Why were the Passover lamb’s bones not broken?
This post originally appeared as part of the reflection on the post about the Passover celebration (read it here).
What is the significance of Passover lamb’s bones not being broken (Exod 12:46)? As is common with ritual, once again there is no explicit reason given for the rule, so most explanations are speculative. Below are a list of possible rationales.
The command not to break the lamb’s bones
- reinforces roasting as the method for preparing the lamb; boiling in a pot required the animal to be broken up, whereas roasting was done in whole
- emphasises the need for haste; breaking the bones would allow the marrow to be sucked out; this is prohibited because it was essential that Israel did not delay leaving Egypt; alternatively sucking the marrow would imply greed (the Passover meal wasn’t quite enough)
- symbolises the household’s safety, which the lamb represents; compare Ps 34:20, which speaks of the godly being protected by the Lord, so that none of their bones are broken
- symbolises the household’s unity, which should not be broken
There is no way to prove or disprove any of these theories and a combination of reasons may have been at work in the prohibition. Nevertheless, I find the last two particularly illuminating in the context of v.46, where the emphasis is on keeping the lamb in a single house (unity) and not taking any of it outside (protection). The lamb is eaten in a place of safety, a sanctuary – in our Covid-19 days we might talk about our ‘bubble’ – and those who eat the one lamb share in that unity.
There is good traction for these ideas in our Christian parallel. Jesus is identified as the Lamb of God in John 1:29 and the parallel of Jesus’ unbroken bones on the cross further strengthens this connection (John 19:33, 36). By citing Ps 34:20, John is ultimately implying God’s protection over His Son (despite His death) because the Father will raise Him from the dead. Jesus’ protection and resurrection also foreshadows our fate. Although the concept of unity is not explicit in the gospel accounts, Paul’s reflection of the one bread that unites us highlights the same principle (1 Cor 10:17).
