Exodus 12:45
ESV
No foreigner or hired worker may eat of it.
NIV
but a temporary resident or a hired worker may not eat it.
NASB
A stranger or a hired worker shall not eat it.
CSB
A temporary resident or hired worker may not eat the Passover.
NLT
Temporary residents and hired servants may not eat it.
KJV
A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.
NKJV
A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it.
What does Exodus 12:45 mean?
Passover (Exodus 12:12–13) commemorates when God freed Israel from Egyptian slavery (Exodus 12:29–33). Prior to this, the main expression of Israel's connection to the Lord was in the ritual of circumcision (Genesis 17:10–14). Those participating in the Passover meal had to be committed to following that covenant. In this context, those simply living or travelling through Israel were not formally part of that family. Yet anyone, from any ethnicity or background, could assimilate into the nation by submitting to the Lord (Joshua 6:25; Ruth 1:4; 4:10–12; Matthew 1:5; Hebrews 11:31).English translations such as the ESV repeat the word "foreigner" here (Exodus 12:43). However, the prior phrase was ben nēkār, while here the word is tosāb. The earlier words imply the "son of a stranger," while this verse implies a visitor or someone travelling through. These conditions are probably mentioned now because of Egyptians who left along with Israel (Exodus 12:38). These people were not fully part of the covenant, yet the Lord would give His people strict instructions about treating such persons fairly (Exodus 22:21; Deuteronomy 24:17; Malachi 3:5).
