^12:4If any household is too small⁹ for a lamb,¹⁰ the man¹¹ and his next-door neighbor¹² are to take¹³ a lamb according to the number of people—you will make your count for the lamb according to how much each one can eat.¹⁴

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Footnotes

9 Later Judaism ruled that “too small” meant fewer than ten (S. R. Driver, Exodus, ).
10 The clause uses the comparative min (מִן) construction: יִמְעַט הַבַּיִת מִהְיֹת מִשֶּׂה (yim’at habbayit mihyot miseh, “the house is small from being from a lamb,” or “too small for a lamb”). It clearly means that if there were not enough people in the household to have a lamb by themselves, they should join with another family. For the use of the comparative, see §133.c.
11 Heb “he and his neighbor”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 Heb “who is near to his house.”
13 The construction uses a perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive after a conditional clause: “if the household is too small … then he and his neighbor will take.”
14 Heb “[every] man according to his eating.” The reference is normally taken to mean whatever each person could eat. B. Jacob (Exodus, 299) suggests, however, that the reference may not be to each individual person’s appetite, but to each family. Each man who is the head of a household was to determine how much his family could eat, and this in turn would determine how many families shared the lamb.

In other versions

ESVEnglish 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.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

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.

CSBChristian 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.

NLTNew 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.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And if the household is too small for a lamb, he and the neighbor nearest to his house will take one according to the number of persons; you will count out portions of the lamb according to how much each one can eat.

KJV 1900King James Version

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.

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