The Lord judges Egypt and brings Israel out

12:29 It happened at midnight – the Lord attacked all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the prison, and all the firstborn of the cattle. 12:30 Pharaoh got up in the night, along with all his servants and all Egypt, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no house in which there was not someone dead. 12:31 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron in the night and said, “Get up, get out from among my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, serve the Lord as you have requested! 12:32 Also, take your flocks and your herds, just as you have requested, and leave. But bless me also.” 12:33 the Egyptians were urging the people on, in order to send them out of the land quickly, for they were saying, “We are all dead!” 12:34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, with their kneading troughs bound up in their clothing on their shoulders. 12:35 Now the Israelites had done as Moses told them – they had requested from the Egyptians silver and gold items and clothing. 12:36 The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and they gave them whatever they wanted, and so they plundered Egypt. 12:37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about 600,000 men on foot, plus their dependants. 12:38 a mixed multitude also went up with them, and flocks and herds – a very large number of cattle. 12:39 they baked cakes of bread without yeast using the dough they had brought from Egypt, for it was made without yeast – because they were thrust out of Egypt and were not able to delay, they could not prepare food for themselves either. 12:40 Now the length of time the Israelites lived in Egypt was 430 years. 12:41 At the end of the 430 years, on the very day, all the regiments of the Lord went out of the land of Egypt. 12:42 It was a night of vigil for the Lord to bring them out from the land of Egypt, and so on this night all Israel is to keep the vigil to the Lord for generations to come. 12:43 the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner may share in eating it. 12:44 But everyone’s servant who is bought for money, after you have circumcised him, may eat it. 12:45 A foreigner and a hired worker must not eat it. 12:46 It must be eaten in one house; you must not bring any of the meat outside the house, and you must not break a bone of it. 12:47 The whole community of Israel must observe it. 12:48 “when a foreigner lives with you and wants to observe the Passover to the Lord, all his males must be circumcised, and then he may approach and observe it, and he will be like one who is born in the land – but no uncircumcised person may eat of it. 12:49 The same law will apply to the person who is native-born and to the foreigner who lives among you.” 12:50 So all the Israelites did exactly as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. 12:51 And on this very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their regiments.

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At midnight, the Lord struck the firstborn in Egypt. Pharaoh then sent Israel away in haste. The people left with bread not yet leavened, and the Lord gave them favor with the Egyptians. After the exodus, the Lord set the Passover as a lasting command for Israel.

This passage shows the Lord acting with power and precision. He judged Egypt by striking the firstborn in every kind of household, from Pharaoh’s house to the prison. Pharaoh was finally broken and told Moses and Aaron to leave with the Israelites and serve the Lord.

The people left quickly. They did not have time to finish their bread. They also took silver, gold, and clothing, because the Lord gave them favor in the sight of the Egyptians. The exodus was not a rushed accident. It happened at the time the Lord had already set. After 430 years, the Lord brought his people out on that very day.

The passage then explains the Passover as an ongoing command for Israel. It was not for every outsider to eat. It belonged to those within the covenant sign, marked by circumcision, whether native-born or a foreigner who had joined Israel in the proper way. The same law applied to all who were allowed to share in it. In this way, the passage joins judgment, rescue, memory, and covenant order.

• The Lord judges whole nations and households, and no power can stop his will.
• Pharaoh’s surrender came only after the Lord’s decisive judgment.
• Israel’s departure happened in haste, but it also happened exactly on God’s appointed day.
• The Lord gave the people favor, so they left with goods from Egypt.
• The Passover became a lasting command for Israel, not a one-time event.
• Participation in the Passover was governed by covenant order and the sign of circumcision.
• The same covenant rule applied to the native-born and to the foreigner who joined Israel properly.

• Warning: The Lord’s judgment on Egypt was severe and included the firstborn.
• Command: Israel must remember the night of deliverance in later generations.
• Command: The Passover was to be kept according to the Lord’s rules.
• Command: It was to be eaten in the proper household setting, not carelessly.
• Promise: The Lord brought Israel out by his power and on his appointed day.
• Promise: The Lord gave his people favor with the Egyptians.

This passage completes the exodus from Egypt and shows the Lord forming a redeemed people for himself. The rescue from slavery comes before Sinai and becomes the foundation for Israel’s covenant life. The Passover then serves as a standing memorial of redemption and belonging.

God’s judgment is real, and human power cannot finally resist him. His people should remember his saving acts and obey his commands. We should not treat closeness to God’s people as the same thing as true covenant belonging. The passage also teaches that God can bring outsiders in, but only in the way he has appointed.

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