Exodus 13:1-16

1 The Lord spoke to Moses:

2 "Consecrate every firstborn male to Me, the firstborn from every womb among the Israelites, both man and animal; it is Mine."^[a]

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,^[b] you are leaving.

5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites,^[c] 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.

8 On that day explain to your son, 'This is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.'

9 Let it serve as a sign for you on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead,^{[d] [e]} so that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth; for the Lord brought you out of Egypt with a strong hand.

10 Keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.

11 "When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you,

12 you are to present to the Lord every firstborn male of the womb. All firstborn offspring of the livestock you own that are males will be the Lord's.

13 You must redeem every firstborn of a donkey with a flock animal, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. However, you must redeem every firstborn among your sons.

14 "In the future, when your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' say to him, 'By the strength of [His] hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every firstborn [male] in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of man to the firstborn of livestock. That is why I sacrifice to the Lord all the firstborn of the womb that are males, but I redeem all the firstborn of my sons.'

16 So let it be a sign on your hand and a symbol^[f] on your forehead, for the Lord brought us out of Egypt by the strength of His hand."

Exodus 13:1-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 13

This chapter begins with an order to sanctify or set apart the firstborn of man and beast to the Lord, Ex 13:1,2 and the people of Israel are charged to keep the feast of unleavened bread in its season, from year to year, when they came into the land of Canaan, the reason of which they were to acquaint their children with, Ex 13:3-10 and they are also directed, when come into the land of Canaan, to set apart every firstling of a beast unto the Lord, and particularly the firstling of an ass was to be redeemed with a lamb, or its neck to be broke, and all the firstborn of men were to be redeemed also, Ex 13:11-13, and when their children inquired the reason of it, they were to be told it was on account of the Lord's slaying the firstborn of men and beast among the Egyptians, when Pharaoh would not let Israel go, and of saving the firstborn of his people, Ex 13:14-16, and it is observed, that when the children of Israel went out of Egypt, they were not led by the nearest way, the way of the land of the Philistines, but a round about way, the way of the wilderness of the Red sea, when they took the bones of Joseph with them, as he had adjured them to do, Ex 13:17-19, and the chapter is concluded with an account of their journeying from Succoth to Etham, the Lord going before them in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night, Ex 13:20-22.

Footnotes

• [a]. Lk 2:23
• [b]. March-April; called Nisan in the post-exilic period; Neh 2:1; Est 3:7
• [c]. DSS, Sam, LXX, Syr include Girgashites and Perizzites; Jos 3:10
• [d]. Lit reminder between your eyes
• [e]. Dt 6:8; 11:18
• [f]. Or phylactery