Chapter Nine
Passover Celebrated
9:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. 3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and all its rules you shall keep it.” 4 So Moses told the people of Israel that they should keep the Passover. 5 And they kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the people of Israel did. 6 And there were certain men who were unclean through touching a dead body, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day, and they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. 7 And those men said to him, “We are unclean through touching a dead body. Why are we kept from bringing the LORD’s offering at its appointed time among the people of Israel?” 8 And Moses said to them, “Wait, that I may hear what the LORD will command concerning you.”
A year had passed since the first Passover and their subsequent departure from Egypt. It was now time to celebrate Passover as instructed (see Leviticus 23:5). Not much detail is provided other than there were some that did not participate since they were ceremonially unclean due to the touching of a dead body. They were brought before Moses and Aaron on that day where they explained what had happened (the text does not imply anything deliberate, presumably the touch was unavoidable). They may not have been aware of the requirement that prohibited their participation as they seem to be asking, “Why are we kept from bringing the LORD’s offering at its appointed time among the people of Israel?” In that case someone must have observed them touching the dead body and informed their leaders. Instead of answering that question, Moses tells them to wait until he hears from God what to do about them.
9:9 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If any one of you or of your descendants is unclean through touching a dead body, or is on a long journey, he shall still keep the Passover to the LORD. 11 In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight they shall keep it. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any of its bones; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it. 13 But if anyone who is clean and is not on a journey fails to keep the Passover, that person shall be cut off from his people because he did not bring the LORD’s offering at its appointed time; that man shall bear his sin. 14 And if a stranger sojourns among you and would keep the Passover to the LORD, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its rule, so shall he do. You shall have one statute, both for the sojourner and for the native.”
God responded to Moses’ inquiry and told him to inform the people of Israel that if someone is unclean as a result of touching a dead body or is away on a trip that takes them away from camp, that they can celebrate Passover one month later on the same day. All the other protocols for Passover were still required. However, this exception would not apply to anyone else, if someone did not bring YHWH’s offering at the appointed time, they were to bear the consequences for that sin. God then reminded the people that the rules for keeping the Passover applied to everyone, including those passing through (see Exodus 12:48-49).
A Cloud Covers the Tabernacle
9:15 On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. 16 So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night. 17 And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. 18 At the command of the LORD the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the LORD they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the LORD and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the LORD they remained in camp; then according to the command of the LORD they set out. 21 And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out. 22 Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. 23 At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out. They kept the charge of the LORD, at the command of the LORD by Moses.
Once the Tabernacle was assembled and consecrated, the presence of God was clearly evident by the existence of a cloud covering. Even though the record of the people of Israel’s departure from the Mount Sinai area had not been reported yet (next chapter), the author explains how God was going to guide them using past-tense language.
Similar to how God guided the people of Israel out of Egypt (see Exodus 13:21), a cloud was visible by day, and appeared as fire at night. Whenever the cloud lifted over the Tabernacle the people of Israel would pick up everything and set out and follow until the cloud came down, at which time they would set up camp. Regardless of how long the cloud remained near the Tabernacle, they stayed at that location. Their compliance to God’s instructions were simply summarized: at the command of YHWH to camp, they camped, at the command of YHWH to set out, they moved on. They also did whatever God had instructed them to do through Moses.