MPV Commentary

15. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, commemorating the hasty departure of the Israelites from Egypt, when their dough was still unleavened (Ex 12:39). They had to eat unleavened cakes during this time (De 16:3). The Jews took great care to remove leaven from their homes, searching every corner with a lighted candle. This practice is alluded to in 1 Corinthians 5:7. In the East, where leaven was typically sour dough kept for preservation, excluding it for seven days would not be inconvenient.

Anyone who failed to comply with this regulation would be cut off from the community and its privileges.

16. There shall be a holy convocation, a sacred assembly, as these days were considered Sabbaths (Ex 16:23). Meat could still be cooked on these days, but they were otherwise observed like regular Sabbaths.

17. You shall observe this feast for seven days, starting the day after the Passover. Although it was instituted before the departure from Egypt, its observance did not begin until afterwards.

19. A stranger who had been circumcised could participate in the Passover; therefore, the "stranger" mentioned here must be a Gentile proselyte.

21-25. Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and gave them specific instructions for observing this feast.

22. Hyssop was used in the sprinkling process because it grew in bushes with plenty of suckers from a single root. It is remarkable that Roman soldiers, unaware of its significance, used hyssop to wipe Jesus' face when he was crucified (Joh 19:29).

No one should leave their house until morning on this first day of the feast. This regulation was unique to the initial celebration and may have been intended to prevent suspicion about their role in the impending destruction of the Egyptians; there is an allusion to it in Isaiah 26:20.

26. When your children ask you about this service, explain its significance and origin. The practices observed during this yearly commemorative feast were so unusual that they would naturally spark curiosity among the young, providing parents with an opportunity to instruct each new generation about the national faith.

27-28. The people bowed their heads in worship, giving prompt obedience to the instructions communicated through the elders. They were deeply solemnized by past and prospective events.

29. At midnight, God struck down all the firstborn in Egypt (Ex 11:8). As the Israelites observed this new feast, they experienced the calamity that had been threatened against the Egyptians. The people were suddenly roused from sleep and enveloped in darkness; none could assist their neighbors as the dying groaned and mourners shrieked all around.

This judgment was a demonstration of divine retribution, showing God's equity in punishing those who had caused suffering to others. For eighty years, the Egyptians had forced Israelite males into slavery (Ex 1:16), and now they suffered the loss of their own firstborn. Many have fallen into the very snares they set for the righteous (Pr 28:10). "Verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth" (Ps 58:11).

30. There was not a house without one dead, although this statement may be taken comparatively rather than absolutely. The Scriptures often use absolute language to convey a general truth.

31. Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, fulfilling the words spoken by Moses earlier (Ex 11:8) and demonstrating that they were spoken under divine suggestion.

32. Take your flocks with you, as well as all your possessions, including your kneading-troughs. The king had previously insisted on these terms, but now he was willing to depart from them. His pride had been humbled by the series of judgments against him.

34. The people took their kneading-troughs and other household items with them when they left Egypt. They were accustomed to using these utensils in their Egyptian homes.

35. The Israelites borrowed valuable items, including jewels of silver, from the Egyptians. This was not a loan but rather an insistence on payment for their labor over many years. The accumulated earnings of their slavery were suddenly paid out to them.

36. God gave the people favor with the Egyptians, who readily provided whatever they asked for. As a result, the Israelites left Egypt richly supplied and laden with spoil (Ps 105:37; Eze 39:10).

37. The children of Israel journeyed from Rameses, which is now identified as Heroopolis or Abu-Keisheid. This location matches the description in Psalm 78:12, 43. They had likely been assembled there as a general rendezvous before their departure.

They traveled to Succoth, a place of temporary encampment, where they would later celebrate the feast of tabernacles (Lev 23:34). The Hebrew word for Succoth means "booths" or "shelters," which were formed by tree branches. This name commemorates their lodging in these shelters.

38. A mixed multitude accompanied them, including slaves and people from lower social classes who had been bound to the Israelites through shared suffering (Nu 11:4; De 29:11).

40. The sojourning of the children of Israel in Egypt lasted for four hundred thirty years, as promised to Abraham (Ge 15:14). This period began when Abraham entered Canaan and received the promise.

41. Even on this day, the predicted period was fulfilled exactly and literally.

49. One law shall apply equally to native-born Israelites and foreigners who have joined them, demonstrating the liberal spirit of Hebrew institutions. Any foreigner could obtain admission to the nation's privileges by complying with their sacred ordinances.