Exodus 13:1-8

1 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,

2 Hallow thou to me each first begotten thing that openeth the womb among the sons of Israel, as well of men as of beasts (of men as well as of beasts), for why (they) all be mine.

3 And Moses said to the people, Have ye mind of this day, in which ye went out of Egypt, and of the house of servage, for in [a] strong hand the Lord led you out of this place, that ye eat no bread dighted with sourdough. (And Moses said to the people, Remember ye this day, in which ye went out of Egypt, and out of the house of servitude, or of slavery, for by his strong hand the Lord led you out of this place, and remember to not eat any bread made with yeast on this day.)

4 Today ye go out, in the month of new fruits; (Go ye out today, in the month of Abib;)

5 and when the Lord hath led thee into the land of Canaanites, and of Hittites, and of Amorites, and of Hivites, and of Jebusites, which land he swore to thy fathers, that he should give to thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, thou shalt hallow this custom of holy things in this month (thou shalt keep this rite in this month).

6 Seven days thou shalt eat therf loaves, and the solemnity of the Lord shall be in the seventh day; (For seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and a Feast unto the Lord shall be held on the seventh day;)

7 ye shall eat therf loaves seven days, nothing dighted with sourdough shall appear at thee, neither in all thy coasts. (ye shall eat unleavened bread for seven days, and nothing made with yeast shall be seen among thee, not in all thy land.)

8 And thou shalt tell to thy son in that day, and shalt say, This it is that the Lord did to me, when I went out of Egypt. (And thou shalt say to thy son on that day, This is done because of what the Lord did for me, when I went out of Egypt.)

Exodus 13:1-8 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.