Exodus

by

Anonymous

The festival of Passover commemorates God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. It’s called Passover because, in carrying out the final plague against the Egyptians, the LORD passed through Egypt striking down all firstborn males. He passed over Israelite houses because the Israelites marked their doorposts with the blood of a sacrificial lamb, as God commanded them to do. To observe the Passover, the Israelites must also rid their homes of leaven and eat only unleavened bread for seven days, and hold a feast of lamb, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs (in remembrance of their last meal in Egypt). God commands all Israelites to observe the Passover forever.

Passover Quotes in Exodus

The Exodus quotes below are all either spoken by Passover or refer to Passover. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
God’s Identity and Power Theme Icon
).
Chapter 12 Quotes

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months […] Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male […] You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night […] For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord.

Related Characters: God/the LORD (speaker), Moses, Aaron
Related Symbols: Blood
Page Number: 12:1–12
Explanation and Analysis:

For the Lord will pass through to strike down the Egyptians; when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over that door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you down. You shall observe this rite as a perpetual ordinance for you and your children. When you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this observance. And when your children ask you, ‘What do you mean by this observance?’ you shall say, ‘It is the passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struck down the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed down and worshiped.

Related Characters: Moses (speaker), God/the LORD
Related Symbols: Blood
Page Number: 12:23–27
Explanation and Analysis:
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Exodus PDF

Passover Term Timeline in Exodus

The timeline below shows where the term Passover appears in Exodus. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 12
Redemption and Deliverance Theme Icon
Mediators and the Priesthood Theme Icon
...herbs, then eat it in a hurry while dressed for travel. This is the LORD’s Passover, because the LORD will pass through Egypt that night, striking down every firstborn among both... (full context)
The Covenant Theme Icon
The Passover will be a day of remembrance for Israel, a festival to be observed forever. For... (full context)
Chapter 34
The Covenant Theme Icon
Mediators and the Priesthood Theme Icon
...must not intermarry with the foreigners. They must not make idols, they must keep the Passover, redeem their firstborn, and keep the sabbath. The LORD commands Moses to write down the... (full context)