Exodus 12

30 Apr 2026 - Theology

The Passover

The Passover (1-28)

Exodus 12:2 - “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.”

What month was it at that time?

Exodus 13:4 - “And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. This day came ye out in the month Abib.”

The month was Abib (or Aviv, meaning “spring”), and was to be the first month of the year. Why then does Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, come in the fall?

For farmers and shepherds, the time of aviv (“spring”) started the new year with crops and new births of lambs and goats. For the priests, Rosh Hashanah and the sacrifices of atonement on Yom Kippur in the fall were more important. Later in history, as new prayers and practices were added to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the fall holidays grew more serious and intense. The month of Passover (now called Nisan) remained the first month of the year; but now the High Holy Days, in the seventh month of the year, were fixed as the “official” Jewish new year.

Exodus 12:5 - “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:”

This is a foreshadowing of the spotless lamb who is to come, the Deliverer. This is the one whose death will take us from a kingdom of Sin to a kingdom of righteousness. This Deliverer is Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:19 - “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”

Hebrews 9:14 - “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

Exodus 12:12 - “For 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.”

This is why the Lord sent the plagues and Passover: so that He could execute judgement against all the gods of Egypt.

Exodus 12:7 - “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.”

Exodus 12:22 - “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 blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.”

After the Passover, the people of God left their homes through a bloody door. They took the blood of the lamb and put it on the top and sides of their door. There was also blood that formed into a basin at the bottom of the door:

This is a birth image - as the Israelites left Egypt in haste (verse 33), they needed to leave their homes by walking out through this bloody door.

John 3:3 - “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

The Death of the Firstborn (29-36)

Exodus 12:29-30 - “And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn 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. 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 dead.”

This is what the Lord had said to Moses would happen back in Exodus 4:

Exodus 4:22-23 - “And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.”

This plague was thus the direct repayment for Pharaoh’s massacre of Hebrew baby boys.

Let’s add this last plague to our table:

Exodus 12:35 - “And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:”

It was customary at the departure of a servant to give them a gift. The Israelites had long been servants of the Egyptians. Probably in a state of panic which followed these events, the Egyptians were willing to give them anything if they would leave and do so quickly.

This is a fulfillment of a promise the Lord made to Abram during the Blood Path Covenant in Genesis 15:

Genesis 15:4 - “And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.”

See also Exodus 3:22 and 11:2.

The Long Trip Begins (37-51)

Exodus 12:38 - “And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.”

This “mixed multitude” means it was not just the Israelites who left Egypt, but some Egyptians came with them as proselytes. This act of being born is not just for physical Israel, but for all those who believe. Notice in verse 40, we see the mixed multitude is still called the “children of Israel.”

Exodus 12:39 - “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.”

Here it states that unleavened bread was first baked when the Israelites hurried out of Egypt and did not wait for their bread dough to rise. However, earlier in the Passover story, the Lord commanded Moses that the Passover lamb be roasted and eaten along with the unleavened bread.

Exodus 12:8 - “And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.”

Bible scholars explain that Egyptian and Canaanite farmers celebrated a spring festival, which was a time for finishing the old grain before eating the grain of the new harvest. Any remaining grain was burned; the new grain was eaten as unleavened bread.

Exodus 12:40 - “Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.”

This is a fulfillment of another promise the Lord made to Abram during the Blood Path Covenant in Genesis 15:

Genesis 15:16 - “But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”

Their bondage in Egypt was certainly part of God’s overall plan. The four generations of their sojourn should be understood as four lifetimes. Remember Joseph lived 110 years, so 430 years could be very accurate for four lifetimes.

Exodus 12:46 - “In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.”

In this verse, and in Numbers 9:12, the breaking of the lamb’s bones is forbidden.

John 19:33,36 - “But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs… For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.”

References:

1. The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)
2. The BEMA Podcast, Episode 19: A Strengthened Heart
3. The Torah Portion-by-Portion by Rabbi Seymour Rossel (2007)
4. The Meaning of the Ten Plagues and the Egyptian gods they Defeated