallel to the Lord's Supper, arguing that no Christian who can worthily partake should neglect it, just as no uncircumcised stranger was allowed to eat the Passover.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
An hired servant - Unless he submit to be circumcised.