Exodus 12:43

Participation in the Passover

12:43 ¹ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner may ²  share in eating it. ³ 

Numbers 9:14

9:14 If a resident foreigner lives ⁴  among you and wants to keep ⁵  the Passover to the Lord, he must do so according to the statute of the Passover, and according to its custom. You must have ⁶  the same ⁷  statute for the resident foreigner ⁸  and for the one who was born in the land.’”

Numbers 15:15-16

15:15 One statute must apply ⁹  to you who belong to the congregation and to the resident foreigner who is living among you, as a permanent ¹⁰  statute for your future generations. You and the resident foreigner will be alike ¹¹  before the Lord. 15:16 One law and one custom must apply to you and to the resident foreigner who lives alongside you.’”

[12:43]  ¹ sn The section that concludes the chapter contains regulations pertaining to the Passover. The section begins at v. 43, but vv. 40-42 form a good setting for it. In this unit vv. 43-45 belong together because they stress that a stranger and foreigner cannot eat. Verse 46 stands by itself, ruling that the meal must be eaten at home. Verse 47 instructs that the whole nation was to eat it. Verses 48-49 make provision for foreigners who may wish to participate. And vv. 50-51 record the obedience of Israel.

[12:43]  ² tn This taken in the modal nuance of permission, reading that no foreigner is permitted to share in it (apart from being a member of the household as a circumcised slave [v. 44] or obeying v. 48, if a free individual).

[12:43]  ³ tn This is the partitive use of the bet (ב) preposition, expressing that the action extends to something and includes the idea of participation in it (GKC 380 §119.m).

[9:14]  ⁴ tn The words translated “resident foreigner” and “live” are from the same Hebrew root, גּוּר (gur), traditionally translated “to sojourn.” The “sojourner” who “sojourns” is a foreigner, a resident alien, who lives in the land as a temporary resident with rights of land ownership.

[9:14]  ⁵ tn The verb is the simple perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive. It is therefore the equivalent to the imperfect that comes before it. The desiderative imperfect fits this usage well, since the alien is not required to keep the feast, but may indeed desire to do so.

[9:14]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew text has “there will be to you,” which is the way of expressing possession in Hebrew. Since this is legal instruction, the imperfect tense must be instruction or legislation.

[9:14]  ⁷ tn Or “you must have one statute.”

[9:14]  ⁸ tn The conjunction is used here to specify the application of the law: “and for the resident foreigner, and for the one…” indicates “both for the resident foreigner and the one who….”

[15:15]  ⁹ tn The word “apply” is supplied in the translation.

[15:15]  ¹⁰ tn Or “a statute forever.”

[15:15]  ¹¹ tn Heb “as you, as [so] the alien.”