Exodus 12:4

Too little for the lamb, i.e. for the eating of the whole lamb at one meal, according to the rule, Exodus 12:8,10; if the persons be so few that they cannot eat it up without gluttony. Take it; or rather thus, word for word, And, or Then he (the master of that family) shall take also his neighbour next unto his house; he shall take him and his family into society with himself; they shall join together. To the number of the souls, or persons, i.e. as the two families shall consist of more or fewer persons. I suppose the meaning is, that if his next neighbour's family were of itself sufficient for the eating of the whole lamb, that he should pass over that to the next small family, which being joined with his might make up a fit number, which, as the Hebrew doctors tell us, was ten, besides women and children. According to his eating, i.e. according to the proportion which he can or commonly doth eat. The meaning is this, The whole lamb being to be eaten at once, and a sufficient number being necessary to that end, and there being great variety in men's stomachs and meals, they were to give allowance for that, and to take either more or fewer persons, as their stomachs were better or worse.