Exodus 34:18-21

34:18 “You must keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days ¹  you must eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you; do this ²  at the appointed time of the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out of Egypt.

34:19 “Every firstborn of the womb ³  belongs to me, even every firstborn ⁴  of your cattle that is a male, ⁵  whether ox or sheep. 34:20 Now the firstling ⁶  of a donkey you may redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then break its neck. ⁷  You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons.

“No one will appear before me empty-handed. ⁸ 

34:21 “On six days ⁹  you may labor, but on the seventh day you must rest; ¹⁰  even at the time of plowing and of harvest ¹¹  you are to rest. ¹² 

Exodus 34:25

34:25 “You must not offer the blood of my sacrifice with yeast; the sacrifice from the feast of Passover must not remain until the following morning. ¹³ 

[34:18]  ¹ tn This is an adverbial accusative of time.

[34:18]  ² tn The words “do this” have been supplied.

[34:19]  ³ tn Heb “everything that opens the womb.”

[34:19]  ⁴ tn Here too: everything that “opens [the womb].”

[34:19]  ⁵ tn The verb basically means “that drops a male.” The verb is feminine, referring to the cattle.

[34:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “and the one that opens [the womb of] the donkey.”

[34:20]  ⁶ sn See G. Brin, “The Firstling of Unclean Animals,” JQR 68 (1971): 1-15.

[34:20]  ⁷ tn The form is the adverb “empty.”

[34:21]  ⁷ tn This is an adverbial accusative of time.

[34:21]  ⁸ tn Or “cease” (i.e., from the labors).

[34:21]  ⁹ sn See M. Dahood, “Vocative lamed in Exodus 2,4 and Merismus in 34,21,” Bib 62 (1981): 413-15.

[34:21]  ¹⁰ tn The imperfect tense expresses injunction or instruction.

[34:25]  ⁹ sn See M. Haran, “The Passover Sacrifice,” Studies in the Religion of Ancient Israel (VTSup), 86-116.