Exodus 12 6

Exodus 12:6 kjv

And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

Exodus 12:6 nkjv

Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.

Exodus 12:6 niv

Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.

Exodus 12:6 esv

and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

Exodus 12:6 nlt

"Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then the whole assembly of the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb or young goat at twilight.

Exodus 12 verses

Exodus 12 6 Meaning

Exodus 12:6 instructs the people of Israel concerning the Passover lamb: they are to keep the chosen lamb carefully until the fourteenth day of the first month, and on that day, the entire assembly of the congregation of Israel is to slaughter it at twilight. This command emphasizes the precise timing and corporate action required for the divinely ordained sacrifice that initiated their deliverance from Egypt.

Exodus 12 6 Context

Exodus chapter 12 details God's instructions for the first Passover, a pivotal event preceding Israel's liberation from Egyptian bondage. The chapter opens with God establishing the month of their departure (Abib/Nisan) as the beginning of months for them, signifying a new beginning. Verses 1-28 lay out precise commands for the Passover sacrifice and meal: selecting a lamb on the tenth day (v. 3), keeping it until the fourteenth day (v. 6), sacrificing it, applying its blood to the doorposts (v. 7), and consuming the roasted lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (v. 8). The lamb's blood on the doorposts was a sign for the angel of death to "pass over" those houses, sparing their firstborn from the plague that would strike all Egyptian firstborn (v. 13). Historically, this command comes after nine devastating plagues and just before the final, most severe plague and the ultimate Exodus. The act of sacrificing the lamb, an animal often worshipped in Egypt, also served as a powerful polemic against the Egyptian pantheon, demonstrating the supremacy of Israel's God.

Exodus 12 6 Word analysis

• And you shall keep (וְהָיָה לָכֶם לְמִשְׁמֶרֶת, v'hayah lachem l'mishmeret): The Hebrew word mishmeret means "a keeping, charge, custody." It signifies the act of carefully watching over or guarding the lamb. This was not a casual act but a purposeful, responsible safekeeping. This period allowed for careful inspection to ensure the lamb was truly "without blemish," underscoring its perfect nature required for sacrifice. The requirement to observe the lamb for four days suggests a meticulous process, typifying the scrutiny Jesus underwent during His public ministry and trial, confirming His sinless perfection.

• until the fourteenth day (עַד אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר יוֹם, 'ad arba'ah 'asar yom): This precise numerical specification highlights the exact timing ordained by God. The "fourteenth day" of the month Abib (later called Nisan) becomes the sacred date for Passover, marking a crucial moment in God's redemptive calendar.

• of the same month (לַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה, lachodesh hazzeh): Refers to the first month of the new Israelite sacred calendar. This reinforces the specificity and immutability of God's instructions for the Passover.

• then the whole assembly (וְשָׁחֲטוּ אֹתוֹ כֹּל קְהַל, v'shachtu oto kol kehal): "Assembly" (קָהָל, qahal) refers to the convocation or gathering of the people. This emphasizes the communal and national responsibility in the act of sacrifice. It was not a private offering but a corporate action, underscoring the solidarity of the people under the covenant.

• of the congregation of Israel (עֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, 'adat Yisrael): "Congregation" (עֵדָה, 'edah) is another term for the community, often used in a more formal or juridical sense. The double expression qahal 'edah emphasizes the unified, representative body of God's people performing this sacred act. This corporate responsibility points to the collective nature of sin and the corporate dimension of salvation found in Christ, who died for the entire "congregation" of His chosen people.

• shall kill it (יִשְׁחֲטוּ, yishchatu): The Hebrew verb shachat specifically means "to slaughter for sacrifice." It implies a ritual, not merely violent, killing, performed according to divine instructions. This emphasizes the solemnity and sacrificial nature of the act, leading to atonement and deliverance.

• in the evening (בֵּין הָעַרְבָּיִם, bein ha'arbaim): Literally translated as "between the two evenings." This phrase has been interpreted variously throughout history, primarily as the time from sunset to darkness, or more commonly by the Pharisees and later tradition as the period between the sun's decline (around 3 PM) and actual sunset (around 6 PM). The specific timing for the slaughter of the lamb profoundly foreshadows the timing of Christ's crucifixion, which occurred in the "ninth hour" (approximately 3 PM), aligning with the time the Passover lambs were being slain in the Temple precincts (Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34; Luke 23:44-46).

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "you shall keep until the fourteenth day": This four-day period (from selection on the 10th to slaughter on the 14th) served as a time of observation and verification of the lamb's spotlessness. Theologians often connect this to Jesus' public entry into Jerusalem (often believed to be on the 10th of Nisan) and the days leading up to His crucifixion (the 14th of Nisan). During these days, He was inspected and scrutinized by religious leaders, His perfection being affirmed, even by Pontius Pilate, who declared, "I find no fault in Him" (John 19:4).
  • "the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it": This phrase emphasizes the collective involvement and responsibility of the community in this life-saving ritual. Sin is a corporate issue, and salvation in Christ also has a communal dimension as He died for "many" (Matt 26:28), forming a new spiritual Israel.

Exodus 12 6 Bonus section

The specific timeframe of the "tenth day" (Exod 12:3) to the "fourteenth day" for the Passover lamb has been seen by some as paralleling Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, often called His triumphal entry, which occurred on what would be the tenth day of Nisan according to the Jewish calendar (Palm Sunday). From that day, until His crucifixion on the fourteenth, Jesus was under public scrutiny, questioned, tried, and examined by various authorities—religious and civil. Each interrogation affirmed His innocence and spotless nature, culminating in Pilate's declaration, "I find no guilt in him" (John 18:38; 19:4, 6). This prolonged examination of the Passover lamb perfectly illustrates the vetting and confirmation of Jesus' blameless character, essential for Him to be the unblemished Lamb of God.

Exodus 12 6 Commentary

Exodus 12:6 provides meticulous details for the preparation and execution of the first Passover. The commandment to keep the lamb from the tenth to the fourteenth day underscores its preciousness and perfection. This four-day interval allowed for rigorous inspection, ensuring the sacrifice was "without blemish," a prerequisite for an acceptable offering to God. This type of perfect sacrificial animal foreshadowed the sinless purity of Jesus Christ, the ultimate Passover Lamb (1 Pet 1:19), whose life was without blemish and whose integrity was affirmed even by His enemies before His crucifixion.

The mandate that the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel kill the lamb highlights the communal aspect of this pivotal event. Redemption was not an individual act but a corporate deliverance, signifying that all Israel was united in this act of faith and obedience. This collective action prefigures the universal reach of Christ's atonement, providing salvation for all who are incorporated into Him.

The precise timing, "in the evening" (between the two evenings), held deep significance. This time of day aligns profoundly with the hour of Jesus' crucifixion (Mark 15:25, 34). As the original Passover lamb secured Israel's physical freedom from bondage through its substitutionary death and applied blood, so too did Christ's death on the cross deliver humanity from spiritual bondage to sin and death, becoming the "Passover sacrifice" for believers (1 Cor 5:7). This verse is foundational for understanding the Christological fulfillment of the Passover, revealing God's precise and deliberate plan of redemption spanning millennia.