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John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 12:20

Ye shall eat nothing leavened ,.... Bread or anything else that had any leaven in it: in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread , that is, if they eat any bread at all, it must be such; otherwise they might eat cakes of almonds or of eggs mixed with sugar, provided there was no leaven used, and this the Jews call the rich unleavened bread F16 See Leo Modena's History of the Rites, &c.; of the Jews, par. 3. c. 3. sect. 5. : this is repeated over and over, that they... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 12:11

And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded - As in the eastern countries they wear long loose garments, whenever they travel they tuck up the fore parts of their garments in the girdle which they wear round their loins. Your shoes on your feet - This seems particularly mentioned because not customary. "The easterns throw off their shoes when they eat, because it would be troublesome," says Sir J. Chardin, "to keep their shoes upon their feet, they sitting cross-legged on the floor,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 12:12

Against all the gods of Egypt, etc. - As different animals were sacred among the Egyptians, the slaying of the first-born of all the beasts might be called executing judgment upon the gods of Egypt. As this however does not appear very clear and satisfactory, some have imagined that the word אלהי elohey should be translated princes, which is the rendering in our margin; for as these princes, who were rulers of the kingdom under Pharaoh, were equally hostile to the Hebrews with Pharaoh... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 12:13

The blood shall be to you for a token - It shall be the sign to the destroying angel, that the house on which he sees this blood sprinkled is under the protection of God, and that no person in it is to be injured. See Clarke on Exodus 12:11 ; (note). read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 12:14

A memorial - To keep up a remembrance of the severity and goodness, or justice and mercy, of God. Ye shall keep it a feast - it shall be annually observed, and shall be celebrated with solemn religious joy, throughout your generations - as long as ye continue to be a distinct people; an ordinance - a Divine appointment, an institution of God himself, neither to be altered nor set aside by any human authority. For ever - עולם חקת chukkath olam , an everlasting or endless statute,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 12:15

Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread - This has been considered as a distinct ordinance, and not essentially connected with the passover. The passover was to be observed on the fourteenth day of the first month; the feast of unleavened bread began on the fifteenth and lasted seven days, the first and last of which were holy convocations. That soul shall be cut off - There are thirty-six places in which this excision or cutting off is threatened against the Jews for neglect of some... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 12:16

In the first day and in the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation - This is the first place where we meet with the account of an assembly collected for the mere purpose of religious worship. Such assemblies are called holy convocations, which is a very appropriate appellation for a religious assembly; they were called together by the express command of God, and were to be employed in a work of holiness. מקרא mikra , convocation, is a word of similar import with the Greek ... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 12:17

Self-same day - בעצם beetsem , in the body of this day, or in the strength of this day; probably they began their march about day-break, called here the body or strength of the day, and in Deuteronomy 16:1 , by night - sometime before the sun rose. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 12:19

No leaven found in your houses - To meet the letter of this precept in the fullest manner possible, the Jews, on the eve of this festival, institute the most rigorous search through every part of their houses, not only removing all leavened bread, but sweeping every part clean, that no crumb of bread shall be left that had any leaven in it. And so strict were they in the observance of the letter of this law, that if even a mouse was seen to run across the floor with a crumb of bread in its... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 12:12

Verse 12 12.For I will pass through the land. This refers to the first passover, the night in which they were to be delivered from Egypt; and God expressly declares that He will be the judge against the false gods, because it then especially appeared how utterly unable they were to help, and how vain and fallacious was their service. The absurd commentary of some of the Rabbins (317) is tame and far-fetched, that the idols should be cast down, because by the single miracle of their redemption,... read more

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