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Lenten Season · Holy Thursday: Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper · Year A

Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14

The Passover

April 2, 2026

The Feast of the Passover, Dieric Bouts
The Feast of the Passover, Dieric Bouts, 1464–1467Saint Peter's Church, Leuven
A wing of the Last Supper altarpiece, where Bouts surrounded the central communion with four Old Testament meals that prefigure it.This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord.Dieric BoutsA Netherlandish painter in Leuven, known for still, elongated figures and for being among the first to use a single vanishing point.Saint Peter's Church, LeuvenA Flemish Gothic church in the university town of Leuven, which still holds the Bouts altarpieces painted for it.Saint Peter's Church, Leuven
Roman Lectionary
GospelJohn 13:1-15Jn 13:1-15
Second Reading1 Cor. 11:23-261 Cor 11:23-26
First ReadingExod. 12:1-8, 11-14Ex 12:1-8, 11-14
Responsorial PsalmPs. 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18Ps 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18Alt. Psalmcf. 1 Corinthians 10:16cf. 1 Cor 10:16

Overview & Insights

“The blood shall be a sign for you… and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” (Exodus 12:13)

Exodus 12 and 13 stand together as a single literary unit, describing the Passover ( pesakh ; lit., pass over). If we read this lengthy portion (12:1–13:16) in a simple linear fashion, it may seem oddly organized and redundant. The most we could say is that the length itself was part of what served to establish the exodus event and its perpetual observance in Israel’s memory and liturgical practice. It was indeed a primary formational event. We can understand the themes of this vital material even better, however, when we notice the internal structure and the relationships between the paragraphs. The text structurally braids together the three themes of protecting the precious firstborn, the Passover lamb, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread in 12:1–13:16. The chiastic structure below reveals this pattern.

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Take it further: Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14

Commentary

Commentary on Exodus 12:1-4 [5-10] 11-14Commentary on Ex 12:1-4 [5-10] 11-14 Working Preacher

Luther Seminary commentary on the first Passover, the RCL Maundy Thursday first reading.

Exodus 12 Commentary: God Institutes PassoverEx 12 Commentary: God Institutes Passover Enduring Word · David Guzik

David Guzik's verse-by-verse reading of the Passover lamb and the meal's instructions.

Exodus 12 CommentaryEx 12 Commentary Precept Austin

Detailed compilation of notes and word studies on the Passover chapter.

Exodus 12:1 CommentariesEx 12:1 Commentaries BibleHub

Aggregated classic commentaries on the LORD's instructions for the Passover.

Background & Word Study

Exodus 12 | Sefaria LibraryEx 12 | Sefaria Library Sefaria

Hebrew text of the Passover chapter with classical Jewish commentary.

Exodus 12:1 InterlinearEx 12:1 Interlinear BibleHub

Hebrew word-by-word study of the Passover institution.

Book of Exodus Summary (Overview Video)Book of Ex Summary (Overview Video) BibleProject

Animated overview of Exodus 1 through 18, setting the Passover within the story of deliverance.

The Church Fathers

Exodus 12 - Catena Bible & CommentariesEx 12 - Catena Bible & Commentaries Catena

Patristic comment reading the Passover lamb as a type of Christ.

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