Exodus 13:14

14 And when thy son shall ask thee tomorrow, and say, What is this? thou shalt answer to him, In a strong hand the Lord led us out of the land of Egypt, of the house of servage (By a strong hand the Lord led us out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of servitude, or of slavery);

Exodus 13:14 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 13:14

And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come
Or "on the morrow" ^F8, the day following such a separation of the firstborn of clean creatures, or such a redemption of the firstborn of unclean ones, and of man, or in any later time: saying, what is this?
what is the meaning of this? for what reason are such things done? that thou shall say unto him, by strength of hand the Lord brought us
out of Egypt from the house of bondage:
by laying his mighty hand upon the firstborn of Egypt, and destroying them, which made the king of Egypt, and his people, willing to let Israel go; (See Gill on Exodus 13:3).

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FOOTNOTES:

F8 (rxm) "eras", Pagninus, Montanus, Tiguriue version.

Exodus 13:14 In-Context

12 thou shalt separate to the Lord all thing (of male kind) that (first) openeth the womb, and that that is first in thy beasts (thou shalt set aside for the Lord all the males who first openeth the womb, and all the males that be first in thy beasts); whatever thing thou hast of male kind, thou shalt hallow it to the Lord.

13 Thou shalt (ex)change the first engendered of an ass for a sheep, that if thou again-buyest it not, thou shalt slay it; forsooth thou shalt again-buy with price all the first begotten of a man of thy sons. (Thou shalt exchange the first-born of a donkey for a sheep, and if thou buyest it not back, then thou shalt kill it; but thou must buy back all thy first-born sons.)

14 And when thy son shall ask thee tomorrow, and say, What is this? thou shalt answer to him, In a strong hand the Lord led us out of the land of Egypt, of the house of servage (By a strong hand the Lord led us out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of servitude, or of slavery);

15 for when Pharaoh was made hard in heart, and would not deliver us, the Lord slew all the first begotten thing in the land of Egypt, from the first begotten of man, till to the first engendered of beasts; therefore I offer to the Lord all thing of male kind that (first) openeth the womb, and I (shall) again-buy all the first begotten things of my sons. (for when Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not let us go, the Lord killed all the first-born things in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of man, unto the first-born of beasts; and so I offer to the Lord all the things of male kind that first openeth the womb, and I shall buy back all the first-born of my sons.)

16 Therefore it shall be as a sign in thine hand, and as a thing hanged for mind before thine eyes, for in a strong hand the Lord led us out of Egypt. (And so it shall be like a sign on thy hand, and like a thing hung up as a reminder before thine eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord led us out of Egypt.)