Exodus 12:38

36 ^aAnd the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus ^bthey plundered the Egyptians.

37 Then ^athe children of Israel journeyed from ^bRameses to Succoth, about ^csix hundred thousand men on foot, besides children.

38 A ^amixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of ^blivestock.

39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because ^athey were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.

40 Now the¹ sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in² Egypt was ^afour hundred and thirty years.

41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that ^aall the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
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What Does Exodus 12:38 Mean?

Exodus 12:37-38

Exodus 12:38 tells us the "mixed multitude went up with" the children of Israel. These folk fell in step with God's army as it marched out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses. For how long? Their presence during the quail incident, cited above, indicates that these peoples were still with the Israelites at least one year after the first Passover. That means that the mixed multitude was present at Mount Sinai, some fifty days after the Red Sea crossing.This means they were present at the giving of the Law!

Whoever they were, the peoples of the mixed multitude were much more than just witnesses of God's strength. Even the unbelieving Egyptians witnessed that! The mixed multitude partook of God's grace, experienced it with the children of Israel. Whoever they were, these people were fellow-travelers with Israel for a time, experiencing with them the power of God as He pulled them "out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt" (Deuteronomy 4:20; see also I Kings 8:51; Jeremiah 11:4).

Both Israel and the mixed multitude experienced His might as He destroyed the most powerful nation on earth at that time. They both experienced deliverance from the Egyptians at the Red Sea. They both experienced the shaking of Sinai as God thundered the Ten Commandments. They both ate the manna and drank water from the Rock! They both were baptized in the Red Sea (see I Corinthians 10:1-4). The folk God calls the "mixed multitude" were partakers with Israel!

Charles Whitaker
The Mixed Multitude

Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Exodus 12:38:

Exodus 12:37-38
Exodus 13:14-15

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What Does Exodus 12:38 Mean?

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