Exodus 13 Study Notes

13:13 Redemption brought an animal or person back into its original or ordinary use (Lv 25:23-28). Donkeys could not be sacrificed, so the firstborn of a donkey should be redeemed for normal use by giving a sheep or goat in its place. A human firstborn must be redeemed (Nm 18:15-16). The Lord’s requirement of redemption for a human firstborn contrasted with the practices of pagan worshipers who killed children in rituals designed to curry favor with their gods.

13:17 The Lord could have taken his people safely on any route he wished. The choice of route here and the comment on it offer insight into the thinking of both the Lord and the Israelites. The Lord knew the Israelites better than Pharaoh, who considered them a military threat (1:10). It balances reports that the Israelites worshiped and obeyed (12:27-28,35,50-51) and foreshadows their upcoming behavior (14:10-12; 16:2-3). In the process of the exodus, God anticipated the thinking of both the Israelites and the Egyptians and put it to his own use (14:3).

Like his choice to keep Pharaoh alive (9:13-16), this choice of route displays who the Lord is. As a result of it, the Israelites would watch the Lord fight for them (14:13-14). They would experience his care and his willingness to work in spite of their frailties (Ps 103:13-14). Archaeologists have found that Egypt had heavy fortifications along the northern route close to the Mediterranean coast. Though that route would have taken the Israelites by the most direct path to Canaan, through Philistine territory, it would have presented extreme danger and constant opposition. The Philistines came to the western coast of the Mediterranean from islands in the Aegean Sea and would later be frequent foes of Israel. Egyptian or Philistine opposition would have been daunting to the Israelites at this time (cp. 6:9).

13:18 The road of the wilderness would take Israel east into the Sinai Peninsula, to the Wilderness of Shur (15:22; cp. 1Sm 15:7). “Wilderness” describes uninhabited areas with varying amounts of water and pasturage, depending on the area and the time of year. The description of the Israelites leaving in battle formation uses a rare word (Jos 1:14; 4:12; “troops” in Jdg 7:11) and seems contrary to the Lord’s assessment. Perhaps there is irony to be recognized in the discrepancy between outward and inward readiness.

13:19 God was doing exactly what Joseph had said he would do (3:16; 4:31; Gn 50:24-25).

13:20-22 The Lord had promised to accompany Moses as he confronted Pharaoh (3:12; 4:12,15). Now he signified his presence with the Israelites by means of a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. Sometimes it would descend and show that the Lord was talking with Moses (33:9; Nm 12:5; Dt 31:15); even other peoples heard about it (Nm 14:14).