Exodus 12:24

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

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — God addresses Moses and Aaron, speaking to the Israelite assembly just before the tenth plague strikes Egypt. The instruction establishes the ongoing observance of the Passover meal.

The words — וּשְמַרְתֶּם (u./she.mar.Tem) translates literally to "and you will keep," while עַד עוֹלָם ('ad o.Lam) means "until perpetuity." These terms mark the directive as a fixed, unending obligation rather than a temporary event.

The thread — The phrase permanent statute appears in Exodus 12:14, where the Passover day is designated as a lasting memorial. The concept of generational continuity parallels Genesis 17:8, which promises the land of Canaan to Abraham’s line as an eternal possession.

Why it lands — The text requires the Israelites to maintain this observance as an unbroken tradition for themselves and their offspring. Readers must recognize that the command extends beyond a single generation into permanent communal practice.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֖םu./she.mar.Temand/ you will keep אֶת־'et-<obj.>הַדָּבָ֣רha./da.Varthe/ word הַזֶּ֑הha./Zeh<the>/ this לְחָק־le./chok-to/ a decreeלְךָ֥le./Khafor/ yourselfוּלְבָנֶ֖יךָu./le./va.Nei./khaand/ for/ children/ your עַד־'ad-until עוֹלָֽם׃o.Lamperpetuity

King James Version

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

Cross-references

Genesis 17:8 And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”
Exodus 12:14 And this day will be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a feast to the LORD, as a permanent statute for the generations to come.