Discovery BoxExodus 13:1-11
Context13:1 1 The Lord spoke 2 to Moses: 13:2 “Set apart 3 to me every firstborn male – the first offspring of every womb 4 among the Israelites, whether human or animal; it is mine.” 5
13:3 Moses said to the people, “Remember 6 this day on which you came out from Egypt, from the place where you were enslaved, 7 for the Lord brought you out of there 8 with a mighty hand – and no bread made with yeast may be eaten. 9 13:4 On this day, 10 in the month of Abib, 11 you are going out. 12
13:5 When 13 the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, 14 then you will keep 15 this ceremony 16 in this month. 13:6 For seven days 17 you must eat 18 bread made without yeast, and on the seventh day there is to be 19 a festival to the Lord. 13:7 Bread made without yeast must be eaten 20 for seven days; 21 no bread made with yeast shall be seen 22 among you, and you must have no yeast among you within any of your borders.
13:8 You are to tell your son 23 on that day, 24 ‘It is 25 because of what 26 the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 13:9 27 It 28 will be a sign 29 for you on your hand and a memorial 30 on your forehead, 31 so that the law of the Lord may be 32 in your mouth, 33 for 34 with a mighty hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. 13:10 So you must keep 35 this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year. 36
13:11 When the Lord brings you 37 into the land of the Canaanites, 38 as he swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it 39 to you,
[13:1] 1 sn This next section seems a little confusing at first glance: vv. 1 and 2 call for the dedication of the firstborn, then vv. 3-10 instruct concerning the ritual of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and then vv. 11-16 return to the firstborn. B. Jacob (Exodus, 360) explains that vv. 3-16 contain a sermon, in which Moses “began his speech by reminding the people of the events which had just occurred and how they would be recalled by them in the future,” and then he explained the rulings that went along with it. So the first two verses state the core of the sermon, a new command calling for the redeemed (firstborn) to be sanctified. The second portion stresses that God requires the redeemed to remember their redemption by purifying themselves (3-10). The third section (11-16) develops the theme of dedication to Yahweh. The point is that in view of God’s mighty redemption, the redeemed (represented by the firstborn) must be set apart for Yahweh’s service.
[13:1] 2 tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke.”
[13:2] 3 tn The verb “sanctify” is the Piel imperative of קָדַשׁ (qadash). In the Qal stem it means “be holy, be set apart, be distinct,” and in this stem “sanctify, set apart.”
[13:2] 4 tn The word פֶּטֶּר (petter) means “that which opens”; this construction literally says, “that which opens every womb,” which means “the first offspring of every womb.” Verses 12 and 15 further indicate male offspring.
[13:2] 5 tn Heb “to me it.” The preposition here expresses possession; the construction is simply “it [is, belongs] to me.”
[13:3] 6 tn The form is the infinitive absolute of זָכַר (zakhar, “remember”). The use of this form in place of the imperative (also found in the Decalogue with the Sabbath instruction) stresses the basic meaning of the root word, everything involved with remembering (emphatic imperative, according to GKC 346 §113.bb). The verb usually implies that there will be proper action based on what was remembered.
[13:3] 7 tn Heb “from a house of slaves.” “House” is obviously not meant to be literal; it indicates a location characterized by slavery, a land of slaves, as if they were in a slave house. Egypt is also called an “iron-smelting furnace” (Deut 4:20).
[13:3] 8 tn Heb “from this” [place].
[13:3] 9 tn The verb is a Niphal imperfect; it could be rendered “must not be eaten” in the nuance of the instruction or injunction category, but permission fits this sermonic presentation very well – nothing with yeast may be eaten.
[13:4] 10 tn The word הַיּוֹם (hayyom) means literally “the day, today, this day.” In this sentence it functions as an adverbial accusative explaining when the event took place.
[13:4] 11 sn Abib appears to be an old name for the month, meaning something like “[month of] fresh young ears” (Lev 2:14 [Heb]) (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 106). B. Jacob (Exodus, 364) explains that these names were not precise designations, but general seasons based on the lunar year in the agricultural setting.
[13:4] 12 tn The form is the active participle, functioning verbally.
[13:5] 13 tn Heb “and it will be when.”
[13:5] 14 tn See notes on Exod 3:8.
[13:5] 15 tn The verb is וְעָבַדְתָּ (vÿ’avadta), the Qal perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive. It is the equivalent of the imperfect tense of instruction or injunction; it forms the main point after the temporal clause – “when Yahweh brings you out…then you will serve.”
[13:5] 16 tn The object is a cognate accusative for emphasis on the meaning of the service – “you will serve this service.” W. C. Kaiser notes how this noun was translated “slavery” and “work” in the book, but “service” or “ceremony” for Yahweh. Israel was saved from slavery to Egypt into service for God as remembered by this ceremony (“Exodus,” EBC 2:383).
[13:6] 17 tn Heb “Seven days.”
[13:6] 18 tn The imperfect tense functions with the nuance of instruction or injunction. It could also be given an obligatory nuance: “you must eat” or “you are to eat.” Some versions have simply made it an imperative.
[13:6] 19 tn The phrase “there is to be” has been supplied.
[13:7] 20 tn The imperfect has the nuance of instruction or injunction again, but it could also be given an obligatory nuance.
[13:7] 21 tn The construction is an adverbial accusative of time, answering how long the routine should be followed (see GKC 374 §118.k).
[13:7] 22 tn Or “visible to you” (B. Jacob, Exodus, 366).
[13:8] 23 tn The form is the Hiphil perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive, carrying the sequence forward: “and you will declare to your son.”
[13:8] 24 tn Heb “day, saying.” “Tell…saying” is redundant, so “saying” has not been included in the translation here.
[13:8] 25 tn “it is” has been supplied.
[13:8] 26 tn The text uses זֶה (zeh), which Gesenius classifies as the use of the pronoun to introduce a relative clause after the preposition (GKC 447 §138.h) – but he thinks the form is corrupt. B. S. Childs, however, sees no reason to posit a corruption in this form (Exodus [OTL], 184).
[13:9] 27 sn This passage has, of course, been taken literally by many devout Jews, and portions of the text have been encased in phylacteries and bound on the arm and forehead. B. Jacob (Exodus, 368), weighing the pros and cons of the literal or the figurative meaning, says that those who took it literally should not be looked down on for their symbolic work. In many cases, he continues, it is the spirit that kills and the letter makes alive – because people who argue against a literal usage do so to excuse lack of action. This is a rather interesting twist in the discussion. The point of the teaching was obviously meant to keep the Law of Yahweh in the minds of the people, to remind them of their duties.
[13:9] 28 tn That is, this ceremony.
[13:9] 29 tn Heb “for a sign.”
[13:9] 30 tn Heb “for a memorial.”
[13:9] 31 tn Heb “between your eyes” (KJV and ASV both similar); the same expression occurs in v. 16.
[13:9] 32 tn The purpose of using this ceremony as a sign and a memorial is that the Law might be in their mouth. The imperfect tense, then, receives the classification of final imperfect in the purpose clause.
[13:9] 33 sn “Mouth” is a metonymy of cause; the point is that they should be ever talking about the Law as their guide as they go about their duties (see Deut 6:7; 11:19; Josh 1:8).
[13:9] 34 tn This causal clause gives the reason for what has just been instructed. Because Yahweh delivered them from bondage, he has the strongest claims on their life.
[13:10] 35 tn The form is a perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive, functioning as the equivalent of an imperfect of instruction or injunction.
[13:10] 36 tn Or “every year,” or “year after year.”
[13:11] 37 tn Heb “and it will be when Yahweh brings (will bring) you.”
[13:11] 38 sn The name “the Canaanite” (and so collective for “Canaanites”) is occasionally used to summarize all the list of Canaanitish tribes that lived in the land.
[13:11] 39 tn The verb וּנְתָנָהּ (unÿtanah) is the Qal perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; this is in sequence to the preceding verb, and forms part of the protasis, the temporal clause. The main clause is the instruction in the next verse.
