Study Questions for Exodus 12:29-51

Study Questions for Exodus 12:29-51

What has been going on so far in the book? Chapter?

Verses 29-32

V. 29—What happened at midnight on the first day of the new year?
Why Midnight?
What does struck down mean?
Remember who the first born are?
How pervasive in the land of Egypt was the plague or striking?

V. 30—What did Pharaoh do when every one was dying?
Who rose up with him?
What was the people’s reaction to the death of all the first born?

v. 31, 32—How long did it take for Pharaoh to summon Moses and Aaron?
What did he say to Moses when he got there? He isn’t letting them go finally, he is forcing them to leave (3:20; 6:1).
How extensive was the command to go? Who got to leave and for how long?
Pharaoh has finally reached the limit of his pride—total surrender.
What did Pharaoh want Moses to do with him?
What does “bless” mean?

Verses 33-42

V. 33—What was the Egyptians attitude toward the command of Pharaoh to leave?
Why were they urgent about the Israelites leaving quickly?
There is no more thought of economic benefits for the people.

V. 34—What did the Israelites do when the people asked them to leave the land?
What did they pack up?
Why didn’t they put leaven in the dough?

V. 35—Besides packing, what did the Israelites do?
Who told them to ask the Egyptians for gold and silver and nice clothing? So they left in style and very wealthy?

V. 36—Why did the Egyptians think and act favorably toward the Israelites? Notice the emphasis on what God is doing in all of this.
What was the result of the good will the Egyptians had toward the Israelites? They left Egypt like a victorious army—stripping and vanquishing the foe and carrying off all the booty of the land.
What does plunder mean?

V. 37—Where did the people go from? And where did they go to? Numbers 33:3-4
How many people went in all? Somewhere around 2,000,000-5,000,000. Gen. 14:14
They went about 15 miles that first day.

V. 38—Who went with them?
What is a mixed multitude? Egyptians, other slaves. Num. 11:4
What is the difference between a flock and a herd? Gen. 15:14

V. 39—What kind of food did they eat on their journey?
Why didn’t anything have leaven in it?

V. 40, 41—How long had the Israelites lived in Egypt? Gen. 15:13-14; Acts. 7:6

V. 42—What kind of night was that last night?
Who was doing the watching?
Why was God watching?
What was he watching?
What was the response by the people of God’s watching? Honoring God means doing what he says. 1Cor. 11:28
For how long did this watching tradition last in Israel?

Verses 43-51

V. 43, 44—Who shall eat of the Passover?
Who says?
When can a slave eat the Passover? Only permanent members of the covenant community can participate in the worship of God.
What about women?
Circumcision was the mark of covenant incorporation. Gen. 17:12-13

V. 45—Who may not eat the Passover?

V. 46—What are the restrictions for eating the Passover?
What is this thing about not breaking any bones? John 19:36; 1 Cor. 5:7
What difference would this make? May have pointed to the care of the animal even in death, or it might have been seen as simply God making stipulations that he wanted the people to do for the sake of obeying.

V. 47—Who in Israel shall keep the Passover?

V. 48—What has to happen if a stranger wants to celebrate with the Israelites?
Why does he have to be circumcised first?
What does it mean to “come near”?
What does it mean to be a native in the land?
Who can not eat of the Passover?

V. 49—How many laws shall there be in the land?
What land is he talking about?
How many kinds of people will be in the land?
What is a stranger?
What does this say about government in general?

V. 50—What was the people’s response to what Moses told everyone?

V. 51—What happened that very day?
How did the people come out of Egypt?
What would you have seen had you been there that day?
What does “by their hosts” mean?

The Israelites were taken out of Egypt the goal now would be to take Egypt out of them in the ways they thought and acted.

Exodus is seen as a paradigm of divine salvation. God’s grace is central.
God does things to make everyone involved understand that God is and God chooses a people for himself and no one better mess with God or his people.

The Passover was seen as a response on the part of the people to the kindness of God. It was also seen as God’s kindness itself being poured out on his people. They were saved because the animal died. His blood covered their doors and effected atonement for the people in the house. God set them apart for a unique, blessed and eternal relationship with him.