Exodus 12:9

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Exodus 12:9 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Eat not of it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roast with fire; its head with its legs and with the inwards thereof.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Eat not of it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roast with fire; its head with its legs and with the inwards thereof.
Exodus 12:9 — American Standard Version

Context — Exodus 12

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
9Eat not of it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roast with fire; its head with its legs and with the inwards thereof.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Eat not of it raw, etc.] Not roasted enough; and so Jarchi says, that what is not sufficiently roasted, or is not thoroughly and down roasted, is in the Arabic language called an f338, the word here used; and so Maimonides f339 says it signifies flesh, on which the fire begins to operate, and is roasted a little, but not enough for eating. And indeed there seems to be no necessity of a prohibition of eating the flesh quite raw: some f340 derive the word from a root which signifies to break, and suppose that this rule forbids the breaking or cutting it in pieces; that as it was to be roasted whole, and not a bone of it to be broken, so it was to be brought to table whole, and the whole to be…”
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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
“Eat not of it raw--that is, with any blood remaining; a caveat against conformity to idolatrous practices. It was to be roasted whole, not a bone to be broken, and this pointed to Christ (Joh 19:36).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Raw - i. e. “half-cooked.” Sodden ... with water - It was probably more common to seethe meat than to roast meat; hence, the regrets expressed by the Israelites for the seething pots of Egypt. The purtenance thereof - or its intestines. This verse directs that the lamb should be roasted and placed on the table whole. No bone was to be broken (see Exodus 12:46, and margin reference). The bowels were taken out, washed and then replaced. The Talmud prescribes the form of the oven of earthenware, in which the lamb was roasted, open above and below with a grating for the fire. Lambs and sheep are roasted whole in Persia, nearly in the same manner. This entire consumption of the lamb constitutes…”
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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
“Raw - Half roasted, but throughly drest. Exodus 12:10”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“but roast with fire: Exo 12:8; Deu 16:7; Lam 1:13 Exodus 12:10”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification