Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
Observe the month of Abib - or first-fruits. It comprehended the latter part of our March and the beginning of April. Green ears of the barley, which were then filled, were offered as first-fruits on the second day of the Passover.
Brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. This statement is apparently at variance with the prohibition, Exodus 12:22, as Welles with the recorded fact that their departure took place in the morning (Exodus 13:3; Numbers 33:3). But it is susceptible of easy reconciliation. Pharaoh's permission, the first step of emancipation, was extorted during night, the preparations for departure commenced, the rendezvous at Rameses made, and the march entered on in the morning.