Exo 12:1-28 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Exod 12:1-30: 12:1-30 The Lord gave Moses instructions for the Passover meal and the Festival of Unleavened Bread (12:14-20 ), and Moses and the people observed the first Passover (12:21-30 ).

Summary for Exod 12:1-30: 12:1-30 ^a The Lord gave Moses instructions for the Passover meal and the Festival of Unleavened Bread (12:14-20 ^b), and Moses and the people observed the first Passover (12:21-30 ^c).
12:2 ^d This month was the month Abib (13:4 ^e; 23:15 ^f; 34:18 ^g; Deut 16:1 ^h; later called by the Babylonian name, Nisan, Neh 2:1 ⁱ; Esth 3:7 ^j), which falls within the months of March and April. Many cultures held festivals about this time of the year, celebrating the renewal of plant life. Israel’s festival celebrated the historic event in which God defeated death and rescued his people from bondage in Egypt.
12:5 ^k with no defects: We must give God our best, just as he gave us his best: “the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (1 Pet 1:19 ^l).
12:6 ^m the whole assembly of the community: Both the benefits and the responsibility of a relationship with God are realized in community.
12:7 ⁿ blood: God could not simply exempt his people from this plague as he had preserved them from the other plagues. Death reigns in the world because of sin, and in light of God’s justice, sin cannot be ignored; it must be either punished or atoned for. Since the blood represents life (Lev 17:11 ^o), it alone is acceptable for the forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:22 ^p). As Deut 6:9 ^q suggests, doorframes represent the totality of life as the place of going in and coming out.
12:10 ^r Since this was not a regular meal, none of the meat was to be saved for another day.
12:11 ^s Be fully dressed: The Israelites were to be ready to depart at a moment’s notice.
12:12 ^t The plagues were primarily the Lord’s judgment against all the gods of Egypt (see also Num 33:4 ^u).
12:14 ^v The Jewish people still commemorate Passover, since it was instituted as a law for all time.
12:15 ^w without yeast: Israel needed unleavened bread for traveling (see 12:34 ^x, 39 ^y), which the festival commemorated. Later, yeast was seen as an image of sin, probably because it is an agent of fermentation (“Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees,” Matt 16:6 ^z).

• cut off from the community: This means either death or expulsion from the community.
12:22 ^aa Hyssop is a small bush with stiff, compact branches that can serve as a brush (see also Ps 51:7 ^ab and study note).
12:25 ^ac The land the Lord has promised to give you refers to the land of Canaan, which God had promised to Abraham (Gen 12:7 ^ad; 13:14-17 ^ae).
Summary for Exod 12:26-27: 12:26-27 ^af In the future, the Passover celebration would be a memorial reminding future generations of Israelites of God’s grace in providing them a way of escape from death. For more than 3,000 years the Jewish people have celebrated this great formative event in their history.
Summary for Exod 12:28-30: 12:28-30 ^ag The predicted plague was fulfilled. Just as death exempts no one, so no one in Egypt, from Pharaoh to the lowest prisoner, escaped the effects of Pharaoh’s pride.