Here is the rest of Exodus 12. I understand and respect that this is among the most sacred texts of the Jews, and that it underlies the most important ritual tradition of the religion. It is unusual because it happens at home, and does not involve a priest. It is very important to people's identities, and their sense of family and belonging. Nevertheless I'm going to look at with directly and evaluate it without bias, including any pre-supposition of sacrality or allegorical interpretation. I presume most devout Jews believe that this is all literally true and that these events really happened, as do fundamentalist Christians. It is important to confront the implications were that true.
29 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn
in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the
firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of
all the livestock as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.
I shouldn't bother to point out yet again that the livestock are already dead. Anyway, it's important to remember why God does this. It is not to liberate the Hebrews; the story is quite explicit that Pharaoh was prepared to let them go on several occasions, but that God "hardened his heart" to make sure the massacre could happen. God makes several claims about his motives. (Credit to the
Skeptics Annotated Bible for the compilation.)
I will ... smite Egypt with all my wonders. 3:20
I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. 7:3
Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my
signs before him. 10:1
The LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that my wonders maye multiplied in the land of Egypt.
11:9
And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD. 7:5
Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh. 6:1
For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people;
that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. 9:14
That my name may be declared throughout all the earth. 9:16
That thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt.
10:2
That thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD's. 9:29
In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD. 7:17
That ye may know how that I am the LORD. 10:2
That ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and
Israel. 11:7
Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. 12:12
The population of Egypt at this time was about 3 million. Can't say how many of them were firstborn sons, but we're talking some hundreds of thousands of murdered Egyptians, for the above-stated motives. Interesting BTW that Pharaoh himself was apparently not a first-born son. Not impossible.
31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”
33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!” 34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing. 35 The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. 36 The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.
This part of the story is repetitious. I have pointed out before how odd it is. It contravenes the upcoming commandment against stealing but perhaps that only applies to fellow Israelites.
37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. 38
There are three places called "Succoth" or "Sukkoth" in the Bible. One is the place where Jacob settled after wrestling with God; another is mentioned in Joshua as inhabited by the tribe of Gad; and this place in Egypt. No town of this name in Egypt is ever known to have existed. Rameses is of course the name of several Pharaoh's, but not of a place in Egypt. The Egyptian captivity is said to have lasted 430 years. At the beginning, the population was 70 (Exodus 1:5). Now it's 600,000 men and therefore something like three million people. Uh-huh.
Many other people went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. 39 With
the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of
unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been
driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.
As I have pointed out many times, this is nonsense. They had several weeks of warning. They had to be specifically ordered not to leaven the bread.
40 Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions left Egypt. 42 Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come.
43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover meal:
“No foreigner may eat it. 44 Any slave you have bought may eat it after you have circumcised him, 45 but a temporary resident or a hired worker may not eat it.
46 “It must be eaten inside the house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones. 47 The whole community of Israel must celebrate it.
48 “A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat it. 49 The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you.”
50 All the Israelites did just what the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.
As I mentioned earlier, I shared the Passover meal with some friends in Chicago. I'm circumcised, thought obviously not for religious reasons, so evidently it was okay. I presume however that this means to imply that the foreigners have to convert to Judaism, not merely that they be physically circumcised. But that's unclear. Women are presumed to be appurtenances of men. In order for foreign women to participate, the men in their household need to be circumcised, presumably.
1 comment:
The Passover Seder is such a beautiful tradition, and I know it's in no danger of disappearing. That said, I look forward to clicking on the link to the Skeptics' Annotated Bible ... because I like the idea of reason, not just that of faith. Both important.
Post a Comment