Exodus 13:5

5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites,^[a] which He swore to your fathers that He would give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you must carry out this ritual in this month.

Exodus 13:5 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 13:5

And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of
the Canaanites
Though the whole land was called the land of Canaan, yet there was one tribe or nation of them particularly so called as here, distinct from those that follow: and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites;
there were seven nations in all, but two are here omitted, the Girgashites and Perizzites, but they are added in the Septuagint version, see ( Deuteronomy 7:1 ) which he swore unto thy fathers to give thee;
to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; so that they might be assured they would be brought into it, since they had both the word and oath of God for it; and which is the rather mentioned now for their encouragement, since they were at this time set forward in their journey thitherwards: a land flowing with milk and honey; (See Gill on Exodus 3:8), that thou shalt keep this service in this month;
the month of Abib; that is, the following service concerning unleavened bread; it is concluded from hence by some, that those laws concerning the passover, and eating unleavened bread, and sanctifying the firstborn, did not oblige the Israelites, while in the wilderness, only when they came into the land of Canaan; and it seems pretty clear that this was the case with respect to the two latter, but not the former, since it is certain they did keep the passover in the wilderness, and were obliged to it, ( Numbers 9:1-5 ) but then it may be observed, that there is no mention there of their keeping the feast of unleavened bread, only of the passover, as here no mention is made of the feast of the passover, which, though they followed one another, were, two distinct feasts.

Exodus 13:5 In-Context

3 Then Moses said to the people, "Remember this day when you came out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, for the Lord brought you out of here by the strength of [His] hand. Nothing leavened may be eaten.

4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving.

5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers that He would give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you must carry out this ritual in this month.

6 For seven days you must eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there is to be a festival to the Lord.

7 Unleavened bread is to be eaten for those seven days. Nothing leavened may be found among you, and no yeast may be found among you in all your territory.

Footnotes

• [a]. DSS, Sam, LXX, Syr include Girgashites and Perizzites; Jos 3:10