Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
Parallel translations
- WEB Don’t eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted with fire; with its head, its legs and its inner parts.
- BSB Do not eat any of the meat raw or cooked in boiling water, but only roasted over the fire—its head and legs and inner parts.
- NKJV Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails.
- NASB Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails.
- NLT Do not eat any of the meat raw or boiled in water. The whole animal—including the head, legs, and internal organs—must be roasted over a fire.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The lamb must be roasted whole over fire, not eaten raw or boiled, preserving it intact.
Overview
The specific manner of preparation, roasting the whole lamb with head, legs, and inner parts, keeps it unbroken and ready for a hasty departure. The wholeness of the lamb connects to the later command not to break its bones (v. 46), which John applies to Christ on the cross (John 19:36). These careful details guard the integrity of the type that points to the Savior.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Exod 12:8And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
- Deut 16:7And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents.
- Lam 1:13From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolate and faint all the day.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 12:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.