Exodus 12:5

Exodus 12:5

Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

a. NLT: The animal you select must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no defects. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. NIV: The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. [THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.]

c. YLT: A lamb, a perfect one, a male, a son of a year, let be to you; from the sheep or from the goats ye do take it. [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Amplified Bible Classic: Your lamb or kid shall be without blemish, a male of the first year; you shall take it from the sheep or the goats. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

e. Septuagint: It shall be to you a lamb unblemished, a male of a year old: ye shall take it of the lambs and the kids.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: An unblemished lamb or kid, a male, within its first year shall it be for you; from the sheep or goats shall you take it. [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE TANACH--STUDENT SIZE EDITION Copyright 1996, 1998 by Mesorah Publications, Ltd.]

1. “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year…”

a. Your lamb [Strong: 7716 * seh seh or sey {say}; probably from 7582 through the idea of pushing out to graze; a member of a flock, i.e. a sheep or goat:--(lesser, small) cattle, ewe, goat, lamb, sheep.]

b. shall be [Strong: 1961 hâyâh, haw-yaw; a primitive root (compare H1933); to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary):—beacon, × altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, follow, happen, × have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, × use.]

c. without blemish [Strong: 8549 * tamiym taw-meem' from 8552; entire (literally, figuratively or morally); also (as noun) integrity, truth:--without blemish, complete, full, perfect, sincerely (-ity), sound, without spot, undefiled, upright(-ly), whole.]

1). This was a type and foreshadow of Christ the lamb of God who is without blemish.

a). John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

b). 1 Peter 1:18, 19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

2). Without blemish clearly implies no sin.

a). Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

b). Hebrews 7:26  For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

3). We as followers of Christ are exhorted to live a life without blemish.

a). Philippians 2:14, 15 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

b). The Greek word used for “blameless” literally means “without blemish”. 

(1) blameless (Strong: 273 * amemptos am'-emp-tos; a-negative; momos-blemish);  irreproachable:--blameless, faultless, unblamable.]

[Thayer: blameless, deserving no censure, free from fault or defect.] 

4). As fallible human beings we not only come up short to the glory of God but we also sin sometimes and thank God the New Covenant provides for us forgiveness when we truly repent and appeal to the blood of Christ.

a). 1 John 1:5-10 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

5). Other witnesses that Christ was without blemish.

a). Pilate: John 19:6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.

b). Judas: Matthew 27:4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.

c). Pilate’s wife: Matthew 27:19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.

d). The Centurion: Luke 23:47  Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.

d. a male [Strong: 2145 * zâkâr, zaw-kawr'; from H2142; properly, remembered, i.e. a male (of man or animals, as being the most noteworthy sex):—× him, male, man(child, -kind).]

e. [of the] first [Strong: 1121 * bên, bane; from H1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.):—afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, (+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, × came up in, child, colt, × common, × corn, daughter, × of first, firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, × in, + kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+) people, rebel, + robber, × servant born, × soldier, son, + spark, steward, + stranger, × surely, them of, + tumultuous one, valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.

f. year [Strong: 8141 * shâneh, shaw-neh'; (in plural or (feminine) שָׁנָה shânâh; from H8138; a year (as a revolution of time):— whole age, × long, old, year(× -ly).]

2. “…ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:”

a. [ye shall]  take it [out] [Strong: 3947 * lâqach, law-kakh'; a primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of applications):—accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, × many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.]

b. [out] from [Strong: 4480 min, min; or מִנִּי minnîy; or מִנֵּי minnêy; (constructive plural) (Isaiah 30:11); for H4482; properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses:—above, after, among, at, because of, by (reason of), from (among), in, × neither, × nor, (out) of, over, since, × then, through, × whether, with.]

c. [the] sheep [Strong: 3532 * kebes, keh-bes'; from an unused root meaning to dominate; a ram (just old enough to butt):—lamb, sheep.]

d. [or] from [Strong: 4480 min, min; or מִנִּי minnîy; or מִנֵּי minnêy; (constructive plural) (Isaiah 30:11); for H4482; properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses:—above, after, among, at, because of, by (reason of), from (among), in, × neither, × nor, (out) of, over, since, × then, through, × whether, with.]

e. [the] goats [Strong: 5795 * ʻêz, aze; from H5810; a she-goat (as strong), but masculine in plural (which also is used elliptically for goat's hair):—(she) goat, kid.]