Exodus 12:24
New International Version
“Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants.

New Living Translation
“Remember, these instructions are a permanent law that you and your descendants must observe forever.

English Standard Version
You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever.

Berean Standard Bible
And you are to keep this command as a permanent statute for you and your descendants.

King James Bible
And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

New King James Version
And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever.

New American Standard Bible
And you shall keep this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever.

NASB 1995
“And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever.

NASB 1977
“And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever.

Legacy Standard Bible
And you shall keep this event as a statute for you and your children forever.

Amplified Bible
You shall observe this event [concerning Passover] as an ordinance for you and for your children forever.

Christian Standard Bible
“Keep this command permanently as a statute for you and your descendants.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Keep this command permanently as a statute for you and your descendants.

American Standard Version
And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

English Revised Version
And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"You must follow these instructions. They are a permanent law for you and your children.

Good News Translation
You and your children must obey these rules forever.

International Standard Version
You are to observe this event as a perpetual ordinance for you and your children forever.

Majority Standard Bible
And you are to keep this command as a permanent statute for you and your descendants.

NET Bible
You must observe this event as an ordinance for you and for your children forever.

New Heart English Bible
You shall observe this thing for an ordinance to you and to your sons forever.

Webster's Bible Translation
And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

World English Bible
You shall observe this thing for an ordinance to you and to your sons forever.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And you have observed this thing for a statute to you and to your sons for all time;

Young's Literal Translation
'And ye have observed this thing, for a statute to thee, and to thy sons -- unto the age;

Smith's Literal Translation
And watch ye this word for a law to thee and to thy sons forever.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou shalt keep this thing as a law for thee and thy children for ever.

Catholic Public Domain Version
You shall keep this word as a law for you and for your sons, forever.

New American Bible
“You will keep this practice forever as a statute for yourselves and your descendants.

New Revised Standard Version
You shall observe this rite as a perpetual ordinance for you and your children.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And you shall observe this rite and this ordinance for yourselves and your sons for ever.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And you shall keep this statement and this Law for yourselves and for your children until eternity.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And keep ye this thing as an ordinance for thyself and for thy children for ever.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
23When the LORD passes through to strike down the Egyptians, He will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway; so He will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. 24And you are to keep this command as a permanent statute for you and your descendants. 25When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as He promised, you are to keep this service.…

Cross References
Exodus 13:10
Therefore you shall keep this statute at the appointed time year after year.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9
These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. / And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. / Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ...

Deuteronomy 11:18-20
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. / Teach them to your children, speaking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. / Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates,

Leviticus 23:4-8
These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times. / The Passover to the LORD begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. / On the fifteenth day of the same month begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. ...

Numbers 9:2-3
“The Israelites are to observe the Passover at its appointed time. / You are to observe it at the appointed time, at twilight on the fourteenth day of this month, in accordance with its statutes and ordinances.”

Joshua 4:6-7
to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ / you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.”

2 Kings 23:21-23
The king commanded all the people, “Keep the Passover of the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” / No such Passover had been observed from the days of the judges who had governed Israel through all the days of the kings of Israel and Judah. / But in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, this Passover was observed to the LORD in Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 35:1-19
Then Josiah kept the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month. / He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the house of the LORD. / To the Levites who taught all Israel and were holy to the LORD, Josiah said: “Put the holy ark in the temple built by Solomon son of David king of Israel. It is not to be carried around on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and His people Israel. ...

Psalm 78:5-7
For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, / that the coming generation would know them—even children yet to be born—to arise and tell their own children / that they should put their confidence in God, not forgetting His works, but keeping His commandments.

Psalm 105:8-10
He remembers His covenant forever, the word He ordained for a thousand generations— / the covenant He made with Abraham, and the oath He swore to Isaac. / He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

Isaiah 30:8
Go now, write it on a tablet in their presence and inscribe it on a scroll; it will be for the days to come, a witness forever and ever.

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 13:1
It was now just before the Passover Feast, and Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the very end.


Treasury of Scripture

And you shall observe this thing for an ordinance to you and to your sons for ever.

Exodus 12:14
And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

Genesis 17:8-10
And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God…

Jump to Previous
Age Children Descendants Event Forever Instructions Lasting Obey Observe Observed Order Ordinance Rite Statute
Jump to Next
Age Children Descendants Event Forever Instructions Lasting Obey Observe Observed Order Ordinance Rite Statute
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














And you are to keep
The Hebrew word for "keep" is "שָׁמַר" (shamar), which means to guard, observe, or give heed. This implies a vigilant and active role in maintaining the command. In the context of the Israelites, this was not a passive remembrance but an active, ongoing practice. The use of "keep" suggests a sense of duty and responsibility, emphasizing the importance of obedience to God's instructions. Historically, this reflects the covenant relationship between God and His people, where obedience is a sign of faithfulness.

this command
The "command" refers to the instructions given by God regarding the Passover, a pivotal event in Israelite history. The Hebrew word "מִצְוָה" (mitzvah) is used here, which denotes a commandment or law. This particular command is central to Jewish identity and faith, symbolizing deliverance and God's faithfulness. The Passover command is not just a ritual but a profound reminder of God's saving power and His covenant with Israel.

as a perpetual ordinance
The phrase "perpetual ordinance" is derived from the Hebrew "חֻקָּה עוֹלָם" (chukkat olam), meaning an everlasting statute. This indicates that the observance of Passover was intended to be an eternal practice, transcending generations. The use of "perpetual" underscores the timeless nature of God's commands and the enduring relationship between God and His people. It highlights the importance of tradition and continuity in faith practices, serving as a constant reminder of God's deliverance.

for you and your descendants
This phrase emphasizes the communal and generational aspect of the command. The Hebrew word for "descendants" is "בָּנִים" (banim), meaning sons or children. It signifies the importance of passing down faith and traditions to future generations. This reflects the biblical principle of teaching and nurturing the next generation in the ways of the Lord. Historically, this has been a cornerstone of Jewish and Christian faith, ensuring that the account of God's deliverance and faithfulness is never forgotten.

(24) This thing.--Not the sprinkling of the blood, which was never repeated after the first occasion, but the sacrifice of the lamb, commanded in Exodus 12:21.

Verse 24. To thee and to thy children. The change from the plural to the singular is curious, Perhaps, we are to understand that Moses insisted on the perpetuity of the ordinance to each of the elders severally.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And you are to keep
וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֖ם (ū·šə·mar·tem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 8104: To hedge about, guard, to protect, attend to

this
הַזֶּ֑ה (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

command
הַדָּבָ֣ר (had·dā·ḇār)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

as a perpetual
עַד־ (‘aḏ-)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

ordinance
לְחָק־ (lə·ḥāq-)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2706: Something prescribed or owed, a statute

for you
לְךָ֥ (lə·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

and your descendants.
וּלְבָנֶ֖יךָ (ū·lə·ḇā·ne·ḵā)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son


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OT Law: Exodus 12:24 You shall observe this thing (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 12:23
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