Exodus 12:1-48

12:1 [in the land of Egypt: The text thereby establishes the antiquity of the ritual.]

12:1 YHWH said to Moshe and to Aharon in the land of Egypt, saying:

2 [Let this … be … let it be: The rhetoric helps to focus attention on this important section. beginning-one: At least one form of the ancient Hebrew calendar began in the spring; the Torah begins its ritual calendar according to its ritual beginning at Passover. It is significant that the new year of nature and that of the nation’s birth coalesce. For extensive discussion of Exodus and the biblical calendar, see Sarna 1986.]

2 Let this New-Moon be for you the beginning of New-Moons,
the beginning-one let it be for you of the New-Moons of the year.

3 [entire community of Israel: This term, “community” (Heb. Õeda), is used somewhat interchangeably with a host of others in the Torah to indicate the leadership (often, the elders) of the people (Weinfeld 1972a). tenth: There is a parallel important day in the fall, on the tenth day of the seventh month—Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (see Lev. 16:29). Fathers’ House: See the note to 6:14.]

3 Speak to the entire community of Israel, saying:
On the tenth day after this New-Moon
they are to take them, each-man, a lamb, according to their Fathers’ House, a lamb per household.
4 Now if there be too few in the house for a lamb,
he is to take (it), he and his neighbor who is near his house, by the computation according to the (total number of) persons;
each-man according to what he can eat you are to compute for the lamb.

5 [wholly-sound: Or “hale” (Heb. tamim),that is, physically unblemished. This primary physical meaning often gives way to a spiritualized one, in reference to human beings (Job, for instance, is described as tamim, variously translated as “blameless” and “perfect” in Job 1:1).]

5 A wholly-sound male, year-old lamb shall be yours, from the sheep and from the goats are you to take it.

6 [you … they: The change in the subject of the sentence, from second to third person, is not unusual in biblical Hebrew. fourteenth day: Close to the full moon. between the setting-times: At twilight. This time is mentioned elsewhere (e.g., 16:12; 29:39, 41; and several places in Numbers) in connection with the sacrifices made by the priests. This perhaps implies that we have here the unusual situation (at least in ancient Israel) of the head of the household performing a priestly function.]

6 It shall be for you in safekeeping, until the fourteenth day after this New-Moon,
and they are to slay it—the entire assembly of the community of Israel—between the setting-times.
7 They are to take some of the blood and put it onto the two posts and onto the lintel,
onto the houses in which they eat it.

8 [roasted in fire: Not raw or boiled, since what seems to be meant is an imitation of standard sacrifices. matzot: Sing. matza, flat, unleavened bread. with bitter-herbs: Others, “on bitter herbs.” Gaster (1949) notes the long-standing use of such cathartics as purifiers or demon-ridders (e.g., garlic) in folk cultures. Later Jewish tradition speaks of the herbs as a symbol of the bitterness of Egyptian bondage.]

8 They are to eat the flesh on that night, roasted in fire,
and matzot,
with bitter-herbs they are to eat it.

9 [legs … innards: That is, completely consumed.]

9 Do not eat any of it raw, or boiled, boiled in water,
but rather roasted in fire, its head along with its legs, along with its innards.

10 [You are not to leave any of it until morning: Again, as in the removal of leaven, what is meant is complete destruction.]

10 You are not to leave any of it until morning;
what is left of it until morning, with fire you are to burn.

11 [your hips girded …: Prepared for travel. Passover is still observed in this manner by some Jews originating in Arab lands.]  [in trepidation: Others, “in haste,” but the element of fear is also contained in the verb (Heb. hafoz).]

11 And thus you are to eat it:
your hips girded, your sandals on your feet, your sticks in your hand;
you are to eat it in trepidation—
it is a Passover-Meal to YHWH.
12 I will proceed through the land of Egypt on this night
and strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from man to beast,
and on all the gods of Egypt I will render judgment,
I, YHWH.

13 [pass over: The exact meaning of Hebrew pasoÕah is in dispute. Some interpret it as “protect”; others, including Buber (1988), relate it to “limp,” suggesting a halting dance performed as part of the ancient festival (perhaps in imitation of the newborn spring lambs). It is possible that there are homonyms here, and that the text is playing on them.]

13 Now the blood will be a sign for you upon the houses where you are:
when I see the blood, I will pass over you,
the blow will not become a bringer-of-ruin to you, when I strike down the land of Egypt.
14 This day shall be for you a memorial,
you are to celebrate it as a pilgrimage-celebration for YHWH,
throughout your generations, as a law for the ages you are to celebrate it!

15 [seven days: Similar to the great fall festival, Sukkot, mentioned in Lev. 23:34f. leaven … fermented: The removal of these elements is commonly found in agricultural societies (for more, see Gaster 1949, 1969). from the first … that person …: The two phrases occur in reversed order in the Hebrew.]

15 For seven days, matzot you are to eat,
already on the first day you are to get rid of leaven from your houses,
for anyone who eats what is fermented—from the first day until the seventh day—: that person shall be cut off from Israel!

16 [a proclamation of holiness: Others, “a holy convocation.” It is not entirely clear what is meant. proclamation … no kind of work: The same rules apply to the fall festival (Lev. 23:33–43). on them: The first and seventh days.]

16 And on the first day, a proclamation of holiness,
and on the seventh day, a proclamation of holiness shall there be for you,
no kind of work is to be made on them,
only what belongs to every person to eat, that alone may be made-ready by you.

17 [matzot: This probably describes a festival separate from the one connected to the lambs, as indicated above.]

17 And keep the (Festival of) matzot!
For on this same day
I have brought out your forces from the land of Egypt.
Keep this day throughout your generations as a law for the ages.
18 In the first (month), on the fourteenth day after the New-Moon, at sunset, you are to eat matzot,
until the twenty-first day of the month, at sunset.
19 For seven days, no leaven is to be found in your houses,
for whoever eats what ferments, that person shall be cut off from the community of Israel,
whether sojourner or native of the land.

20 [not to eat … to eat matzot: The section ends with an emphatic doublet.]

20 Anything that ferments you are not to eat;
in all your settlements, you are to eat matzot.
21 Moshe had all the elders of Israel called and said to them:
Pick out, take yourselves a sheep for your clans, and slay the Passover-animal.

22 [hyssop: The leaves are known for having a cooling effect (but some understand the Hebrew Õezov as meaning “marjoram”). entrance: Lit. “opening.” This spot of entrance often serves as a figurative threshold in folklore; here, it is the separation point between life and death, Israelites and Egyptians, home and the outside world. Later, it functions as the place of revelation or contact with the holy (e.g., 33:10).]

22 Then take a band of hyssop, dip (it) in the blood which is in the basin,
and touch the lintel and the two posts with some of the blood which is in the basin.
Now you—you are not to go out, any man from the entrance to his house, until daybreak.

23 [pass over: Or, following the comments on v.13, above, “skip over.”]

23 YHWH will proceed to deal-blows to Egypt,
and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two posts,
YHWH will pass over the entrance,
and will not give the bringer-of-ruin (leave) to come into your houses to deal-the-blow.
24 You are to keep this word
as a law for you and for your children, into the ages!

25 [service: Ritual; the Israelites have begun their transformation from serfs to divine servants, underscored by the recurrence of “service” in 12:26 and 13:5.]

25 Now it will be,
when you come to the land which YHWH will give you, as he has spoken,
you are to keep this service!

26 [when your children say: This framework is used frequently in Deuteronomy (e.g., Deut. 6:20).]

26 And it will be,
when your children say to you: What does this service (mean) to you?

27 [when he …: The chiastic structure (A-B/B-A; here, a verb-noun/ noun-verb) ends the speech, a device common in biblical style (Andersen).]

27 then say:
It is the slaughter-meal of Passover to YHWH,
who passed over the houses of the Children of Israel in Egypt,
when he dealt-the-blow to Egypt and our houses he rescued.
The people did homage and bowed low.
28 And the Children of Israel went and did
as YHWH had commanded Moshe and Aharon, thus they did.

29 [captive in the dungeon: Cf. v.11:5, “the maid who is behind the handmill”; both phrases express the idea of the lowest person in the society.] [Tenth Blow and Exodus (12:29–42): The final blow falls. This most horrifying of all the plagues, and the reaction to it, are described in only two verses, whereas the rest of the narrative concerns itself with preparations for and actual description of the exodus. Note how, as above, the narrative is surrounded by ritual concerns—trying to explain the subsequent reason for eating unleavened bread (which had not been done in v.15f., above). There also returns the important motif of despoiling (“stripping”) Egypt.  The section ends (vv.40–42) with a dramatic summary of Israel’s sojourn in Egypt and the importance of the Passover festival, built on repetition (“thirty years and four hundred years,” “a night … for YHWH,” “keeping-watch”). Again, a past event is made immediate for the audience. The powerful religious tones of story and ceremony are established by the threefold reference to night as the setting for both (vv.29–31).]

29 Now it was in the middle of the night:
YHWH struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt,
from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne
to the firstborn of the captive in the dungeon,
and every firstborn of beast.

30 [for there is not a house: The omission of the perfect tense expresses the immediacy of the situation.]

30 Pharaoh arose at night,
he and all his servants and all Egypt,
and there was a great cry in Egypt;
for there is not a house in which there is not a dead man.

31 [according to your words: Pharaoh has never thus conceded before, and so we know that this time he is sincere. The same change of heart is indicated in the next verse, “And bring a blessing even on me!”]

31 He had Moshe and Aharon called in the nightand said:
Arise, go out from amidst my people, even you, even the Children of Israel!
Go, serve YHWH according to your words,

32 [even…: The fourfold use of “even” here shows that Pharaoh is finally not hedging. He gives permission for all the Israelites to leave, without preconditions.]

32 even your sheep, even your oxen, take, as you have spoken, and go!
And bring-a-blessing even on me!

33 [Egypt pressed the people strongly: Contrasting with Pharaoh’s “strong-willed heart” of 10:27 and previously.]

33 Egypt pressed the people strongly, to send them out quickly from the land,
for they said: We are all dead-men!

34 [their kneading-troughs bound: To explain why only matza was baked; see v.39, below.]

34 So the people loaded their dough before it had fermented, their kneading-troughs bound in their clothing, upon their shoulders.
35 Now the Children of Israel had done according to Moshe’s words:
they had asked of the Egyptians objects of silver and objects of gold, and clothing;
36 YHWH had given the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians,
and they let themselves be asked of.
So did they strip Egypt.

37 [moved on: The Hebrew (nasoÕa) literally means “pulled out their tent pegs.” six hundred thousand … menfolk: That is, there were over 600,000 men of military age (over twenty). Extrapolating from this several million slaves strains credibility; one might accept either the explanation put forth in Plaut that elef means, not “thousand,” but “troop/contingent” (of nine or ten men each), or Cassuto’s designation of the number as a “perfect” or folkloric one, built on the numerical system of 6/60. For a full discussion, see Sarna (1986).]

37 The Children of Israel moved on from Ra’amses to Sukkot,
about six hundred thousand on foot, menfolk apart from little-ones,

38 [mixed multitude: This is the usual translation in English. The Hebrew is Õerev rav, “riffraff.” heavy: Their wealth is a counterpart to Pharaoh’s previously “heavy” heart (and “heavy” plagues).]

38 and also a mixed multitude went up with them,
along with sheep and oxen, an exceedingly heavy (amount of) livestock.

39 [were not able to linger,/ neither had they made provisions:It comes almost as a surprise to the Israelites. Here there can be no question of military victory, as in a coup; history depends on the incursion of God.]

39 Now they baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into matzot cakes, for it had not fermented,
for they had been driven out of Egypt, and were not able to linger,
neither had they made provisions for themselves.

40 [thirty years and four hundred years:The numbers are patterned as usual; although this total disagrees with Gen. 15:13, for instance (which reckons it as 400 years), the differences seem to be more over which patterned numbers to use and not historical exactitude.]

40 And the settlement of the Children of Israel which they had settled in Egypt was thirty years and four hundred years.

41 [YHWH’s forces: A term with clear military flavor; later in the Bible, Israel becomes the “armed forces of Yhwh“ (the same Hebrew term).]

41 It was at the end of thirty years and four hundred years,
it was on that same day:
All of YHWH’s forces went out from the land of Egypt.

42 [keeping-watch: Reflecting the play on words in the Hebrew shamor, by including ideas of both “guarding” and “observing.” Cassuto (1967) sees shamor as a shepherd’s term, appropriate here. Note again, in the tense structure, the conflation of narrative and contemporary ritual.]

42 It is a night of keeping-watch for YHWH,
to bring them out of the land of Egypt;
that is this night for YHWH,
a keeping-watch of all the Children of Israel, throughout their generations.

43 [foreign son: Or “foreigner.” The English here echoes Hebrew usage and the English idea of “native son” (Greenstein, personal communication).] [Who May Make Passover (12:43–50): Continuing the immediacy of ritual, the narrative pauses where one would expect it to talk about the Israelites’ route, to specify carefully that partaking of the Passover meal, and indeed being a part of the community in general, requires circumcision on the part of the participant. In essence, it creates the new Israelite nation, on the heels of common participation in a historical event. This small passage has been inserted between two occurrences of the same phrase (“that same day”), an editorial device often used in biblical literature.]

43 YHWH said to Moshe and Aharon:
This is the law of the Passover-meal:
Any foreign son is not to eat of it.
44 But any man’s serf who is acquired by money—if you have circumcised him, then he may eat of it.
45 Settler and hired-hand are not to eat of it.

46 [46 outside: Into that area which has the function of being the realm of death in the story. you are not to break a bone: As if to violate its perfection, since the bone was identified as symbolic of the whole (viz., the same Hebrew word used for “bone” and “essence, person”). The biblical idea, found in reference to all animal sacrifices, is that only unblemished (“whole” or “hale”) animals may be used for such purposes. In Gaster’s (1969) view, the prohibition in this verse was originally instituted to ensure a full flock.]

46 In one house it is to be eaten,
you are not to bring out of the house any of the flesh, outside.
And you are not to break a bone of it.
47 The entire community of Israel is to do it.

48 [come-near: This verb (Heb. karev) is often used in connection with the priestly cult.]

48 Now when a sojourner sojourns with you, and would make the Passover-meal to YHWH,
every male with him must be circumcised, then he may come-near to make it, and will be (regarded) as a native of the land.
But any foreskinned-man is not to eat of it.

Fox, Everett, The Five Books of Moses, (New York: Schocken Books Inc.) © 1995.

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