Exodus 12:5
New International Version
The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.

New Living Translation
The animal you select must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no defects.

English Standard Version
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats,

Berean Standard Bible
Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats.

King James Bible
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

New King James Version
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.

New American Standard Bible
Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.

NASB 1995
‘Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.

NASB 1977
‘Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.

Legacy Standard Bible
Your lamb shall be a male, without blemish, a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.

Amplified Bible
Your lamb or young goat shall be [perfect] without blemish or bodily defect, a male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.

Christian Standard Bible
You must have an unblemished animal, a year-old male; you may take it from either the sheep or the goats.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You must have an unblemished animal, a year-old male; you may take it from either the sheep or the goats.

American Standard Version
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old: ye shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats:

English Revised Version
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Your animal must be a one-year-old male that has no defects. You may choose a lamb or a young goat.

Good News Translation
You may choose either a sheep or a goat, but it must be a one-year-old male without any defects.

International Standard Version
Your lamb is to be a year old male without blemish. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.

Majority Standard Bible
Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats.

NET Bible
Your lamb must be perfect, a male, one year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.

New Heart English Bible
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats:

Webster's Bible Translation
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it from the sheep or from the goats:

World English Bible
Your lamb shall be without defect, a male a year old. You shall take it from the sheep or from the goats.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
A lamb, a perfect one, a male, a son of a year, let [it] be to you; you take [it] from the sheep or from the goats.

Young's Literal Translation
a lamb, a perfect one, a male, a son of a year, let be to you; from the sheep or from the goats ye do take it.

Smith's Literal Translation
A perfect sheep, a male, the son of a year, shall be to you from the he-lambs and from the goats ye shall take.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And it shall be a lamb without blemish, a male, of one year: according to which rite also you shall take a kid.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And it shall be a lamb without blemish, a one year old male. According to this rite, you shall also take a young goat.

New American Bible
Your lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish. You may take it from either the sheep or the goats.

New Revised Standard Version
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The lamb shall be without blemish. a male of the first year; you shall take it from the lambs or from the kids:

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
A lamb that does not have a defect in it, it shall be yours, a male lamb a year old; you will take it from the lambs or from the goats:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year; ye shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
It shall be to you a lamb unblemished, a male of a year old: ye shall take it of the lambs and the kids.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The First Passover
4If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly. 5Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats. 6You must keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight.…

Cross References
Leviticus 22:19-21
must offer an unblemished male from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order for it to be accepted on your behalf. / You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. / When a man presents a peace offering to the LORD from the herd or flock to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without blemish or defect to be acceptable.

Numbers 28:3-11
And tell them that this is the food offering you are to present to the LORD as a regular burnt offering each day: two unblemished year-old male lambs. / Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight, / along with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with a quarter hin of oil from pressed olives. ...

Deuteronomy 15:21
But if an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.

Malachi 1:8
When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present the lame and sick ones, is it not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts.

1 Peter 1:19
but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.

Leviticus 1:3
If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to present an unblemished male. He must bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for its acceptance before the LORD.

Leviticus 3:1
“If one’s offering is a peace offering and he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he must present it without blemish before the LORD.

Leviticus 4:32
If, however, he brings a lamb as a sin offering, he must bring an unblemished female.

Leviticus 9:3
Then speak to the Israelites and say, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, a calf and a lamb—both a year old and without blemish—for a burnt offering,

Leviticus 23:12
On the day you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a year-old lamb without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD,

Numbers 6:14
and he is to present an offering to the LORD of an unblemished year-old male lamb as a burnt offering, an unblemished year-old female lamb as a sin offering, and an unblemished ram as a peace offering—

Numbers 19:2
“This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded: Instruct the Israelites to bring you an unblemished red heifer that has no defect and has never been placed under a yoke.

Deuteronomy 17:1
You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep with any defect or serious flaw, for that is detestable to the LORD your God.

Ezekiel 45:23
Each day during the seven days of the feast, he shall provide seven bulls and seven rams without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD, along with a male goat for a sin offering.

Hebrews 9:14
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!


Treasury of Scripture

Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: you shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

be without

Leviticus 1:3,10
If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD…

Leviticus 22:19-24
Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats…

Deuteronomy 17:1
Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God.

a male of the first year.

Leviticus 23:12
And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.

1 Samuel 13:1
Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,

Jump to Previous
Animals Blemish Choose Defect First Goats Lamb Male Males Mark Perfect Sheep Unblemished Yearling Year-Old
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Animals Blemish Choose Defect First Goats Lamb Male Males Mark Perfect Sheep Unblemished Yearling Year-Old
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














Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male
The requirement for an "unblemished" lamb signifies purity and perfection, symbolizing the sinlessness required for a sacrificial offering. This foreshadows Jesus Christ, referred to as the "Lamb of God" (John 1:29), who was without sin (1 Peter 1:19). The specification of a "year-old male" indicates maturity and strength, representing the prime of life. In the context of the Passover, this lamb was to be a substitute for the firstborn of Israel, pointing to Christ's substitutionary atonement for humanity.

and you may take it from the sheep or the goats
The allowance to choose from "sheep or the goats" provides flexibility for the Israelites, ensuring that all families could participate regardless of their livestock resources. This inclusivity reflects God's provision and care for His people. In biblical symbolism, sheep often represent God's people (Psalm 100:3), while goats can symbolize those who are separated from God (Matthew 25:32-33). The choice between sheep and goats may also highlight the universality of Christ's sacrifice, available to all, regardless of background.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Israelites
God's chosen people, who are in bondage in Egypt and are about to experience the first Passover.

2. Egypt
The land where the Israelites are enslaved, and where God will demonstrate His power through the plagues.

3. The Passover
A pivotal event where God instructs the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb and mark their doorposts with its blood to be spared from the final plague.

4. Moses
The leader chosen by God to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.

5. The Lamb
A symbol of purity and sacrifice, representing the means by which the Israelites are saved from the plague of the firstborn.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Purity
The requirement for an unblemished lamb underscores the necessity of purity in our offerings and lives. We are called to live holy lives, set apart for God.

Symbolism of the Lamb
The lamb represents innocence and sacrifice. In the New Testament, Jesus fulfills this role as the ultimate sacrificial lamb, offering Himself for our sins.

God's Provision for Salvation
Just as God provided a means of salvation for the Israelites through the Passover lamb, He provides salvation for us through Jesus Christ.

Obedience to God's Instructions
The Israelites' obedience in selecting and sacrificing the lamb as instructed was crucial for their deliverance. Similarly, our obedience to God's Word is vital for experiencing His blessings.

Foreshadowing of Christ
The Passover lamb is a foreshadowing of Christ's sacrifice. Understanding this connection deepens our appreciation for the continuity of God's redemptive plan.(5) Without blemish.--Natural piety teaches that we must not "offer the blind, the lame, or the sick for sacrifice" (Malachi 1:8). We must give to (God of our best. The Law emphasized this teaching, and here, on the first occasion when a sacrifice was formally appointed, required it to be absolutely without blemish of any kind. Afterwards the requirement was made general (Leviticus 22:19-25). It was peculiarly fitting that the Paschal offering should be without defect of any kind, as especially typifying "the Lamb of God," who is "holy, harmless, undefiled"--a "lamb without spot."

A male.--Males were reckoned superior to females, and were especially appropriate here, since the victim represented the firstborn male in each house.

Of the first year--i.e., not above a year old. As children are most innocent when young, so even animals were thought to be.

Verse 5. Your lamb shall be without blemish. Natural piety would teach that "the blind, the lame, and the sick" should not be selected for sacrifice (Malachi 1:8). The Law afterwards expressly forbade any blemished animals - "blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed" - to be offered for any of the stated sacrifices, though they might be given as free-will offerings (Leviticus 22:20-25). The absence of blemish was especially important in a victim which was to typify One "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners." A male. As standing in place of and redeeming the first-born of the males in each family. Of the first year. Perhaps as then more approaching to the ideal of perfect innocence. The requirement was not a usual one. Or from the goats. Theodoret says the proviso was made for the relief of the poorer class of persons; but practically it seems not to have taken effect. When people were poor, their richer neighbours supplied them with lambs (Kalisch).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Your lamb
שֶׂ֥ה (śeh)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7716: A member of a, flock, a sheep, goat

must be
יִהְיֶ֣ה (yih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

an unblemished
תָמִ֛ים (ṯā·mîm)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 8549: Entire, integrity, truth

year-old
בֶּן־ (ben-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1121: A son

male,
זָכָ֥ר (zā·ḵār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2145: Remembered, a male

[and] you may take
תִּקָּֽחוּ׃ (tiq·qā·ḥū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 3947: To take

it from
מִן־ (min-)
Preposition
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

the sheep
הַכְּבָשִׂ֥ים (hak·kə·ḇā·śîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3532: A lamb

or the goats.
הָעִזִּ֖ים (hā·‘iz·zîm)
Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 5795: Female goat


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