What does Exodus 12:37 mean?

This verse marks Israel's first national steps from slavery (Exodus 1:11–14) toward freedom (Exodus 12:40–41). The walk officially began at Rameses (Numbers 33:3–5). This was somewhere in the land of Goshen where Jacob and his family settled upon coming to Egypt (Genesis 47:6, 11). It's likely the people assembled there before walking to Succoth where they camped on the first evening. Some archaeologists believe Rameses is the same location as modern-day Qantir.

The name Sukkot, or Succoth (Joshua 13:27), is first mentioned as where Jacob built a house and shelters for his livestock (Genesis 33:17). However, Jacob's camp is different from the Succoth in Egypt. The Succoth in this verse has not been exactly placed by modern archaeology. However, some suggest it was just west of modern-day Ismailia. This is close to a body of water which today is called Lake Timsah. Israel later commemorated Sukkot as the Feast of Booths (Leviticus 23:34), also known as the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:42–43; Deuteronomy 16:13).

This is the Bible's first use of the Hebrew word 'eleph in relation to a number of actual people. This term can mean "thousand," or it can refer to a "clan" or a "group." Many Christian historians and archaeologists prefer the latter meanings here. Infamously huge ancient armies, such as the Persians and Assyrians, numbered between 100,000 and 200,000 soldiers. A nation of 600,000 adult men could easily field an army that size or even larger. Yet the Hebrews could only be freed from Egyptian slavery by God's supernatural power (Exodus 3:19–20). When entering the Promised Land, God will note that Israel is smaller than the Canaanites they will displace (Deuteronomy 7:1, 17; 9:1–2). The census in Numbers (Numbers 3:39, 43) gives a count of firstborn and a size for Israel. An Israeli population of literally 600,000 adult men implies that only one in thirty was firstborn, requiring the average Israeli family to have around sixty children.

Israel's rescue from Egyptian slavery is credited only to God's miraculous intervention. The meaning and importance of the book of Exodus would be the same whether Israel's population was six thousand, six hundred thousand, or six million. Either interpretation—large or small—is compatible with a high view of Scripture and its perfection.