Exodus 12:45 kjv
A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.
Exodus 12:45 nkjv
A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it.
Exodus 12:45 niv
but a temporary resident or a hired worker may not eat it.
Exodus 12:45 esv
No foreigner or hired worker may eat of it.
Exodus 12:45 nlt
Temporary residents and hired servants may not eat it.
Exodus 12 45 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 12:43 | The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover: No foreigner is to eat of it." | Broad exclusion of foreigners. |
| Exod 12:44 | "But everyone’s slave who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat of it." | Distinction: Purchased slave, if circumcised, may eat. |
| Exod 12:48 | “If a foreigner residing among you wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover, all the males in their household must be circumcised... then they may come near and celebrate it." | Path for sojourners to partake through circumcision. |
| Lev 22:10 | "No unauthorized person may eat the holy offering; no sojourner or hired worker may eat any of it." | Parallel rule for holy offerings generally. |
| Lev 22:11 | "But if a priest buys a person as a slave, they may eat of it; and those born in their household may also eat of their food." | Hired vs. Household slaves regarding eating holy things. |
| Num 9:14 | "If a foreigner residing among you wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover, they must do so according to the Passover regulations. The same statute applies..." | Confirms conditional inclusion for sojourners. |
| Deut 23:3 | "No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation." | Exclusion of specific groups from sacred assembly. |
| Ezek 44:7 | "You brought foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, to be in My sanctuary... thus you have broken My covenant..." | Exclusion of uncircumcised from sacred service/space. |
| Ezek 44:9 | "Thus says the Lord GOD, 'No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary...'" | Reinforces spiritual and physical requirements for access. |
| Isa 56:6-7 | "Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to Him... I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer..." | Prophecy of future Gentile inclusion in God's people. |
| Zech 8:22-23 | "Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD Almighty and to entreat him... people from all languages and nations will take hold of one Jew." | Future inclusion of diverse nations among God's people. |
| 1 Cor 5:7-8 | "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread... but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." | Christ as the spiritual Passover, new covenant participation. |
| Eph 2:11-12 | "Remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh... were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and strangers to the covenants." | Gentiles were formerly spiritual "sojourners" from God. |
| Eph 2:13 | "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ." | Gentile inclusion in the New Covenant through Christ. |
| Eph 2:19 | "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household." | New Testament transformation from outsider to insider. |
| Col 3:11 | "Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free; but Christ is all, and is in all." | Spiritual unity and inclusion in Christ transcends old distinctions. |
| Gal 3:28 | "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." | All are one in Christ, indicating broad spiritual inclusion. |
| Rom 11:17-24 | Depicts Gentiles as wild olive branches grafted into the cultivated olive tree of Israel. | Illustration of Gentiles being included in God's covenant family. |
| Heb 13:10 | "We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat." | Principle of right to partake in sacred offerings based on covenant alignment. |
| Rev 21:24 | "The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it." | Ultimate inclusion of the nations in the New Jerusalem. |
| Rev 22:14 | "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city." | Entry into God's eternal presence is based on righteousness, spiritual "circumcision." |
Exodus 12 verses
Exodus 12 45 Meaning
Exodus chapter 12 verse 45 states a clear regulation regarding who may participate in the eating of the Passover lamb: "A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat of it." This verse specifies two categories of individuals, namely transient foreign residents and temporary wage-earning laborers, who were excluded from consuming the Passover offering. The purpose of this restriction was to safeguard the sacred and covenantal nature of the Passover, marking it as an exclusive celebration for those fully integrated into the community of Israel through covenant.
Exodus 12 45 Context
Exodus 12 outlines the foundational institution of the Passover, commanded by God to Moses and Aaron just before the tenth and final plague against Egypt—the death of the firstborn. This divine ordinance was both a memorial of Israel's deliverance from bondage and a perpetual covenant feast. Verse 45 is part of the precise regulations governing participation in this sacred meal. The instructions differentiate between who is permitted to eat the Passover lamb and who is not, thereby defining the boundaries of the nascent covenant community. The immediate context of verses 43-49 details various classes of people and their eligibility, underscoring the Passover's significance as a distinct and communal celebration unique to the people redeemed by God.
Exodus 12 45 Word analysis
- A sojourner (Hebrew: גֵּר, ger): This term refers to a resident alien, a foreigner who lives among the Israelites but is not an Israelite by birth or full assimilation. While God commands kindness and protection for the ger in other parts of the Law (e.g., Deut 10:19), this verse highlights that despite their residence, they did not inherently share in the covenantal privileges of Israel, specifically regarding sacrificial meals, unless they took steps for full assimilation into the covenant community through circumcision as described in Exodus 12:48-49. Their exclusion from the Passover underscored its unique status as a sign of God's covenant with the direct descendants of Abraham who had committed to His covenant through the mark of circumcision.
- and a hired servant (Hebrew: שָׂכִיר, śākîr): This denotes a wage-earner or temporary hired laborer. Unlike a purchased slave (Exod 12:44), who, if circumcised, could eat the Passover, a hired servant had a purely transactional relationship with the Israelite household. Their status was temporary and external; they were not considered part of the family or permanent community. The Passover was a family-oriented, covenant-centered meal, not a general community feast for transient individuals.
- shall not eat of it: This clear prohibition emphasizes the exclusive nature of the Passover meal. The "it" refers specifically to the Passover lamb. This restriction was vital for preserving the sanctity and theological meaning of the Passover. Participation in the meal signified belonging to God's covenant people, marked by redemption from Egypt. Those not directly part of this redeemed household by covenant could not partake, signifying their status outside the immediate covenant bond that the Passover commemorated.
- A sojourner and a hired servant: These two categories collectively represent individuals whose relationship with the Israelite community was either transient (sojourner, possibly not fully converted) or purely commercial and temporary (hired servant). Their lack of permanent, familial, or covenantal attachment to the Israelite household meant they were outside the scope of this deeply intimate and historically specific covenant meal.
- shall not eat of it: This phrase sets a strict boundary. It conveys the principle that sacred, covenantal rites are not open to all without qualification. It highlights the divine emphasis on belonging and identification with the redeemed people through shared covenant markers, particularly circumcision (as seen in later verses for sojourners seeking inclusion), and not merely through physical proximity or temporary employment. This underscores the distinctive identity of Israel established by their covenant with God.
Exodus 12 45 Bonus section
The regulations surrounding the Passover, including the seemingly restrictive clause in Exodus 12:45, served a critical didactic purpose for ancient Israel. They instilled a clear understanding of what it meant to be part of God's special, set-apart people. The very act of discerning who could partake emphasized the exclusivity and holiness of the covenant established at the Exodus. This wasn't merely social discrimination; it was a divine pedagogical tool.
Furthermore, the immediate contrast in Exodus 12:48, where a sojourner could partake if all males in his household were circumcised, reveals that the exclusion in verse 45 was not immutable. It presented a pathway to inclusion. The lack of prior full covenant commitment (symbolized by circumcision) was the basis for exclusion, not merely their foreign status. This points to the overarching biblical theme that while God chose a particular people, He also made provision for others to join His covenant through specific acts of allegiance and integration, illustrating a theological truth of God's openness to those who genuinely seek to be identified with Him and His people. This distinction helps to reconcile God's commands for Israel to care for the ger (sojourner) with the strict regulations for sacred observances.
Exodus 12 45 Commentary
Exodus 12:45 delineates a precise boundary for participation in the Passover meal, reserving it for those within the covenant community of Israel. The exclusion of the "sojourner" and the "hired servant" highlights the deep theological significance of the Passover as an act of covenant remembrance and identification. Unlike purchased slaves, who, upon circumcision, could be considered part of the family for covenantal purposes, sojourners (unless they underwent full circumcision, as detailed in Exodus 12:48-49) and hired hands represented transient or purely commercial connections to an Israelite household, not a covenantal bond.
This regulation reinforces that the Passover was not merely a social meal or a general feast for all residing in the land. It was a foundational sacrament commemorating God's redemption of a specific people. Participation signaled spiritual identity and communal belonging. Those without this foundational covenant bond, marked by circumcision in the Old Testament context, could not share in its sacred remembrance. This principle foreshadows the New Covenant, where participation in Christ's Passover (Communion) requires not ethnic lineage but a spiritual new birth and inclusion through faith in Christ, our ultimate Passover Lamb. The New Testament similarly maintains boundaries for its sacred meal, stressing self-examination and being "in Christ" to partake worthily (1 Cor 11:27-29).