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Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season.

Keep the passover. — This passover; for they kept no more but this, till they came into the land of Canaan, Joshua 5:10 Exodus 12:25 because of their often and uncertain removes. The feast of tabernacles likewise was for many ages omitted; or at least not in due manner observed, as by dwelling in booths, reading the book of the law, …, Nehemiah 8:16-18 which a man would wonder at. But Vexatio dat intellectum: those Jews were newly returned from captivity.

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In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it.

According to all the rites. — It was a true saying of Socrates in Xenophon, Deum eo cultus genere coli velle, quem ipse instituerit that God must be worshipped in his own way only. Whereunto agreeth that of Cicero, Deum non superstitione coli velle, sed pietate.

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And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.

And they kept the passover. — See Trapp on " Exodus 12:1 " …

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And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day:

They could not keep the passover. — Because they were to be unclean seven days. Numbers 19:11 Now, among the very heathen, the sacrificers were to purify themselves some days before; they had their caena pura the night before, …, Demosth. and having expiated the company, they cried, τις τηδε ; who is here? to which they made reply, πολλοι κα γαθοι γε παρεισιν , Many and good are here. Aristoph.

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And those men said unto him, We [are] defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel?

And those men said unto him. — Moses they knew was a meet man to resolve this case of conscience. He was a messenger, an interpreter, "one among a thousand, to show unto man his uprightness," Job 33:23 a merchant to sell oil and balm from Gilead, to cure consciences. Matthew 25:9 Others may write cases, that is, covers of conscience; but resolve none. Conscience is a diamond, and will be wrought on by nothing but dust of diamond, such as contrition hath ground it to.

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And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you.

Stand still and I will hear. — Moses was but the echo of God’s voice; John Baptist, "the voice of one crying in the wilderness": St Paul "received of the Lord" what he delivered to the Church, 1 Corinthians 11:23 and took care that the faith of his hearers "might not be in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God." 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 Unwarranted doctrines come not cum gratia et privilegio.

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Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or [be] in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD.

Or be in a journey afar off. — This rendered a man unfit to partake; because either his head would be so taken up about his business then, or his mind so set upon home, that he would have little leisure or liberty to prepare for the passover.

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The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, [and] eat it with unleavened bread and bitter [herbs].

With unleavened bread. — Teaching them to "purge out the old leaven," that fusty, swelling, souring, spreading, corruption of nature and practice.

And bitter herbs. — Directing them to true humiliation and bitterness for sin; without which there can be no sweetness in the blood of Christ.

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