Exodus 12:4
New International Version
If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.

New Living Translation
If a family is too small to eat a whole animal, let them share with another family in the neighborhood. Divide the animal according to the size of each family and how much they can eat.

English Standard Version
And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.

Berean Standard Bible
If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly.

King James Bible
And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

New King James Version
And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb.

New American Standard Bible
Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; in proportion to what each one should eat, you are to divide the lamb.

NASB 1995
Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb.

NASB 1977
‘Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to apportion the lamb.

Amplified Bible
Now if the household is too small for a lamb [to be consumed], let him and his next door neighbor take one according to the number of people [in the households]; according to what each man can eat, you are to divide the lamb.

Christian Standard Bible
If the household is too small for a whole animal, that person and the neighbor nearest his house are to select one based on the combined number of people; you should apportion the animal according to what each will eat.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If the household is too small for a whole animal, that person and the neighbor nearest his house are to select one based on the combined number of people; you should apportion the animal according to what each person will eat.

American Standard Version
and if the household be too little for a lamb, then shall he and his neighbor next unto his house take one according to the number of the souls; according to every man's eating ye shall make your count for the lamb.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And if the household is too small to bring out a lamb for it, he and his neighbor that is near to his house will take by the number of souls, each man according to his eating, you will count for a lamb.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And if they be few in a household, so that there are not enough for the lamb, he shall take with himself his neighbour that lives near to him, - as to the number of souls, every one according to that which suffices him shall make a reckoning for the lamb.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But if the number be less than may suffice to eat the lamb, he shall take unto him his neighbour that joineth to his house, according to the number of souls which may be enough to eat the lamb.

English Revised Version
and if the household be too little for a lamb, then shall he and his neighbour next unto his house take one according to the number of the souls; according to every man's eating ye shall make your count for the lamb.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
A household may be too small to eat a whole animal. That household and the one next door can share one animal. Choose your animal based on the number of people and what each person can eat.

Good News Translation
If his family is too small to eat a whole animal, he and his next-door neighbor may share an animal, in proportion to the number of people and the amount that each person can eat.

International Standard Version
If a household is too small for a lamb, then it and its closest neighbor are to obtain one based on the number of individuals—dividing the lamb based on what each person can eat.

JPS Tanakh 1917
and if the household be too little for a lamb, then shall he and his neighbour next unto his house take one according to the number of the souls; according to every man's eating ye shall make your count for the lamb.

Literal Standard Version
And if the household is too few for a lamb, then he has taken, he and his neighbor who is near to his house, for the number of persons, each according to his eating you count for the lamb.

Majority Standard Bible
If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly.

New American Bible
If a household is too small for a lamb, it along with its nearest neighbor will procure one, and apportion the lamb’s cost in proportion to the number of persons, according to what each household consumes.

NET Bible
If any household is too small for a lamb, the man and his next-door neighbor are to take a lamb according to the number of people--you will make your count for the lamb according to how much each one can eat.

New Revised Standard Version
If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it.

New Heart English Bible
and if the household is too little for a lamb, then he and his neighbor next to his house shall take one according to the number of the souls; according to what everyone can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.

Webster's Bible Translation
And if the household shall be too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

World English Bible
and if the household is too little for a lamb, then he and his neighbor next to his house shall take one according to the number of the souls. You shall make your count for the lamb according to what everyone can eat.

Young's Literal Translation
'(And if the household be too few for a lamb, then hath he taken, he and his neighbour who is near unto his house, for the number of persons, each according to his eating ye do count for the lamb,)

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The First Passover
3Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must select a lamb for his family, one per household. 4If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly. 5Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats.…

Cross References
Exodus 12:3
Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must select a lamb for his family, one per household.

Exodus 12:5
Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats.


Treasury of Scripture

And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

no reference

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Count Determine Eat Eating House Household Little Nearest Neighbor Neighbour Persons Share Small Souls Whole
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Count Determine Eat Eating House Household Little Nearest Neighbor Neighbour Persons Share Small Souls Whole
Exodus 12
1. The beginning of the year is changed
3. The Passover is instituted
11. The import of the rite of the Passover
15. Unleavened bread
29. The firstborn are slain
31. The Israelites are driven out of the land
37. They come to Succoth
41. The time of their sojourning
43. The ordinance of the Passover














(4) If the household be too little for the lamb.--There would be cases where the family would not be large enough to consume an entire lamb at a sitting. Where this was so, men were to club with their neighbours, either two small families joining together, or a large family drafting off some of its members to bring up the numbers of a small one. According to Josephus (Bell. Jud., vi. 9, ? 3), ten was the least number regarded as sufficient, while twenty was not considered too many.

Every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.--Rather, shall ye count. In determining the number for any given Paschal meal, ye shall "count men according to their eating," admitting more or fewer, as they are likely to consume less or more.

Verse 4. - If the household be too little for the lamb - i.e., "too few to consume it at a sitting." Usage in course of time fixed the minimum number at ten. (Joseph. Bell. Jud. 6:9, § 3.) The whole family, men, women and children participated. The lamb was generally slain between the ninth hour (3 p.m.) and the eleventh (5 p.m.). Let him and his neighbour take it according to the number of the souls. If there were a household of only five, which could not possibly consume the lamb, any large neighbouring family was to send five or six of its number, to make up the deficiency. Every man according to his eating, etc. It is difficult to see what sense our translators intended. The real direction is that, in providing a proper number of guests, consideration should be had of the amount which they would be likely to eat. Children and the very aged were not to be reckoned as if they were men in the vigour of life. Translate - "Each man according to his eating shall ye count towards the lamb."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
If
וְאִם־ (wə·’im-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

the household
הַבַּיִת֮ (hab·ba·yiṯ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1004: A house

is too
לְפִ֣י (lə·p̄î)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6310: The mouth, edge, portion, side, according to

small
יִמְעַ֣ט (yim·‘aṭ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4591: To pare off, lessen, in, to be, small, few

for a whole lamb,
מִשֶּׂה֒ (miś·śeh)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7716: A member of a, flock, a sheep, goat

they are to
ה֗וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

share with
וְלָקַ֣ח (wə·lā·qaḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

the nearest
הַקָּרֹ֥ב (haq·qā·rōḇ)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7138: Near

neighbor,
וּשְׁכֵנ֛וֹ (ū·šə·ḵê·nōw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7934: A resident, a fellow-citizen

based on the number
בְּמִכְסַ֣ת (bə·miḵ·saṯ)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 4373: An enumeration, a valuation

of people,
נְפָשֹׁ֑ת (nə·p̄ā·šōṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

and apportion
תָּכֹ֖סּוּ (tā·ḵōs·sū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 3699: To estimate

the lamb
הַשֶּֽׂה׃ (haś·śeh)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7716: A member of a, flock, a sheep, goat

accordingly.
אִ֚ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person


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OT Law: Exodus 12:4 And if the household is too little (Exo. Ex)
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