What is the meaning of Exodus 12:23? When the LORD passes through • The verse begins with God Himself moving through Egypt, echoing His direct, personal involvement seen earlier in Exodus 12:12 and reminiscent of Genesis 18:20-22 when He came down toward Sodom. • His passing “through” distinguishes a moment of judgment rather than mere observation (cf. Isaiah 26:21). to strike down the Egyptians • This is the climactic tenth plague, fulfilling God’s word in Exodus 4:22-23 and Genesis 15:13-14. • The action is judicial: the Egyptians have persisted in rebellion despite nine prior warnings (Exodus 7–11). • Judgment and mercy run side-by-side: while Egypt faces wrath, Israel is offered a clear path of rescue (Romans 9:22-23). He will see the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts • Obedient families painted lamb’s blood exactly where God prescribed (Exodus 12:7, 13). • The blood is a visible, substitutionary sign—life given so other lives can be spared (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22). • It foreshadows Christ, “a lamb unblemished and spotless” (1 Peter 1:18-19), whose blood once for all satisfies God’s righteous demands. and He will pass over that doorway • “Pass over” contrasts with “pass through.” Passing over means skipping, shielding, sparing (Isaiah 31:5). • The doorway becomes a boundary between death and life, anticipating Jesus’ promise in John 5:24—believers “pass…from death to life.” • Safety is found not in personal merit but under God-appointed covering (Titus 3:5). He will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses • God guards the threshold; even the “destroyer” (1 Corinthians 10:10; Psalm 78:49) cannot overstep His word. • Angelic agents may execute judgment, but divine sovereignty decides their limits (Job 1:12; Psalm 91:9-11). • The scene prefigures believers’ present security: “kept by the power of God” (1 Peter 1:5). to strike you down • The phrase highlights complete deliverance: none inside the blood-marked home will be touched (Exodus 12:27). • It underscores substitutionary atonement—judgment falls elsewhere so God’s people remain unharmed (Romans 8:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:10). • Salvation is both individual (each household applied the blood) and corporate (all Israel was spared). summary Exodus 12:23 pictures the LORD moving in judgment yet providing perfect protection for those under the lamb’s blood. God sees the blood, passes over, and forbids the destroyer entrance. The verse teaches the necessity of obedient faith, the power of substitutionary sacrifice, and the absolute reliability of God’s promise to shield His people—a timeless preview of the ultimate Passover fulfilled in Christ. |
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