John Calvin Commentary Exodus 12:1

"And Jehovah spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying," — Exodus 12:1 (ASV)

And the Lord spoke. Although the institution of the Passover in some degree pertains to the Fourth Commandment, where the Sabbath and Feast-days will be discussed, yet, insofar as it was a solemn symbol³⁰⁸ of their redemption, by which the people professed their obligation to God their deliverer and in a way devoted themselves to His rule, I have not hesitated to include it here as a supplement to the First Commandment.

The observance of the day itself will be discussed again in its proper place. It is fitting to note here that God commanded this ceremony so that He might completely bind the people in obligation to Himself alone, and that from it the Israelites might learn that they should never turn away from Him, by whose kindness and power they were redeemed.

For by these means He had purchased them to Himself as His own special people. Therefore, whenever He reproves them for turning away from His pure worship, He complains that they had forgotten this great favor, the memory of which should have been sufficient to keep them faithful.

In effect, then, the celebration of the Passover taught the Israelites that it was not lawful for them to acknowledge any other God besides their Redeemer. It also taught that it was just and right for them to consecrate themselves to His service, since He had restored them from death to life. Thus, as in a mirror or picture, He displayed His grace to them and desired that they should each following year recall what they had previously experienced, so that it would never fade from their memory.

First, let us define what the Passover (Pascha) is;³⁰⁹ I use its common and ordinary name. In its etymology there is no difficulty, except that the passage (transitus) of God is equivalent to His leaping over (transilitio), by which it happened that the houses of the Israelites remained untouched. For Isaiah,³¹⁰ speaking of the second redemption, unquestionably alludes to this place when he says, "I will leap over Jerusalem." The reason, then, for this expression being used is that God’s vengeance passed over the Israelites, leaving them uninjured.

Regarding the twofold mention by Moses of a "passing-over," observe that the same word is not used in both places. Pesah³¹¹ refers to the chosen people, and Abar to the Egyptians, as if he had said, "My vengeance shall pass through the midst of your enemies and shall everywhere destroy them; but you I will pass over untouched."

Since, then, God was willing to spare His Israel, He awakened the minds of the faithful to the hope of this salvation by means of a sign,³¹² while He instituted a perpetual memorial of His grace, so that the Passover might every year renew the memory of their deliverance.

For the first Passover was celebrated at the very time of the event itself, to be a pledge to strengthen their terrified minds. The annual repetition, however, was a sacrifice of thanksgiving by which their descendants might be reminded that they were God’s rightful and special dependents (clientes).

Yet both the original institution and the perpetual law had a higher reference. God did not redeem His ancient people merely so that they might remain safely and quietly in the land; rather, He wished to lead them onward even to the inheritance of eternal life. Therefore, the Passover was, no less than Circumcision, a sign of spiritual grace. So it has an analogy and resemblance to the Holy Supper, because it both contained the same promises, which Christ now seals to us in the Supper, and also taught that God could only be propitiated toward His people by the expiation of blood.

In sum, it was the sign of the future redemption as well as of that which was past. For this reason Paul writes that Christ our Passover is slain (1 Corinthians 5:7), which would be unsuitable if the ancients had only been reminded by it of their temporal benefit.

Yet let us first establish this: the observance of the Passover was commanded by God in the Law so that He might demand the gratitude of His people and devote to Himself those who were redeemed by His power and grace.

I now turn to particulars. God commands the Israelites to begin the year with the month in which they had come out of Egypt, as if it had been the day of their birth, since that exodus was in fact a kind of new birth.³¹³ For, as they had been, in a sense, buried in Egypt, the liberty given them by God was the beginning of a new life and the dawning of a new light.

For though their adoption had preceded this, yet, since in the meantime it had almost vanished from the hearts of many, it was necessary that they should be, in a way, begotten anew, so that they might begin to acknowledge more certainly that God was their Father. Therefore He says in Hosea:

I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no God but me (Hosea 12:9 and Hosea 13:4).

Because He had then especially acquired them to Himself as His own special people; and He speaks even more clearly a little earlier:

When Israel was a child, then I loved him,
and called my son out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1).

Now, although it was common to the descendants of Abraham, along with other nations, to begin the year with the month of March, yet in this respect the reason for it was different: only to the elect people was their resurrection annually set before them. Until that time, however, the Hebrews themselves had begun their year with the month of September, which is called in Chaldee Tisri, and in which many suppose that the world was created. This was because immediately on its creation the earth produced ripe fruits, so that its fertility was at its peak.

And still there remains among the Jews a twofold manner of dating and counting their years. In all matters relating to the common business of life, they retain the old and natural computation, so that the first month is the beginning of Autumn. However, in religious matters and festivals, they follow the commands of Moses. This is the legal year, beginning nearly with our month of March,³¹⁴ yet not precisely, because we do not have their ancient embolisms. For since twelve circuits of the moon would not equal the sun’s course, they were obliged to make an intercalation, lest, over the years, an absurd and enormous discrepancy should arise. Thus, it happens that the month Nisan, in which they celebrated the Passover, begins among the Jews sometimes earlier and sometimes later, depending on how the intercalation delays it.

³⁰⁸ Memorial. — Fr.

³⁰⁹ This paragraph not in French.

³¹⁰Isaiah 31:5C.’s own translation of the words rendered in our A. V., “passing over he will preserve it,” i.e., Jerusalem, is “transiliens servabit;” that of Bishop Lowth is “leaping forward, and rescuing her.” In his note on the passage, he expresses the opinion that the action described by the word פסח, in this chapter, is the “springing forward” of Jehovah the protector, to defend his people from the destroying angel.

³¹¹ פסח and עבר in verses 13 and 12. It is observable that C. now properly translates פסח, transilire, in his own comment; though, when commenting on it before, he had only used parts of the word transire, which expresses no more than עבר. — W

³¹² “Symbolum.” — Lat. “Signe ou Sacrement.” — Fr..

³¹³ “Une facon de faire renaistre;” a means of bringing about the new birth of the Church. — Fr..

³¹⁴ There is a considerable abbreviation of this passage in the French.