Exodus 12:6 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

And ye shall keep it up, &c.— Keep it up apart from the flock. And the whole assembly shall kill it, i.e. any person of the whole assembly of Israel shall have liberty to kill it: the slaying of the passover was not appropriated to the priesthood, as the offering of the blood was. See Leviticus 2:5. It was to be killed in the evening; according to the Hebrew, between the two evenings. The first evening with the Hebrews, or, as we call it, afternoon, was calculated from the time of the sun's passing the meridian to his setting; when the second evening began, and lasted till night, i.e. till the twilight was gone. Between these two evenings was the passover offered; i.e. according to Maimonides, about half an hour after three, when the daily evening sacrifice, and all belonging to it, was over, then the paschal sacrifice began, and continued till sun-setting. It should be observed, that, about this time of the day, JESUS CHRIST, the true Passover, was sacrificed on the cross. He also suffered at this time of the year; and there was a tradition among the Jews, that, as they were redeemed from Egypt on the fifteenth day of Abib, or Nisan, so they should on the same day be redeemed by the Messiah.