Exodus 13

Having been freed from Egypt, Israel is told to remember what God did. The firstborn belong to the LORD, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread is to be passed on to the children. Then God leads His people by a roundabout road, with Joseph’s bones going along, and guides them with a pillar of cloud and fire.

Exodus 13:1-2

God claims every firstborn male, human and animal, as His own. The firstborn were spared in Egypt, so they now belong to the One who saved them. Setting them apart is a way of saying that everything Israel has comes from Him.

BSA: Consecrate (“set apart as holy, sanctify”): The firstborn are not merely given away but set apart for God’s own purposes.

See also: Numbers 3:13.

Exodus 13:3

Moses tells the people to remember the day of their rescue. They did not free themselves; the LORD did it by His strength. Leavened bread is to be put away as a reminder that they left in haste and that God made a clean break with slavery.

BSA: Remember (“to recall, to mark”): Remembering here means marking the day on the calendar and keeping it, not just thinking about it. hand (“an open hand; strength, a side or share”): The ‘hand’ of the LORD stands for His active power at work for His people.

Hebrew: זָכוֹר (zakhor, H2142) — “remember.” In Hebrew, to remember is to act on what you recall. God’s people keep the memory alive by what they do.

See also: Deuteronomy 16:3.

Exodus 13:4

The month is named: Abib, the time when the barley was ripening in spring. Moses speaks as though the departure is happening right now. Israel’s story of freedom has a definite place in time and in the year.

BSA: Abib (“the month of young barley, the time of Passover”): The name points to the spring season when the barley was green and ripening.

Exodus 13:5

God’s promise to the fathers is coming true. The land is already full of peoples, yet it is God’s gift. Once they live there, they are to keep this yearly service so the rescue is not forgotten in the comfort of a new home.

BSA: swore (“made a promise or vow”): The land is given because God bound Himself by oath, not because Israel earned it.

See also: Genesis 15:18-21.

Exodus 13:6-7

For seven days they eat bread without yeast, and the seventh day is a feast to the LORD. No yeast is to be seen anywhere in their homes or land. The whole nation shares a simple meal that tells the story of leaving Egypt.

BSA: seven (“complete, sacred”): Seven days suggests a full, God-ordered span of time given to the memory.

Hebrew: מַצּוֹת (matstsot, H4682) — “unleavened bread.” This is flat bread made without yeast, quick to bake. It recalls the hurry of leaving and the break with the old life.

See also: 1 Corinthians 5:7-8.

Exodus 13:8

The feast is meant to be taught. Parents are to explain it to their children in the first person: what the LORD did for ‘me.’ Each new generation is invited to see itself as rescued too.

BSA: explain (“tell, declare openly”): The faith is passed on by plainly telling the story at home.

See also: Deuteronomy 6:20-21.

Exodus 13:9

The feast is to be like a sign on the hand and a reminder before the eyes. Its purpose is that God’s Law be always on their lips. Later Israelites took this literally, with small boxes of Scripture worn on the arm and head. Either way, God’s rescue should shape what they do and say.

BSA: reminder (“a memorial, a commemoration”): The sign is there to keep the memory of God’s deed before their eyes every day.

See also: Deuteronomy 6:8.

Exodus 13:10

The feast is to be kept every year at its set time. Regular rhythms keep the great rescue from fading. What God did once is remembered again and again.

BSA: keep (“protect, attend to, guard”): The word carries the sense of guarding something precious, not just doing a routine.

Exodus 13:11-12

When they are in the land, the firstborn males of every womb are to be given over to the LORD. Firstborn livestock belong to Him too. This acknowledges that life and increase are God’s gifts.

BSA: present (“dedicate, set apart”): The firstborn are handed over to God as His own, in thanks for what He has given.

See also: Exodus 22:29-30.

Exodus 13:13

A firstborn donkey, an unclean animal not offered in sacrifice, is bought back with a lamb. Every firstborn son must also be redeemed. A price is paid so that life is kept and the debt to God is met by a substitute.

BSA: redeem (“buy back, ransom with a price”): Redeeming means paying a price to free what belongs to God. This pictures rescue through a substitute.

Hebrew: פָּדָה (padah, H6299) — “to redeem, ransom.” The word is used of buying someone out of bondage or danger. It is also the word later used of what God did for Israel.

See also: Numbers 18:15-16; 1 Peter 1:18-19.

Exodus 13:14-15

When a child asks what this means, the parent tells the story of Pharaoh’s refusal and the death of Egypt’s firstborn. Israel’s firstborn were spared, so they are given back to God. The child learns that the family’s life rests on God’s mercy.

BSA: stubbornly refused (“with a hardened heart, stubbornly”): Pharaoh’s heart became hard and unyielding, bringing judgment on his land. redeem (“ransom, pay the price for”): Each family acts out the rescue by paying a price for its son.

See also: Exodus 12:29-30.

Exodus 13:16

The chapter ends this section as it began: a sign and symbol of the LORD’s mighty hand. The firstborn rule and the bread feast both point back to one event. God’s strong rescue is to be kept before His people.

BSA: symbol (“or phylacteries, reminder”): The word points to something worn or kept in view as a constant reminder.

Exodus 13:17

The shortest road led through Philistine land, where Israel would face war. God knew His people were not ready and might lose heart and turn back. His route is sometimes longer because He knows how weak we are.

BSA: change their minds (“repent, turn back”): Fear of battle could make them regret leaving and want to go back to slavery.

See also: Psalm 103:14.

Exodus 13:18

God leads them by the wilderness road toward the Red Sea. The Hebrew can be read as the ‘Sea of Reeds.’ They went out in orderly ranks, a people organized as an army, though God would be the one fighting for them.

BSA: arrayed for battle (“armed, prepared”): They left in orderly ranks, though the battle would be won by God.

Hebrew: חֲמֻשִׁים (chamushim, H2571) — “arrayed, in ranks.” The word may suggest an orderly formation, perhaps in groups of five, and not necessarily a trained army.

Exodus 13:19

Moses carries Joseph’s bones, keeping a promise made centuries earlier. Joseph believed God would bring Israel out of Egypt. His coffin traveling with them shows that God’s promises are remembered and kept.

BSA: attend to (“visit, care for”): God’s ‘visit’ means He comes to rescue and bless His people.

See also: Genesis 50:24-25; Hebrews 11:22.

Exodus 13:20

The first camps are named: Succoth, then Etham at the wilderness edge. They are moving from settled Egypt toward open country. Each stop is a step on a journey God is directing.

BSA: wilderness (“desert, open field, a place of testing and refinement”): The wilderness is where Israel will learn to trust God daily.

Exodus 13:21-22

The LORD Himself goes before them in a cloud by day and in fire by night. He guides them and gives light, and He never leaves. They are never without His presence, whether it is day or night.

BSA: pillar (“a pillar or column”): A tall visible column that all the people could see and follow. light (“spiritual illumination”): The fire gives physical light and also shows that God’s guidance does not fail in the dark.

See also: Nehemiah 9:12; Psalm 78:14.