Exodus 13

Exodus 13 is the thirteenth chapter of the Book of Exodus. It continues the narrative of Exodus 12, in which the firstborn of Egypt died on the night of the Passover and Israel left Rameses and arrived at Succoth. The chapter establishes ordinances for remembering the Exodus and then describes the departure into the wilderness, leading into the Red Sea crossing of Exodus 14.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 The LORD commands Moses to sanctify to Him all the firstborn of both man and beast.
• Verses 3–10 Moses delivers the ordinance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The people are to remember the day they came out in the month Abib by eating unleavened bread for seven days, to explain its meaning to their children, and to make this observance "a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes."
• Verses 11–16 After entering Canaan, the people are to give every firstborn male to the LORD. The firstling of a donkey is to be redeemed (bought back at a price) with a lamb, and every firstborn son is likewise to be redeemed. The reason given is the LORD's slaying of the firstborn of Egypt.
• Verses 17–18 God leads the people not by the nearer way through the land of the Philistines but by the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea, lest the people see war and return to Egypt.
• Verse 19 Moses takes the bones of Joseph with him, as Joseph had made the Israelites swear.
• Verses 20–22 The people leave Succoth and encamp at Etham. The LORD goes before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

Key Verses

• Exodus 13:2 "Sanctify unto me all the firstborn" — This verse is the basis of the law of the firstborn, which holds that the firstborn belong to God.
• Exodus 13:21 "By day in a pillar of a cloud … and by night in a pillar of fire" — This verse first shows the divine guidance that continues throughout the wilderness journey.

People and Places

• Moses: The leader who conveys God's commands to the people.
• Joseph: A son of Jacob. In Genesis 50:25 he made the Israelites swear to carry his bones out with them; his remains were later buried at Shechem (Joshua 24:32).
• Pharaoh: The king of Egypt. The chapter recalls how his hardened heart kept him from letting the people go.
• Canaan: The land God swore to give to the patriarchs.
• Philistia: The region along the coastal shortcut to Canaan.
• Red Sea: The direction of the wilderness route by which God led the people around.
• Succoth: The first stopping place of Israel after leaving Egypt.
• Etham: The next encampment after Succoth, located on the edge of the wilderness.

Points for Reflection

• Judaism takes the "sign … upon thine hand" and the mark "between thine eyes" (verses 9 and 16) literally, binding to the forehead and arm phylacteries (tefillin) that contain two passages from this chapter. The "phylacteries" mentioned in Matthew 23:5 refer to these. Protestants generally read the phrase figuratively, as a call to remember their salvation continually.
• The law of redeeming the firstborn is later developed in two provisions: the setting apart of the Levites in place of the firstborn (Numbers 3:12) and redemption for five shekels (Numbers 18:16).
• In the New Testament, Luke 2:23 cites this law in the account of the infant Jesus being presented in the temple. First Corinthians 10:1–2 compares passing under the cloud and through the sea to baptism.
• The Hebrew yam suph, translated "Red Sea," can also be rendered "Sea of Reeds." For this reason, there are various views on the route of the Exodus.