The Passover in Egypt is God's own festival, not merely a feast of Israel or the Jews, and He commanded it as a perpetual observance. Each Israelite family chose an unblemished lamb on the tenth day of the first month, Abib (Nisan). At twilight as the fourteenth began, they killed it, put its blood on the doorpost and lintel, and roasted and ate it. The blood was a sign for the Death Angel to pass over their homes when it struck the firstborn of Egypt, so Israel's firstborn lived while Egypt's died. The Passover lamb was not a sin offering, and Scripture is conspicuously silent about forgiveness or atonement in that setting. It speaks instead of purchasing or redeeming Israel from Pharaoh. The blood on the doorposts represents the life of the lamb given to buy back those within the house, not a covering for sin. The instructions differ from those for sin offerings (compare Exodus 12 with Leviticus 4 and 6). The Passover most closely resembles the peace offering of Leviticus 7, which pictures peaceful, secure fellowship with God over a shared meal because He has bestowed His favor. It marks the first step God took to lead His people toward ever-closer communion with Him.

The instructions for the first Passover observance in Egypt begin with selecting a lamb sufficient for each household on the tenth day of the month, followed by applying its blood to the doorposts and lintel before eating the roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs on the night of the fourteenth. Participants were to consume the entire animal without waste, dressed for immediate departure, and the blood served as the decisive sign that distinguished Israelite houses. This blood represented life rather than payment for sin, functioning as the mark by which God passed over the dwellings and spared the firstborn within them from the destroyer. The emphasis throughout the account falls on eating the specially prepared lamb, an act that set the observance apart from any sin offering. In the Egyptian context the blood signified redemption from Pharaoh's legal claim on Israel as resident aliens in his land, purchasing the nation as God's firstborn son and delivering the households from bondage. God's action stemmed from His covenant with Abraham, by which He chose to extend mercy and exemption to a people still entangled in idolatry. The Hebrew term pecach conveys this pretermission, an overlooking of sin rather than its removal or atonement. No mention of forgiveness appears in the Passover instructions; instead the focus remains on God's faithfulness in remembering His promise to bring Abraham's descendants out of affliction and into the land. The blood on the doorposts thus testified to divine protection and the pledge to redeem the nation, establishing the foundation for all subsequent observances of the festival.

The Passover in Egypt provides a foundational understanding of this significant feast. God gave detailed instructions to ensure that every person had enough of the Passover lamb, but without waste. He specified when it should be eaten, how it should be prepared, what should accompany it, what to do with the remains, and even how the Israelites should be dressed while eating. The emphasis in these instructions is on the eating of the specially prepared lamb, distinguishing it from other offerings. In the context of the Passover in Egypt, there is no mention of forgiveness or atonement. Instead, the focus is on purchase or redemption from Pharaoh, not from sin. God warned through Moses that all firstborn in Egypt would die, including those of Israel, unless they proved their desire to be separate from the Egyptians by marking their doorposts with the lamb's blood. This blood represented the life of the lamb given to redeem those within each participating house, not to symbolize forgiveness. Despite the Israelites' grievous sins and idolatry at that time, God overlooked their transgressions, demonstrating His mercy rather than justice. The Hebrew word for Passover, pesach, means a pretermission or exemption, indicating that God passed over Israel and their sins without addressing them directly. The Passover in Egypt was not about cleansing from sin, as the Israelites were not required to repent of their idolatry. Instead, it served a different purpose, showing God's gracious acceptance of a sinful nation. This exemption, this act of mercy, highlights God's incredible patience, even as He delivered one nation of idolaters from another. The Passover thus stands as a demonstration of God's willingness to initiate fellowship with Israel despite their unworthiness, setting the stage for a relationship marked by His profound grace.

The account of Israel's exodus from Egypt reveals the significance of the timing of key events related to Passover. The Israelites killed the lambs after sunset as the 14th day of Abib began, smearing the blood on their doorposts. They roasted and ate the lambs, burning the remains, and at midnight, the Death Angel passed over, slaying the firstborn of those not under the blood. The Israelites stayed in their houses until daybreak, then finished spoiling the Egyptians before traveling to Goshen. They departed Rameses on the 15th day, the day after the Passover, at night as Abib/Nisan 15 began, marking a solemn observance. This event aligns with the very same day, 430 years earlier, when God made the initial covenant with Abraham, pointing to the timing of promises and preparations that resonate with the Passover in Egypt.

Israel kept the first Passover on a Tuesday evening after sunset, as God commanded in Exodus 12. Each household took a lamb on the tenth, killed it at twilight on the fourteenth, put its blood on the doorposts and lintel, and ate it roasted with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The people stayed inside their homes until morning, because the LORD passed over every house marked with blood and did not allow the destroyer to strike. At midnight He struck all the firstborn of Egypt. Israel remained in their homes until sunrise on Wednesday, then spent the daylight hours assembling and preparing at Rameses in Goshen. At sunset that began the fifteenth, the night God declared to be much observed, they left Egypt. This was the very day the 430 years ended, when all the armies of the LORD went out. The Passover is an ordinance forever, and parents are to explain it to their children as the sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over Israel's houses and delivered their households. This timing parallels the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in 31 AD, and it is the starting point for overlaying the count to Pentecost on Israel's wilderness journey and drawing lessons for the Church.