Holy Week · Maundy Thursday · Year B
Exodus 12:1-14
The Passover
March 25, 2027
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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Commentary
Commentary on Exodus 12:1-4 [5-10] 11-14 Working Preacher
Luther Seminary's Maundy Thursday commentary reads the Passover instructions straight into the Lord's Supper.
Exodus 12 Commentary: God Institutes Passover Enduring Word
Verse by verse walkthrough of the lamb, the blood on the doorposts, and the Passover meal.
Exodus 12 Commentary Precept Austin
Detailed word study commentary on the institution of the Passover in Egypt.
Exodus 12:1-14 Commentary Center for Excellence in Preaching
A preaching-focused commentary on the Passover instructions and their liturgical shape.
Exodus 12:1 Commentaries BibleHub
Aggregated classic commentaries (Barnes, Gill, Ellicott and others) on the Passover text.
Background & Word Study
Sermons & Reflections
Questions preachers ask
What is the Passover?
On the night of Israel's deliverance each household kills a lamb and marks the doorposts with its blood, and the Lord passes over them, a feast kept forever and fulfilled in Christ.
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