Exodus 12:34

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Exodus 12:34 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
Exodus 12:34 — American Standard Version

Context — Exodus 12

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
34And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And the people took their dough before it was leavened, etc.] They had that evening mixed their flour with water, and made it into dough, but had put no leaven into it; and the Egyptians being so very earnest to have them gone, they stayed not to put any leaven into it: [but] their kneadingtroughs, or rather “their dough”, being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders; for it is not likely that their troughs should be wrapped up in the skirts of their garments; but their dough might, if their clothes were like the hykes of the Arabs now, as Dr. Shaw f365 thinks they were, and which are pretty much like the plaids of the Scotch, and which are large enough for such a purpose; as even…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“people took . . . their kneading-troughs--Having lived so long in Egypt, they must have been in the habit of using the utensils common in that country. The Egyptian kneading-trough was a bowl of wicker or rush work, and it admitted of being hastily wrapped up with the dough in it and slung over the shoulder in their hykes or loose upper garments.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Kneadingtroughs - (Compare the margin and Deuteronomy 28:5). The troughs were probably small wooden bowls in which the cakes when baked were preserved for use. The Hebrews used their outer garment, or mantle, in the same way as the Bedouins at present, who make a bag of the voluminous folds of their burnous. See Ruth 3:15; 2 Kings 4:39. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Their kneading - troughs - Or rather, their lumps of paste unleavened. Exodus 12:37”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“kneading troughs, or, dough, Exo 8:3; Probably like the kneading-troughs of the Arabs; comparatively small wooden bowls, which also serve them for dishes. Their being bound up in their clothes may mean no more than their being wrapped up in their hykes, or long, loose, garments. See Shaw's Travels, p. 224, 4to. edit. Exodus 12:35”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification