Exodus 12:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

“And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; first shall it be unto you among the months of the year. Say to all the people of ... of Israel: on the tenth day of this month let them each take one lamb for himself according to his family, a lamb for each family; and if the family is so small that it will not eat the lamb, let him take it with his neighbour nearest to his house, according to the number of the souls: according to the measure that each shall eat, ye shall be reckoned for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, male, of one year old; take it of sheep, or of goats, and let it be kept with you until the fourteenth day of this month: Then let all the assembly of the congregation of Israel stab it in the evening, and let them take of its blood, and anoint it on both the jambs and on the rung of the doors in the houses where they shall eat it; let them eat its meat this very night, baked on the fire; with unleavened bread, and with bitter herbs, let them eat it; do not eat of it unbaked, or boiled in water, but eat it baked on the fire, the head with the feet and the entrails; do not leave of it until the morning. But the remainder of it shall be burned with fire until morning. But you shall eat it in this way: let your loins be girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staffs in your hands; and eat it with haste: it is the Passover of the Lord. And I will pass through the land of Egypt this very night, and will smite every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from man to cattle, and will execute judgment upon all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. And you shall have blood as a sign on the houses where you are, and I will see the blood and pass over you, and there shall not be a pernicious plague among you when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be a memorial unto you, and ye shall celebrate in it a feast unto the Lord in all your generations; as an everlasting statute ye shall celebrate it. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread” (Exodus 12:1-15).

“And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat it; but every servant bought with silver, when thou hast circumcised him, may eat it. In one house shall it be eaten; you shall not take the meat out of the house, nor shall you crush its bones. The whole society of Israel shall perform it... And no uncircumcised man shall eat it; one law shall be for both the natural inhabitant and the stranger who dwells among you” (Ex. 12:43-44, 46-49).

The divine Scriptures reveal profound prefigurations of our sacred observance. Let us diligently reflect on what we have read, delving into the deep mysteries articulated in Scripture, seeking to uncover the true essence of the imagery presented. For instance, the construction of the Tabernacle was commanded by the divine Spirit to Moses: “As I show thee,” He instructed, “so build it.” Thus, what we perceive through these images serves as a shadow of the original truths fulfilled before us.

Let us begin by identifying the month that marks the commencement of all months, understanding why this Passover month holds prominence as the first of the year. We shall explore the lamb designated on the tenth day—an unblemished male, aged one year—and discuss its significance, alongside the concept of a neighbor and what it means to share a home for the feast. We will also consider the rationale behind keeping the lamb until the fourteenth day before its sacrifice at dusk, the meaning of the blood applied to the doorposts, the guidelines to consume the meat, and the prohibition against breaking its bones. We will reflect on the unleavened bread and bitter herbs, their symbolism, and the directive to partake with haste, with loins girded, shoes donned, and staffs in hand—understanding the Passover as a representation of the Lord’s deliverance.

This is why the blood on the doorways holds such power: “I will see the blood,” says the Lord, “and I will pass over you, and there shall be no pestilence of destruction among you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” We will uncover the purpose of consuming unleavened bread for seven days and why it was expressly forbidden for a foreigner to partake in the Passover. We’ll reflect on the unity expressed in shared consumption, as well as the mandate for the community of Israel to adhere to these practices.

These profound symbols and mysteries, once observable to the Israelites, have been spiritually realized in our own lives. As we contemplate these elements, we approach the mysteries of truth, pondering the coming of Jesus Christ after the law, His incarnation, the Passover He desired to share with us, and the implications of His suffering and triumph over death. We will explore each element of His Passion: the crown of thorns, the vinegar He consumed, the wound from which water and blood flowed, His prayer about the cup He faced, and the significance of His words to the penitent thief.

With each aspect, we will uncover the teachings behind His three days of burial, the initial witnesses of His resurrection, and the joyous proclamation, “Wives, rejoice” (Matt. 28:9). Here we find our spiritual nourishment at the holy feast. After experiencing the Bread of Heaven and imbibing the Cup of Joy, we will return to the core teaching of the law—what it consists of and its purpose.

The law granted through Moses encompasses a comprehensive array of divine instructions, embodying the essence of righteous living and mirroring heavenly existence. This law serves as a guide to godly living, a restraint against initial transgression, and prefigures the future fulfillment of truth. It is a correction against the errors of idolatry, inscribed by God's own hand. This law instructs believers in righteousness, enlightening those in darkness, nurturing the innocent, and restraining the wicked. It is a resource for the wise, a field of learning for the needy, a guide to understanding worldly knowledge, and a transient mystery hinting at future grace.

In its symbolic richness, the law reveals its ultimate purpose: to cultivate purity of heart after the departure from Egypt, removing the spiritual thorns of worldly attachment, facilitating the soul’s readiness for the divine. This is why the Spirit urges, “Plough new fields for yourselves, and sow not among thorns” (Jeremiah 4:3). Thus, the Passover appropriately commences with the deliverance from Egypt, representing the decisive act against idolatry and the dispelling of the seeds of error.

Moses returned to Pharaoh with the same appeal, and this time, as a sign of his divine authority, he demonstrated the miracle of transforming his staff into a serpent and back into a staff again. Yet, Pharaoh remained unmoved by this sign and refused to heed Moses's words. Consequently, the Lord afflicted Egypt through Moses with ten wondrous plagues. Of all these, only the final plague made Pharaoh and the Egyptians reconsider their stance, as it involved the death of the firstborn of Egypt, both human and livestock, executed by the Angel of Death. The Lord foresaw that following this plague, Pharaoh would capitulate and permit the Hebrews to depart, thus instructing Moses and Aaron to prepare the Israelites for their imminent exodus a few days prior to the plague's enactment. This preparation included instituting a new sacred year and organizing the Passover sacrifice, which the Hebrews would perform on the eve of the firstborn's demise. The Lord conveyed to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year.” Previously, the Hebrews had marked the year from the fall month of Tishri, corresponding to late September and early October, on the belief that God created the world in that month (Ex. 23:16; Ex. 34:22; Lev. 25:3). Now, the Lord established a new ecclesiastical calendar, decreeing that the first month would be the month of their exodus from Egypt, identified as Abib, meaning the month of the ears (Ex. 23:16; Ex. 34:22; Lev. 25:3), due to the ripening barley at that time. Following the Babylonian exile, this month was referred to as Nisan (Nehemiah 2:1, Esther 3:7). It pleased the Lord that the season representing nature's revival would also symbolize the renewal of His mercy toward His chosen people, serving as a reminder to all future generations of this mercy and the new life bestowed upon the Hebrews through their deliverance from Egyptian slavery.

It was only after their captivity in Babylon that they began using names derived from the Chaldeans, eventually adopting the Greek calendar divisions as well. The Hebrew months were based on the Egyptian calendar, consisting of thirty days each, with the addition of five extra days in Elul, allowing for a solar year; however, religious observances were sometimes governed by the lunar calendar. After a period of 120 years, an extra month was introduced, which altered the reckoning by thirty days.