Exodus 12:4 If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly.

◄ Exodus 12:4 ►

New International Version
If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.

New Living Translation
If a family is too small to eat a whole animal, let them share with another family in the neighborhood. Divide the animal according to the size of each family and how much they can eat.

English Standard Version
And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.

Berean Standard Bible
If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly.

King James Bible
And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

New King James Version
And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb.

New American Standard Bible
Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; in proportion to what each one should eat, you are to divide the lamb.

NASB 1995
Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb.

NASB 1977
‘Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to apportion the lamb.

Amplified Bible
Now if the household is too small for a lamb [to be consumed], let him and his next door neighbor take one according to the number of people [in the households]; according to what each man can eat, you are to divide the lamb.

Christian Standard Bible
If the household is too small for a whole animal, that person and the neighbor nearest his house are to select one based on the combined number of people; you should apportion the animal according to what each will eat.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If the household is too small for a whole animal, that person and the neighbor nearest his house are to select one based on the combined number of people; you should apportion the animal according to what each person will eat.

American Standard Version
and if the household be too little for a lamb, then shall he and his neighbor next unto his house take one according to the number of the souls; according to every man's eating ye shall make your count for the lamb.

English Revised Version
and if the household be too little for a lamb, then shall he and his neighbour next unto his house take one according to the number of the souls; according to every man's eating ye shall make your count for the lamb.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
A household may be too small to eat a whole animal. That household and the one next door can share one animal. Choose your animal based on the number of people and what each person can eat.

Good News Translation
If his family is too small to eat a whole animal, he and his next-door neighbor may share an animal, in proportion to the number of people and the amount that each person can eat.

International Standard Version
If a household is too small for a lamb, then it and its closest neighbor are to obtain one based on the number of individuals—dividing the lamb based on what each person can eat.

Majority Standard Bible
If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly.

NET Bible
If any household is too small for a lamb, the man and his next-door neighbor are to take a lamb according to the number of people--you will make your count for the lamb according to how much each one can eat.

New Heart English Bible
and if the household is too little for a lamb, then he and his neighbor next to his house shall take one according to the number of the souls; according to what everyone can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.

Webster's Bible Translation
And if the household shall be too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

World English Bible
and if the household is too little for a lamb, then he and his neighbor next to his house shall take one according to the number of the souls. You shall make your count for the lamb according to what everyone can eat.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
And if the household is too few for a lamb, then he has taken, he and his neighbor who is near to his house, for the number of persons, each according to his eating you count for the lamb.

Young's Literal Translation
'(And if the household be too few for a lamb, then hath he taken, he and his neighbour who is near unto his house, for the number of persons, each according to his eating ye do count for the lamb,)

Smith's Literal Translation
And if the house shall be little from being for a sheep, and he taking, and his neighbor drawing nigh his house according to the number of souls; each according to the mouth of his eating shall ye reckon for the sheep.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
But if the number be less than may suffice to eat the lamb, he shall take unto him his neighbour that joineth to his house, according to the number of souls which may be enough to eat the lamb.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But if the number is less than may suffice to be able to consume the lamb, he shall accept his neighbor, who has been joined with his house according to the number of souls that may suffice to be able to eat the lamb.

New American Bible
If a household is too small for a lamb, it along with its nearest neighbor will procure one, and apportion the lamb’s cost in proportion to the number of persons, according to what each household consumes.

New Revised Standard Version
If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And if the household is too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; every man according to the portion of his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And if the household is too small to bring out a lamb for it, he and his neighbor that is near to his house will take by the number of souls, each man according to his eating, you will count for a lamb.

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
and if the household be too little for a lamb, then shall he and his neighbour next unto his house take one according to the number of the souls; according to every man's eating ye shall make your count for the lamb.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And if they be few in a household, so that there are not enough for the lamb, he shall take with himself his neighbour that lives near to him, - as to the number of souls, every one according to that which suffices him shall make a reckoning for the lamb.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

The First Passover
…3Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must select a lamb for his family, one per household. 4If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly. 5Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Leviticus 25:10
So you are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and to his clan.

Numbers 9:10-14
“Tell the Israelites: ‘When any one of you or your descendants is unclean because of a dead body, or is away on a journey, he may still observe the Passover to the LORD. / Such people are to observe it at twilight on the fourteenth day of the second month. They are to eat the lamb, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; / they may not leave any of it until morning or break any of its bones. They must observe the Passover according to all its statutes. ...

Deuteronomy 16:1-8
Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, because in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night. / You are to offer to the LORD your God the Passover sacrifice from the herd or flock in the place the LORD will choose as a dwelling for His Name. / You must not eat leavened bread with it; for seven days you are to eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left the land of Egypt in haste—so that you may remember for the rest of your life the day you left the land of Egypt. ...

2 Chronicles 30:17-20
Since there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves, the Levites were in charge of slaughtering the Passover lambs for every unclean person to consecrate the lambs to the LORD. / A large number of the people—many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun—had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah interceded for them, saying, “May the LORD, who is good, provide atonement for everyone / who sets his heart on seeking God—the LORD, the God of his fathers—even if he is not cleansed according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.” ...

2 Chronicles 35:6
Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves, and make preparations for your fellow countrymen to carry out the word of the LORD given by Moses.”

Isaiah 53:7
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

Ezekiel 45:21
On the fourteenth day of the first month you are to observe the Passover, a feast of seven days, during which unleavened bread shall be eaten.

Matthew 26:17-19
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” / He answered, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him that the Teacher says, ‘My time is near. I will keep the Passover with My disciples at your house.’” / So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

Mark 14:12-16
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” / So He sent two of His disciples and told them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jug of water will meet you. Follow him, / and whichever house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is My guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’ ...

Luke 22:7-13
Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed. / Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” / “Where do You want us to prepare it?” they asked. ...

John 1:29
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

John 19:36
Now these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken.”

Acts 2:46
With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart,

1 Corinthians 5:7-8
Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. / Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old bread, leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and of truth.

1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? / Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf.

Treasury of Scripture

And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

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Exodus 12

1. The beginning of the year is changed
3. The Passover is instituted
11. The import of the rite of the Passover
15. Unleavened bread
29. The firstborn are slain
31. The Israelites are driven out of the land
37. They come to Succoth
41. The time of their sojourning
43. The ordinance of the Passover

Berean Study Bible

If the household is too small for a whole lamb
The Hebrew word for "household" is "בַּיִת" (bayit), which can refer to a physical house or a family unit. In the context of the Passover, the family unit is central, emphasizing the communal and familial nature of worship and obedience to God. The phrase "too small for a whole lamb" suggests a practical consideration in the observance of the Passover, highlighting God's provision and care for each family, regardless of size. It underscores the importance of stewardship and the avoidance of waste, reflecting God's desire for His people to be mindful of resources.

they are to share with their nearest neighbor
The concept of sharing with one's "nearest neighbor" is rooted in the Hebrew word "שָׁכֵן" (shaken), meaning neighbor or inhabitant. This directive fosters a sense of community and mutual support among the Israelites. It reflects the broader biblical principle of loving one's neighbor and ensuring that no one is left out of the communal worship experience. This sharing is not merely a practical solution but a spiritual exercise in unity and fellowship, reinforcing the idea that the Passover is a collective remembrance and celebration.

taking into account the number of people there are
This phrase emphasizes the importance of careful planning and consideration in the observance of God's commands. The Hebrew word "נֶפֶשׁ" (nephesh), often translated as "soul" or "person," indicates the individual value and dignity of each participant. By taking into account the number of people, the Israelites are reminded of the personal and communal aspects of their faith. It also points to God's intimate knowledge of His people, as He provides instructions that cater to their specific needs and circumstances.

You are to determine the amount of lamb needed
The act of determining the amount of lamb needed involves discernment and responsibility. The Hebrew root "חָשַׁב" (chashab) means to think, plan, or calculate. This requirement teaches the Israelites to be intentional and thoughtful in their worship, ensuring that each person is adequately provided for. It reflects God's orderly nature and His desire for His people to reflect that order in their lives.

in accordance with what each person will eat
This phrase highlights the practical and personal nature of God's instructions. The Hebrew word "אָכַל" (akal) means to eat or consume, and it underscores the necessity of meeting the physical needs of each individual. This directive ensures that the Passover meal is not only a spiritual observance but also a time of physical nourishment. It reflects God's holistic care for His people, addressing both their spiritual and physical well-being. The emphasis on individual needs within the communal celebration points to the balance between personal responsibility and community support in the life of faith.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(4) If the household be too little for the lamb.--There would be cases where the family would not be large enough to consume an entire lamb at a sitting. Where this was so, men were to club with their neighbours, either two small families joining together, or a large family drafting off some of its members to bring up the numbers of a small one. According to Josephus (Bell. Jud., vi. 9, ? 3), ten was the least number regarded as sufficient, while twenty was not considered too many.

Every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.--Rather, shall ye count. In determining the number for any given Paschal meal, ye shall "count men according to their eating," admitting more or fewer, as they are likely to consume less or more.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 4. - If the household be too little for the lamb - i.e., "too few to consume it at a sitting." Usage in course of time fixed the minimum number at ten. (Joseph. Bell. Jud. 6:9, § 3.) The whole family, men, women and children participated. The lamb was generally slain between the ninth hour (3 p.m.) and the eleventh (5 p.m.). Let him and his neighbour take it according to the number of the souls. If there were a household of only five, which could not possibly consume the lamb, any large neighbouring family was to send five or six of its number, to make up the deficiency. Every man according to his eating, etc. It is difficult to see what sense our translators intended. The real direction is that, in providing a proper number of guests, consideration should be had of the amount which they would be likely to eat. Children and the very aged were not to be reckoned as if they were men in the vigour of life. Translate - "Each man according to his eating shall ye count towards the lamb."

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

If
וְאִם־ (wə·’im-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

the household
הַבַּיִת֮ (hab·ba·yiṯ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1004: A house

is too
לְפִ֣י (lə·p̄î)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6310: The mouth, edge, portion, side, according to

small
יִמְעַ֣ט (yim·‘aṭ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4591: To pare off, lessen, in, to be, small, few

for a whole lamb,
מִשֶּׂה֒ (miś·śeh)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7716: A member of a, flock, a sheep, goat

they are to
ה֗וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

share with
וְלָקַ֣ח (wə·lā·qaḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

the nearest
הַקָּרֹ֥ב (haq·qā·rōḇ)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7138: Near

neighbor,
וּשְׁכֵנ֛וֹ (ū·šə·ḵê·nōw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7934: A resident, a fellow-citizen

based on the number
בְּמִכְסַ֣ת (bə·miḵ·saṯ)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 4373: An enumeration, a valuation

of people,
נְפָשֹׁ֑ת (nə·p̄ā·šōṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

and apportion
תָּכֹ֖סּוּ (tā·ḵōs·sū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 3699: To estimate

the lamb
הַשֶּֽׂה׃ (haś·śeh)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7716: A member of a, flock, a sheep, goat

accordingly.
אִ֚ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

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OT Law: Exodus 12:4 And if the household is too little (Exo. Ex)