Exodus 12:7
“Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The blood wasn't just a marker; it transformed the doorway into a sacred boundary, marking the house as under divine protection. This detail highlights how God's people were to be visibly set apart, their homes becoming a testament to their faith and obedience amidst a land of judgment.
The Lord is instituting the Passover, the very last plague before Israel’s exodus, by explaining how each household should prepare for it. After instructing them to select and prepare a lamb, this passage shifts to the critical protective measure: the application of the lamb’s blood to the doorposts and lintel of their homes. This bloody sign will be the signal for the angel of death to "pass over" their houses, sparing them from the destruction that will fall upon Egypt.
Understand the original words
dām · Hebrew Noun
The vital fluid of a living being; in the OT, it represents the life of a creature and is the primary means of atonement, foreshadowing the shed blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
mašqôp · Hebrew Noun
The horizontal beam across the top of a doorway; in this context, it is a place for the application of blood for protection and consecration.
This directive to mark the doorposts wasn't just a random instruction; it was a critical, visible sign of obedience and faith in the midst of a terrifying divine judgment. It marked the transition from slavery to freedom, a foundational moment for the people of Israel and a powerful symbol of salvation.
~1446 BC
Israelites Enslaved in Egypt
For generations, the Israelites had lived in Egypt, growing in number but also facing increasing oppression and forced labor under successive pharaohs.
~1446 BC
God's Ten Plagues on Egypt
God sent a series of devastating plagues upon Egypt to demonstrate His power and compel Pharaoh to release His people. The tenth plague was the most severe.
~1446 BC
The Tenth Plague Announced
God forewarned Moses that He would send one more plague: the death of every firstborn son in Egypt, from Pharaoh's heir to the lowest servant, and even the firstborn of animals.
~1446 BC— this verse
The Passover Instructions Given
God instructed Moses and Aaron on how the Israelites were to protect themselves from the final plague by sacrificing a lamb and marking their doorposts with its blood.
This passage directly connects the blood of Christ to the concept of sprinkling and protection, mirroring the physical sprinkling of the lamb's blood on the doorposts for salvation.
Hebrews 9:13-14The author of Hebrews explains how the blood of animals, like the Passover lamb, served as a precursor to the cleansing power of Christ's blood, offering a deeper spiritual understanding of the Passover ritual.
Ezekiel 9:4This passage describes a divine mark placed on foreheads to protect people from judgment, echoing the protective function of the blood on the doorposts in Exodus.
John 6:53-56Jesus speaks about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, a concept that, while spiritual, draws parallels to the life-giving and protective significance of consuming the Passover lamb and having its blood as a sign.
gillExodus 12:7: "And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it."
And they shall take of the blood,.... Of the lamb, being received into a basin, Exodus 12:22 , and strike it on the two side posts; with a bunch of hyssop dipped into it: and on the upper doorpost of the houses, wherein they shall eat it; but not on the posts of those houses, the inhabitants of which joined with their neighbours in eating it;…
cambridgeExodus 12:7: "And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it."
7 . The blood of the slain lamb to be applied to the doorposts and lintel of the house in which it is eaten,—as it were, to consecrate the house, and protect its inmates against destruction. This rite is probably a survival of an earlier, perhaps pre-Yahwistic stage, of usage. The Bedawin of the present day, when a new house is dedicated, spri…
The blood wasn't just a marker; it transformed the doorway into a sacred boundary, marking the house as under divine protection. This detail highlights how God's people were to be visibly set apart, their homes becoming a testament to their faith and obedience amidst a land of judgment.
The Lord is instituting the Passover, the very last plague before Israel’s exodus, by explaining how each household should prepare for it. After instructing them to select and prepare a lamb, this passage shifts to the critical protective measure: the application of the lamb’s blood to the doorposts and lintel of their homes. This bloody sign will be the signal for the angel of death to "pass over" their houses, sparing them from the destruction that will fall upon Egypt.
"“Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it." — The blood wasn't just a marker; it transformed the doorway into a sacred boundary, marking the house as under divine protection. This detail highlights how God's people were to be visibly set apart,…
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~1446 BC
The Night of the Passover
On the night of the Passover, every Israelite family followed God's instructions. The blood on the doorposts served as a sign for the destructive angel to 'pass over' their homes, sparing their firstborn.
~1446 BC
The Exodus from Egypt
Following the death of the firstborn, Pharaoh finally relented, and the Israelites were commanded to leave Egypt immediately, marking the beginning of their journey to freedom.
