Exodus 12:3

12:3 Tell the whole community of Israel, ‘In the tenth day of this month they each 1  must take a lamb 2  for themselves according to their families 3  – a lamb for each household. 4 

Exodus 29:40

29:40 With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah 5  of fine flour mixed with a fourth of a hin 6  of oil from pressed olives, and a fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering.

1 tn Heb “and they will take for them a man a lamb.” This is clearly a distributive, or individualizing, use of “man.”

2 tn The שֶּׂה (seh) is a single head from the flock, or smaller cattle, which would include both sheep and goats.

3 tn Heb “according to the house of their fathers.” The expression “house of the father” is a common expression for a family.

sn The Passover was to be a domestic institution. Each lamb was to be shared by family members.

4 tn Heb “house” (also at the beginning of the following verse).

5 tn The phrase “of an ephah” has been supplied for clarity (cf. Num 28:5). The ephah was a commonly used dry measure whose capacity is now uncertain: “Quotations given for the ephah vary from ca. 45 to 20 liters” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 2:340-41).

6 tn “Hin” is a transliterated Hebrew word that seems to have an Egyptian derivation. The amount of liquid measured by a hin is uncertain: “Its presumed capacity varies from about 3,5 liters to 7,5 liters” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:550).