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Exodus 12:8
ESV They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.
NIV That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.
NASB They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
CSB They are to eat the meat that night; they should eat it, roasted over the fire along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
NLT That same night they must roast the meat over a fire and eat it along with bitter salad greens and bread made without yeast.
KJV And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
NKJV Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

What does Exodus 12:8 mean?

This continues instructions regarding the first Passover (Exodus 12:1–7). God will send terrible judgment on Egypt (Exodus 11:4–6). When this happens, only those homes who have followed the Lord's instructions will be spared (Exodus 12:13). This will finally break Egypt's hold on Israel (Exodus 1:8–14), resulting in national freedom (Exodus 12:41). So far, this passage has described sacrificial lambs whose blood is to be applied to the doorway of each home. This symbolizes the eventual death of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 5:7).

During the night leading to this Passover, the people are to dress for travel, roast the lamb and eat it quickly (Exodus 12:11). This foreshadows that Egypt will demand Israel leave immediately in the aftermath of the tenth plague (Exodus 12:12, 33). Boiling would disperse some of the lamb's meat into the water (Exodus 12:9). Roasting was quicker and made it easier to eat every last bit of the lamb (Exodus 12:10).

Scripture uses various words to describe leaven, leavening, and unleavened bread. Leaven itself is a rising agent, which modern people would call "yeast." Eating unleavened bread created two symbols. First, it was quicker to prepare because no time was needed for dough to rise. This reflects the speed with which Israel needed to leave Egypt (Exodus 12:39). Second, leaven would become a metaphor for sin (1 Corinthians 5:6–7; Galatians 5:9). Future Passover celebrations would include removing all leaven from an entire home for a week (Exodus 12:14–15).

Eating "bitter" herbs reflects hardship and difficult experiences (Exodus 1:14; Ruth 1:20). This helped Israel remember that God was freeing them from their long, hard years of slavery in Egypt.
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