The Meaning of Exodus 12:37 Explained

Exodus 12:37

KJV: And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.

YLT: And the sons of Israel journey from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, apart from infants;

Darby: And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, besides children.

ASV: And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, besides children.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the children  of Israel  journeyed  from Rameses  to Succoth,  about six  hundred  thousand  on foot  [that were] men,  beside  children. 

What does Exodus 12:37 Mean?

Context Summary

Exodus 12:37-51 - Israel Led Out Of Egypt
The 600,000 were males above 20 years of age, Numbers 1:3-43. This would make the entire body not less than 2,000,000 of people of all ages. Succoth was the first rallying point on which the various bands converged. It stood in open country, over which their flocks and herds spread themselves. It was, indeed, a night to be observed, when the Exodus took place, because, as Bunsen says, it was the beginning of history; and we may almost say further that it was the hour when Israel was born as a nation. God called His son out of Egypt. At that moment also the period of which Abraham had been apprised ran out. See Genesis 15:13; Galatians 3:17; and Exodus 12:40 here.
Notice the stress laid on circumcision, which was the type of putting away the sins of the flesh. See Colossians 2:11. We must be separated from sin, before we can claim our portion in the Paschal Lamb, or join the Exodus. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in Exodus 12:37 mean?

And journeyed the sons of Israel from Rameses to Succoth about six hundred thousand on foot men besides children
וַיִּסְע֧וּ בְנֵֽי־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל מֵרַעְמְסֵ֖ס סֻכֹּ֑תָה כְּשֵׁשׁ־ מֵא֨וֹת אֶ֧לֶף רַגְלִ֛י הַגְּבָרִ֖ים לְבַ֥ד מִטָּֽף

וַיִּסְע֧וּ  And  journeyed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: נָסַע  
Sense: to pull out, pull up, set out, journey, remove, set forward, depart.
בְנֵֽי־  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
מֵרַעְמְסֵ֖ס  from  Rameses 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: רַעְמְסֵס  
Sense: a city in lower Egypt built by Hebrew slaves; probably in Goshen.
סֻכֹּ֑תָה  to  Succoth 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: סֻכֹּות  
Sense: the site where Jacob put up booths for his cattle and built a house for himself; apparently east of the Jordan near the ford of the torrent Jabbok and later allotted to the tribe of Gad.
כְּשֵׁשׁ־  about  six 
Parse: Preposition-k, Number, feminine singular construct
Root: שֵׁשׁ  
Sense: six.
מֵא֨וֹת  hundred 
Parse: Number, feminine plural construct
Root: מֵאָה 
Sense: hundred.
אֶ֧לֶף  thousand 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: אֶלֶף 
Sense: a thousand.
רַגְלִ֛י  on  foot 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַגְלִי  
Sense: on foot.
הַגְּבָרִ֖ים  men 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֶּבֶר  
Sense: man, strong man, warrior (emphasising strength or ability to fight).
לְבַ֥ד  besides 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּד 
Sense: alone, by itself, besides, a part, separation, being alone.
מִטָּֽף  children 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: טַף 
Sense: children, little children, little ones.