Exodus 12:17

Exo 12:17 And ye shall observe [the feast of] unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.

Ver. 17. In this selfsame day.] Heb., In the body, or strength, of this day: so the midday is called. Art thou delivered, helped? write up the time and place.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

ye shall observe, &c.--The seven days of this feast were to commence the day after the passover. It was a distinct festival following that feast; but although this feast was instituted like the passover before the departure, the observance of it did not take place till after.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 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 De 16:1, by night - sometime before the sun rose.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(17) In this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt.—On the application of the word “armies” to the people of Israel, see above (Exo_6:26). The expression “have I brought” indicates either that these directions were not given until after the Exodus, or at any rate that they were not reduced to writing until then.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. selfsame day] A peculiar expression,—lit. the bone (i.e. the substance) of the day, the day itself, the very day (cf. Exo_24:10 ‘the heaven itself,’ and Job_21:23 Heb.),—found only in P (vv. 41, 47, 51, Gen_7:13; Gen_17:23; Gen_17:26 al.) and Ezek. (Eze_2:3, Eze_24:2, Eze_40:1).

have I brought forth, &c. The pilgrimage is to be observed in commemoration of the day of the Exodus from Egypt. Cf. v. 14a.

your hosts] P pictures the Israel of the Exodus as a vast army: see on Exo_6:26.

throughout, &c.] as v. 14b.

17–20. The essential parts of the institution repeated and insisted on again, in P’s manner; see on Exo_6:27.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread,.... Which was a distinct feast from the passover feast; for though at that unleavened bread was eaten, it was kept but one night, this seven days; and it is repeated that it might be taken notice of, and the rather, as it was to be observed in all ages as long as the Jewish economy lasted; the reason of which follows:

for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt; which, though not already done, was just on doing, and was certain; and besides, it respects the day when it should come about another year: by their "armies" are meant the tribes of Israel, not so much for their military force, for as yet they were an unarmed people, but for their numbers, which were sufficient to make several considerable armies, and for their order and ease, and their being without any fear of the enemy, in which they marched out of Egypt:

therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever; according to the rules given, with the same exactness, strictness, and constancy, as the first of the passover, and as long as that continued; See Gill on Exo 12:14.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Bread. Hebrew matsoth. But the Samaritan and Septuagint read Motsue, precept, or ordinance. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Your armies, so called, not from their military force or courage, but from their numbers, and the order and manner in which they came forth. See Exo 13:18.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

17. In this selfsame day have I brought your armies out — This was said before the deliverance was effected, and it is spoken of in the past as if already made sure. Thus the Hebrew preterit is often used in prophecy for an emphatic future. (Nordh., Gram., § 966, 1, a.)

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

In this self-same day. The 15th of Abib the first day of the feast of unleavened bread. Have I brought your hosts out. This expression seems to prove that we have in the injunctions of verses 14-20, not the exact words of the revelation on the subject made by God to Moses before the institution of the Passover, but a re-casting of the words after the exodus had taken place. Otherwise, the expression must have been, "I will bring your hosts out." As an ordinance for ever. Easter eve, the day on which Satan was despoiled by the preaching of Jesus to the spirits in prison, (1Pe_3:19) and on which the Church first realises its deliverance from the bondage of sin by the Atonement of Good Friday, is the Christian continuance of the first day of unleavened bread, and so answers to this text, as Good Friday to the similar command in ver.

14.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

armed group by armed group

The term used for these groups is a military term referring to a large number of soldiers. AT: "division by division" or "regiment by regiment"

twilight

This refers to the time of evening after the sun has set but while there is still some light. See how you translated this in Exodus 12:6.

the fourteenth day in the first month

This is the first month of the Hebrew calendar. The fourteenth day is near the beginning of April on Western calendars. (See: Hebrew Months and Ordinal Numbers)

the twenty-first day of the month

"the twenty-first day of the first month." This is near the middle of April on Western calendars. (See: Hebrew Months and Ordinal Numbers and Ellipsis)

translationWords

festival

unleavened bread

day

people group

generation

year

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

ושמרתם את המצות AND YE SHALL WATCH THE UNLEAVENED BREAD that it shall not reach the stage of becoming leavened; hence the Rabbis said, if it (the dough) is rising (a sign that the leavening process is setting in) she (the woman kneading the dough) polishes it with cold water (i. e. she slaps the dough with hands dipped in cold water). Rabbi Josiah said: Do not read “את המַּצּוֹת”, the unleavened bread, but את הַמִּצְוֹת “[ye shall watch] the commandements” — just as we may not cause the unleavened bread to become leavened by letting the dough remain in its raw state too long so we may not let the commandment become “leavened” by waiting too long before we perform it; but if it (a commandment) comes to your hand, perform it immediately (Mekhilta).

ושמרתם את היום הזה AND YE SHALL GUARD THIS DAY — against work,

לדרתיכם חקת עולם THROUGHOUT YOUR GENERATIONS, AN ORDINANCE FOR EVER — Because the expressions, “[throughout your] generations”, and “an ordinance for ever” have not been mentioned in connection with the prohibition of work but only in reference to the celebration of the Festival (v. 14), it is therefore repeated here in order that you should not say: the prohibition, (v. 16) “no work shall be done”, was not spoken for future generations but for that generation alone to whom the words were addressed.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.