Exodus 12:38
New International Version
Many other people went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.

New Living Translation
A rabble of non-Israelites went with them, along with great flocks and herds of livestock.

English Standard Version
A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds.

Berean Standard Bible
And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.

King James Bible
And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

New King James Version
A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of livestock.

New American Standard Bible
A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock.

NASB 1995
A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock.

NASB 1977
And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock.

Legacy Standard Bible
A foreign multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock.

Amplified Bible
A mixed multitude [of non-Israelites from foreign nations] also went with them, along with both flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock.

Christian Standard Bible
A mixed crowd also went up with them, along with a huge number of livestock, both flocks and herds.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
An ethnically diverse crowd also went up with them, along with a huge number of livestock, both flocks and herds.

American Standard Version
And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

Contemporary English Version
Many other people went with them as well, and there were also a lot of sheep, goats, and cattle.

English Revised Version
And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Many other people also went with them, along with large numbers of sheep, goats, and cattle.

Good News Translation
A large number of other people and many sheep, goats, and cattle also went with them.

International Standard Version
A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with a very large number of livestock, including sheep and cattle.

Majority Standard Bible
And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.

NET Bible
A mixed multitude also went up with them, and flocks and herds--a very large number of cattle.

New Heart English Bible
A mixed multitude went up also with them, with flocks, herds, and even very much livestock.

Webster's Bible Translation
And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very many cattle.

World English Bible
A mixed multitude went up also with them, with flocks, herds, and even very much livestock.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and a great rabble has also gone up with them, and flock and herd—very much livestock.

Young's Literal Translation
and a great rabble also hath gone up with them, and flock and herd -- very much cattle.

Smith's Literal Translation
And also a great mixture went up with them; and sheep and oxen, very much cattle.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And a mixed multitude without number went up also with them, sheep and herds and beasts of divers kinds, exceeding many.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But also an innumerable mix of common people ascended with them, sheep and herds and animals of diverse kinds, exceedingly many.

New American Bible
A crowd of mixed ancestry also went up with them, with livestock in great abundance, both flocks and herds.

New Revised Standard Version
A mixed crowd also went up with them, and livestock in great numbers, both flocks and herds.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and their flocks, and herds, and many cattle.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Also many mixed companies went up with them and very many flocks and oxen and cattle.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And a great mixed company went up with them, and sheep and oxen and very much cattle.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Exodus Begins
37The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth with about 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children. 38And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. 39Since their dough had no leaven, the people baked what they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves. For when they had been driven out of Egypt, they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for themselves.…

Cross References
Numbers 11:4
Meanwhile, the rabble among them had a strong craving for other food, and again the Israelites wept and said, “Who will feed us meat?

Nehemiah 13:3
As soon as the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all of foreign descent.

Deuteronomy 29:11
your children and wives, and the foreigners in your camps who cut your wood and draw your water—

Joshua 8:35
There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua failed to read before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, the little ones, and the foreigners who lived among them.

Leviticus 24:10
Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite.

Isaiah 56:6-8
And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD to minister to Him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be His servants—all who keep the Sabbath without profaning it and who hold fast to My covenant— / I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.” / Thus declares the Lord GOD, who gathers the dispersed of Israel: “I will gather to them still others besides those already gathered.”

Ezekiel 47:22-23
You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners who dwell among you and who have children. You are to treat them as native-born Israelites; along with you, they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. / In whatever tribe a foreigner dwells, you are to assign his inheritance there,” declares the Lord GOD.

1 Kings 8:41-43
And as for the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of Your name— / for they will hear of Your great name and mighty hand and outstretched arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple, / then may You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You. Then all the peoples of the earth will know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and they will know that this house I have built is called by Your Name.

Ruth 1:16
But Ruth replied: “Do not urge me to leave you or to turn from following you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.

Zechariah 8:23
This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue will tightly grasp the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”

Acts 2:10-11
Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome, / both Jews and converts to Judaism; Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”

Romans 9:24-26
including us, whom He has called not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles? / As He says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘My People’ who are not My people, and I will call her ‘My Beloved’ who is not My beloved,” / and, “It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”

Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:12-13
remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. / But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

Revelation 7:9
After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.


Treasury of Scripture

And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

and a mixed multitude.

Numbers 11:4
And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

Zechariah 8:23
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

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Band Cattle Droves Flock Flocks Great Herd Herds Livestock Mixed Multitude Numbers Rabble
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Band Cattle Droves Flock Flocks Great Herd Herds Livestock Mixed Multitude Numbers Rabble
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 a mixed multitude
The Hebrew term for "mixed multitude" is "erev rav," which suggests a diverse group of people. This phrase indicates that not only the Israelites left Egypt, but also a variety of other individuals, possibly including Egyptians and other foreigners who had witnessed the power of God through the plagues and chose to align themselves with the Israelites. This highlights the universal appeal of God's deliverance and foreshadows the inclusion of Gentiles in God's redemptive plan. It serves as a reminder that God's salvation is available to all who choose to follow Him, regardless of their ethnic or cultural background.

also went up with them
The phrase "went up" is significant in the Hebrew context, often used to describe a journey towards a higher purpose or calling. The departure from Egypt was not just a physical relocation but a spiritual ascent towards the Promised Land, symbolizing liberation from bondage and a journey towards divine fulfillment. This movement reflects the Christian journey of sanctification, where believers are called to leave behind their old lives and move towards a life of holiness and communion with God.

along with flocks and herds
The mention of "flocks and herds" underscores the comprehensive nature of the Exodus. The Israelites did not leave Egypt empty-handed; they took with them their means of livelihood and sustenance. This detail emphasizes God's provision and faithfulness, ensuring that His people had the necessary resources for their journey. It also symbolizes the holistic nature of God's deliverance, which encompasses both spiritual and material needs.

a great number of livestock
The "great number of livestock" further illustrates the magnitude of the Exodus event. It signifies the wealth and prosperity that God bestowed upon the Israelites as they left Egypt. Historically, livestock represented wealth and stability, and their inclusion in the Exodus narrative highlights God's abundant blessings. This abundance is a testament to God's promise to provide for His people, reinforcing the idea that when God calls His people out of bondage, He equips them with everything they need for the journey ahead.

(38) A mixed multitude went up also with them.--Nothing is told us of the component elements of this "mixed multitude." We hear of them as "murmuring" in Numbers 11:4, so that they seem to have remained with Israel. Some may have been Egyptians, impressed by the recent miracles; some foreigners held to servitude, like the Israelites, and glad to escape from their masters. It is noticeable that the Egyptian writers, in their perverted accounts of the Exodus, made a multitude of foreigners (Hyksos) take part with the Hebrews.

Verse 38. - A mixed multitude went up also with them. Kalisch supposes that these strangers were native Egyptians, anxious to escape the tyranny of the kings. Canon Cook suggests that they were "remains of the old Semitic population" of the Eastern provinces. Perhaps it is more probable that they consisted of fugitives from other subject races (as the Shartana) oppressed by the Pharaohs. We have again mention of this "mixed multitude" in Numbers 11:4, where we find that they were the first to regret the "flesh and the fish, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlick" which they had eaten in Egypt freely (ib. 5). They thus set a bad example, which the Israelites followed. And flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. Compare Exodus 10:26. It has been noticed that this is important, as lessening the difficulties connected with the sustentation of the Israelites in the wilderness. But it increases, on the other hand, the difficulties connected with the march, and with the possibility of finding pasture for such large flocks and herds in the Sinaitic peninsula.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And a mixed
עֵ֥רֶב (‘ê·reḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6154: Arabia -- mixture, mixed company

multitude
רַ֖ב (raḇ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7227: Much, many, great

also
וְגַם־ (wə·ḡam-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

went up
עָלָ֣ה (‘ā·lāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

with them,
אִתָּ֑ם (’it·tām)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 854: Nearness, near, with, by, at, among

along with great droves of
כָּבֵ֥ד (kā·ḇêḏ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 3515: Heavy

livestock,
מִקְנֶ֖ה (miq·neh)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4735: Something bought, property, livestock, acquisition

both flocks
וְצֹ֣אן (wə·ṣōn)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - common singular
Strong's 6629: Small cattle, sheep and goats, flock

and herds.
וּבָקָ֔ר (ū·ḇā·qār)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1241: Beef cattle, ox, a herd


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OT Law: Exodus 12:38 A mixed multitude went up also (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 12:37
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