Exodus 12:51 kjv
And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.
Exodus 12:51 nkjv
And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the LORD brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.
Exodus 12:51 niv
And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.
Exodus 12:51 esv
And on that very day the LORD brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.
Exodus 12:51 nlt
On that very day the LORD brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt like an army.
Exodus 12 51 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exo 3:8 | "I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians..." | God's promise to deliver |
| Gen 15:13-14 | "Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land not theirs... but I will bring judgment on the nation they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions." | Abrahamic promise of bondage and deliverance |
| Gen 46:3-4 | "Fear not to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation... I will also bring you up again..." | Promise to Jacob, descent and return |
| Exo 6:26 | "These are the Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, 'Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt by their hosts.'" | Confirms Moses & Aaron leading God's 'hosts' |
| Num 33:3 | "They set out from Rameses in the first month... on the day after the Passover, the people of Israel went out triumphantly..." | Exact timing confirmed |
| Deut 5:6 | "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." | Core identity of God and His deliverance |
| Deut 6:21 | "...The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand." | Emphasizes God's power in deliverance |
| Jos 24:5-7 | "...I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt... Then I brought you out." | Joshua recounts the Exodus as God's action |
| Ps 105:37 | "Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold, and there was none feeble among his tribes." | Details the prosperous departure |
| Ps 136:11-12 | "and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures forever; with a strong hand and an outstretched arm..." | Reiterates God's powerful act and love |
| Isa 43:16-19 | "Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea... Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing..." | Prophecy of new 'Exodus' in spiritual sense |
| Isa 63:11-12 | "...He brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Who put his Holy Spirit in their midst... to make for himself an everlasting name..." | God's lead and Spirit in Exodus |
| Jer 23:7-8 | "Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it shall no longer be said, 'As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,' but 'As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where he had driven them.'" | Future 'new Exodus' |
| Hos 11:1 | "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." | God's loving call, foreshadowing Messiah |
| Matt 2:15 | "This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, 'Out of Egypt I called my Son.'" | Jesus fulfills Hosea 11:1 as the ultimate Israel |
| Acts 7:36 | "He led them out, having performed wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years." | Stephen's speech emphasizes God's direct leading |
| Heb 11:29 | "By faith they passed through the Red Sea as on dry land..." | The Exodus as a foundational act of faith |
| Gal 3:17 | "...the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void." | Confirms 430 years of sojourning |
| Rom 9:4 | "They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises." | Exodus as integral to Israel's identity |
| 1 Cor 10:1-2 | "For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud... and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea..." | Exodus as type of Christian experience |
| Rev 15:3 | "And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, 'Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!'" | Echoes Exodus victory in eschatological song |
| Neh 9:9-11 | "...you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea... And you divided the sea before them..." | Recounts God's attentive deliverance |
Exodus 12 verses
Exodus 12 51 Meaning
Exodus 12:51 declares that "on that very day," the LORD brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies. This verse marks the climactic fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham and His covenant with Israel, signifying the exact moment of deliverance from 430 years of bondage and the dramatic demonstration of divine power and faithfulness, ushering forth His people as a disciplined host.
Exodus 12 51 Context
Exodus chapter 12 details the final devastating plague upon Egypt—the death of the firstborn—and the institution of the Passover, which served as a covenant meal and a memorial of God's deliverance. The preceding verses of chapter 12 describe the preparation for Passover, the specific instructions for its observance, the judgment executed on Egypt's firstborn and gods, and the Egyptians' urgent plea for Israel to depart. Following this, the Israelites, having celebrated the Passover, gathered and were led out of Egypt. Verse 51 marks the definitive conclusion of the 430-year sojourn in Egypt, as highlighted in Exodus 12:40-41, cementing the event as precisely timed and sovereignly enacted by the LORD Himself. This historical moment is the birth of the nation of Israel as a free people, set apart to serve God.
Exodus 12 51 Word analysis
- וַיְהִי (Vay'hi): "And it came to pass" or "So it was." This common Hebrew narrative opening often introduces a significant event that fulfills a prior divine utterance or plan. It denotes the successful completion of an action, marking a transition or a key moment in the narrative. Here, it emphasizes the absolute certainty and unfolding of God's determined will.
- בְּעֶצֶם (B'etsem): "On the very." This prepositional phrase means "in the bone" or "in the essence of." It signifies the exact, precise, and literal nature of the day. It stresses that there was no delay, no deviation; God’s timing was perfect and exact as predicted. This is a powerful statement about God's faithfulness to His word and promises.
- הַיּוֹם (Hayom): "The day." This definite article points to a specific, unique day—the day of the Exodus. It’s not just any day but the day destined for this pivotal event.
- הַזֶּה (Hazeh): "This." A demonstrative pronoun, referring directly to the immediately preceding specific day of Passover and the departure that followed. It firmly grounds the event in historical reality and recent memory for the original audience.
- הוֹצִיא (Hotzi): "He brought out." A Hiphil stem verb from yatza', indicating a causative action. It means "to cause to go forth" or "to lead out." The subject, Yahweh, is the active agent in initiating and carrying out this momentous liberation, highlighting His sole power and authority over the event.
- יְהוָה (YHWH): "The LORD." The covenant name of God, indicating His personal, faithful, and redemptive relationship with Israel. It emphasizes that this was not merely a natural disaster or human rebellion, but a sovereign act by the one true God who fulfills His covenant. This name carries the weight of His power, authority, and steadfast love.
- אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (et-b'nei Yisra'el): "The children of Israel." Refers to the collective nation descended from Jacob (Israel). God's redemption was for His chosen people, identified by their patriarchal lineage and their identity as God's "son" (Exo 4:22).
- מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם (me'eretz Mitsrayim): "From the land of Egypt." Specifies the geographic location of their bondage and, by contrast, their freedom. Egypt here represents a place of oppression, paganism, and slavery from which God completely delivered them.
- בְּצִבְאֹתָם (b'tsiv'otam): "By their armies" or "by their hosts." From tsava, meaning "army, host, war, service." This word is profoundly significant. It describes Israel not as a disorganized rabble fleeing in panic, but as an orderly, disciplined, and formidable body, like a military procession, marching out under divine command. This implies God's arrangement, protection, and leadership, presenting a contrast to the perceived weakness of slaves and challenging the power of Pharaoh's well-organized military. It subtly portrays God as the commander of heavenly and earthly hosts.
Words-group analysis:
- "וַיְהִי בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה" (And it came to pass on the very day this): This phrase underscores the precision and intentionality of God's timing. It connects back to the exact calculation of 430 years of sojourn (Exo 12:40-41) and highlights the faithfulness of God to His prophetic declarations (Gen 15:13-14). It removes any doubt about the timing or randomness of the Exodus, portraying it as a divinely ordained event.
- "הוֹצִיא יְהוָה אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" (The LORD brought out the children of Israel): This construction foregrounds Yahweh as the active subject, emphasizing His absolute sovereignty and power over the historical event. It distinguishes the Exodus from any human endeavor, attributing success entirely to God's intervention. Israel's departure was not a strategic escape by human might but a divine act of liberation.
- "מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם בְּצִבְאֹתָם" (from the land of Egypt by their armies/hosts): This phrase portrays the completeness of the deliverance and the transformation of the people. They left the place of slavery, not as a helpless crowd, but as a mighty "army" or "host" under the command of God, the Lord of Hosts. This carries polemic weight against Pharaoh and his defeated army, illustrating God's supreme power over all earthly powers and gods. It implies that God himself mustered them as a powerful, unified force, signifying their readiness for covenant and their subsequent journey to inherit the land.
Exodus 12 51 Bonus section
The description of Israel leaving "by their armies" (בְּצִבְאֹתָם) has a profound theological resonance beyond just military formation. It links the earthly liberation to the divine realm, where God Himself is often referred to as "the LORD of Hosts" (YHWH Tzva'ot). This title suggests His command over heavenly armies and angelic forces. Thus, the Exodus, with Israel marching out "as armies," may implicitly connect them with the divine armies under God's ultimate authority, reinforcing the idea that their triumph was achieved through divine, not human, might. This sets a precedent for Israel's identity and future engagements: their strength derived from God's presence and leadership within them. Furthermore, the 430-year count from Genesis 15 to this "very day" signifies that God is not bound by human timelines, yet He operates with absolute precision within them, orchestrating history to fulfill His redemptive purposes. This exact fulfillment strengthens faith in God's promises for future redemption and the ultimate coming of the Messiah.
Exodus 12 51 Commentary
Exodus 12:51 serves as the culmination of the Passover narrative and the ultimate statement of God's unwavering faithfulness. It marks the precise, divinely orchestrated moment when the children of Israel were emancipated from Egyptian bondage. The emphasis on "the very day" (בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה) highlights God's perfect timing and His meticulous fulfillment of His covenantal promise made centuries earlier to Abraham. The explicit declaration that "the LORD brought out" (הוֹצִיא יְהוָה) affirms divine agency as the sole cause of this mighty deliverance, contrasting with any human strength or cunning. Most remarkably, Israel departs "by their armies" (בְּצִבְאֹתָם), suggesting they left not as terrified refugees but as an ordered, powerful host under God’s direct command. This powerful imagery reveals Israel as a divinely marshaled, unified body, demonstrating God's victory over the gods and empire of Egypt and establishing Israel as His redeemed nation. It lays the groundwork for God's continued leadership and their subsequent journey towards the promised land as a people distinctively "His."