The Passover
The night God passed over
This story includes the death of Egypt's firstborn sons and animals. It is told plainly, without graphic detail.
Two things you can tap
- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Moses: The Israelite God sent to lead his people out of slavery in Egypt.
- Aaron: Moses's older brother. He speaks for Moses.
- The LORD: God. LORD in capital letters stands for God's personal name. Jewish readers traditionally don't say it aloud, out of respect.
- Pharaoh: The king of Egypt. He has said no to God again and again.
- The Israelites: Also called the Hebrews. The family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They have been slaves in Egypt for many years.
Setting
- The homes of the Israelites in Egypt, on one spring night. Then Pharaoh's palace. Then the road out of Egypt.
When
- More than 3,000 years ago. It is the first month of the Israelite year, in the spring.
Before the Story
God sent nine plagues on Egypt. Blood, frogs, gnats, flies, dead animals, boils, hail, locusts, and darkness. Each time, Pharaoh said no, or he promised yes and then changed his mind. Our story called The Ten Plagues tells what happened.
Pharaoh sent Moses away. Pharaoh told Moses that if Pharaoh ever saw Moses's face again, Moses would die (10:28).
God warned of one more plague. At midnight, every firstborn son in Egypt would die, from Pharaoh's son to the servant's son (11:4-5).
Remember: Long before, God gave Moses a message for Pharaoh. "Israel is My firstborn son" (4:22). God told Pharaoh to let his son go, or Pharaoh's own firstborn son would die (4:23).
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. A lamb for each family | 12:1-6 | God tells each family to choose a lamb |
| 2. Blood on the door | 12:7-13 | God tells them to mark their doors and eat ready to leave |
| 3. A night to remember | 12:14-28 | God tells them to keep this feast forever |
| 4. Midnight | 12:29-30 | The last plague strikes Egypt |
| 5. "Get up and leave" | 12:31-36 | Pharaoh tells the Israelites to go |
| 6. Out of Egypt | 12:37-42 | God's people walk out free |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 6A Lamb for Each Family
God spoke to Moses and Aaron in Egypt. He said, "This month is the beginning of months for you" (12:2). From now on, their year would start with this month. Something new was beginning.
On the tenth day of the month, each family was to choose a lamb. If a family was too small to eat a whole lamb, they were to share with their neighbors.
The lamb had to be a one-year-old male, with nothing wrong with it. It could be a young sheep or a young goat.
The families would keep their lambs for four days. Then, on the fourteenth day, at twilight, every family would kill its lamb. Twilight is the time right after the sun goes down.
Scene 2 of 6Blood on the Door
God told them to take some of the lamb's blood. They were to put it on the sides and the top of the doorframe of their house.
That night, they were to roast the lamb over a fire and eat it. They would eat it with flat bread made without yeast, and with bitter herbs. Nothing was to be left until morning. Anything left over had to be burned.
God told them how to eat it. They should be dressed for travel, with sandals on their feet and a walking stick in their hand. They should eat in a hurry. God said, "It is the LORD's Passover" (12:11).
That night God would go through Egypt and strike down every firstborn son. God would also judge all the gods of Egypt.
Then God said, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (12:13). No plague would destroy them. That is why this night is called the Passover.
Scene 3 of 6A Night to Remember
God said, "This day will be a memorial for you" (12:14). A memorial is something that helps people remember. They were to keep this feast every year, forever.
For seven days each year, they would eat only bread made without yeast. This part is called the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Moses called the elders of Israel. He told them to kill the Passover lambs. They were to dip a bunch of hyssop, a small bushy plant, into the blood. Then they would brush the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe. No one was to go outside until morning.
God would see the blood and pass over that door. God would not let the destroyer come into their houses. The Bible does not say who the destroyer was.
They were to keep this command always, even after they entered the land God had promised them.
Moses said that in years to come, their children would ask, "What does this service mean to you?" (12:26). The parents would answer that it is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD. The LORD passed over their homes in Egypt and spared them.
The people bowed down and worshiped. Then the Israelites went and did what God had commanded Moses and Aaron.
Scene 4 of 6Midnight
At midnight, the LORD struck down every firstborn son in Egypt. It reached from Pharaoh's own firstborn son to the firstborn son of a prisoner in the dungeon. The firstborn animals died too.
Pharaoh got up in the night. So did his officials and all the Egyptians.
There was loud crying all over Egypt. Someone was dead in every house.
Scene 5 of 6"Get Up and Leave"
That same night, Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. He said, "Get up, leave my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested" (12:31).
Pharaoh told them to take their flocks and herds too. Then he said, "And bless me also."
The Egyptians hurried the Israelites out. "Otherwise we will all die," they said.
The Israelites picked up their bread dough before it could rise. They carried the dough on their shoulders, in mixing bowls wrapped in clothing.
They asked the Egyptians for silver, gold, and clothing, as Moses had told them. The LORD made the Egyptians kind toward them. So the Egyptians gave them what they asked.
Scene 6 of 6Out of Egypt
So the Israelites set out on foot, from the city of Rameses to Succoth. There were about 600,000 men, plus women and children. People from other nations went with them too. They brought large flocks and herds.
They had left in such a hurry that they had not made food for the trip. So they baked their dough into flat bread without yeast.
The Israelites had lived in Egypt for 430 years. At the end of those years, on that very day, the LORD brought all his people out of Egypt.
The Bible says the LORD kept watch that night to bring them out. So every year, the Israelites would keep watch on this night too, to honor the LORD.
On the night he struck Egypt, God kept watch over his people. They walked out free.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "This month is the beginning of months for you" (12:2) | Their freedom would start a new year. God was giving them a new life. |
| "It is the LORD's Passover" (12:11) | This night belongs to God. He is the one who acts. |
| "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (12:13) | The lamb's blood marked the homes God protected. The Israelites were not saved because they were better. They were saved by the blood God provided. |
| "This day will be a memorial for you" (12:14) | God wanted his people never to forget. Every year, they would tell the story again. |
| "What does this service mean to you?" (12:26) | Children's questions are welcome. The answer is a story about what God did. |
| "The LORD kept a vigil that night" (12:42) | A vigil is a night of staying awake and watching. God watched over his people all night. So every year, his people keep watch to honor him. |
Back Then
The Passover lambs were killed on the 14th day of the first month (12:6). Later, Jewish people called this month Nisan. It comes in the spring. (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
Hyssop was a small, bushy plant. People used it to sprinkle or brush liquids. (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
Unleavened bread is flat bread made without yeast. Yeast makes dough rise, and that takes time. The Israelites had no time (12:39). (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
Jewish families still celebrate Passover every year. They eat a special meal and tell the story to their children, as God said (12:26-27).
Literal Reader Alert
Why did the firstborn sons of Egypt die? This is one of the hardest parts of the Bible. It's okay to feel sad or upset about it. The Bible does not hide the pain. It says there was loud crying, and "no house without someone dead" (12:30). The firstborn sons were young and old, and firstborn animals died too (12:29). Before the plagues began, God told Pharaoh, "Israel is My firstborn son" (4:22). He warned Pharaoh to let his son go (4:23). Pharaoh refused again and again. The Bible does not say the people who died were worse than anyone else. The Israelites were not spared because they were better. They were spared because of the lamb's blood that God told them to use (12:13). Christians trust that God is good and fair, even when we don't understand. When a story like this makes God seem frightening, Christians look to Jesus, the clearest picture of who God is. You can bring your questions to God, and to a parent or pastor. At the Passover meal, many Jewish families spill a drop of wine for each plague. Many explain this as a way to remember that the Egyptians suffered too.
Who was "the destroyer"? Moses said God would not let "the destroyer" into their houses (12:23). The Bible does not say more about who this was. In the same passage, it says the LORD struck down the firstborn (12:29). A later letter in the New Testament calls this one "the destroyer of the firstborn" (Hebrews 11:28). This was about that one night in Egypt. It's okay to notice things like this. Careful readers have asked about it for centuries.
Did the Israelites steal from the Egyptians? No. The Bible says "they plundered the Egyptians" (12:36). Plunder usually means taking things by force. Here the word is a comparison, like an army carrying home treasure after a victory. The victory was God's. The Israelites asked, and the Egyptians gave (12:35-36). God had said they would not leave empty-handed (3:21). Later, God's law said the same thing about a Hebrew servant who was set free: "do not send him away empty-handed" (Deuteronomy 15:13).
Does God still need blood on a door? No. This was God's command for that night in Egypt. Jewish families today remember it with a meal, not with blood on their doors. Christians believe that Jesus is the Lamb God provided, once for all (1 Corinthians 5:7, Hebrews 10:10).
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with a parent, pastor, or trusted adult.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The Israelites | Thankful | They heard God's promise, and they bowed down and worshiped (12:27) |
| The Israelites | In a hurry | They left so fast their bread had no time to rise (12:34, 12:39) |
| The Egyptians | Heartbroken | Someone had died in every house (12:30) |
| The Egyptians | Afraid | They said, "We will all die" (12:33) |
| Pharaoh | The Bible doesn't say | He told them to go, and asked Moses to bless him too (12:31-32) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
Where are you in this story today? Tap one.
Needing to be spared
The Israelites did not have to be good enough. God said, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you." Christians hear a promise like this in the Lord's Supper, when Jesus says "for you."
Full of questions
The children at the Passover table asked, "What does this mean?" God wanted them to ask. Your questions are welcome too.
Sad about the Egyptians
That is a good and caring feeling. The Bible does not hide their crying. You can bring your sadness to God.
Ready to leave something
The Israelites did not free themselves. God brought them out. You can ask God for help in the hard situations you are in, and ask a trusted adult too.
It's really bad right now
Please tell a trusted adult today. If you are in danger right now, call 911 or your local emergency number. In the United States, you can also call or text 988 any time, day or night. Outside the United States, findahelpline.com lists free helplines.
You Might Have Heard
"The Israelites were saved because they were the good guys."
What's true: The Israelites trusted God and did what he said (12:28).
What the story is mainly about: God saving his people through a lamb he provided. God said, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (12:13). God did not say he would look at how good they were. Earlier, the Israelites were so discouraged by their hard slavery that they would not even listen to Moses (6:9).
Where Jesus is: Jesus died at Passover time. Luke tells us that the night before he died, Jesus ate the Passover meal with his friends (Luke 22:15). At that meal he gave them bread and said, "This is My body, given for you" (Luke 22:19). Christians remember this in the Lord's Supper. Paul says, "Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7). This does not take Passover away from Jewish people. God gave it to them, and they still keep it. The story The Last Supper tells about that meal.
Good News
On the night of Passover, the Israelites did not save themselves. They stayed inside, behind doors marked with the lamb's blood, and God kept watch over them.
John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). In the Lord's Supper, Jesus gives himself to you, "for you." You don't have to earn it. It is a gift.
God spared his people through the lamb he provided, and he gives Jesus "for you."
Big Idea
God spared his people through the blood of the lamb he provided, and in one night he brought them out of slavery.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
Luther wrote an Easter hymn in 1524, "Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands." He based it on older Easter songs. One verse calls Jesus the true Easter Lamb, given on the cross. It says his blood marks our door. It says faith holds up that blood against death. These are pictures taken from the first Passover.
In the Small Catechism (1529), Luther says the Lord's Supper gives "forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation." These gifts come through the words "Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins." Remission means forgiveness. (Small Catechism, Concordia Triglotta English, 1921)
In Church
Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. It is a shared list of Bible readings for Sundays and holy days. The lectionary reads Exodus 12:1-14 every year on Maundy Thursday, the night Christians remember the Last Supper. In Year A, it also reads Exodus 12:1-14 in September, in the weeks after Pentecost.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
When I see the blood, I will pass over you.
How did that feel?