Exodus 13:2
"Consecrate to Me every firstborn male. The firstborn from every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me, both of man and beast."
Consecrate to Me
The Hebrew word for "consecrate" is "qadash," which means to set apart, sanctify, or make holy. In the ancient Near Eastern context, consecration involved dedicating something or someone for a sacred purpose. This act of consecration signifies a divine claim over the firstborn, setting them apart for God's service. It reflects the broader biblical theme of holiness, where God calls His people to be distinct and dedicated to Him. This command is a reminder of God's sovereignty and His right to claim what is His, emphasizing the importance of dedicating the best and the first to God.

every firstborn male
The term "firstborn" in Hebrew is "bekor," which holds significant cultural and theological weight. In ancient Israelite society, the firstborn male held a special status, often receiving a double portion of the inheritance and serving as the family leader after the father's death. Theologically, the firstborn represents the strength and future of the family. By claiming the firstborn, God is asserting His authority and reminding the Israelites of their deliverance from Egypt, where the firstborn of the Egyptians were struck down. This act of consecration is a perpetual reminder of God's deliverance and the covenant relationship between God and His people.

The firstborn from every womb
This phrase emphasizes the universality of the command, extending it to all firstborns, whether human or animal. The Hebrew word for "womb" is "rechem," which underscores the idea of birth and origin. By specifying "every womb," the text highlights the comprehensive nature of God's claim. It serves as a reminder that all life originates from God and belongs to Him. This command reinforces the idea that God's claim is not limited to a specific group but encompasses all of Israel, symbolizing the totality of their dependence on and dedication to God.

among the Israelites
The phrase "among the Israelites" situates the command within the covenant community. The Israelites, or "Bnei Yisrael" in Hebrew, are God's chosen people, set apart to be a holy nation. This command is a specific directive to the covenant community, reinforcing their identity and relationship with God. It serves as a reminder of their unique calling and the responsibilities that come with being God's people. The consecration of the firstborn is a tangible expression of their covenantal obligations and their commitment to live according to God's statutes.

belongs to Me
The declaration "belongs to Me" is a powerful assertion of divine ownership. The Hebrew word "li" (to Me) indicates possession and emphasizes God's sovereign right over the firstborn. This phrase underscores the concept of stewardship, where the Israelites are reminded that everything they have is ultimately God's. It calls the people to recognize God's authority and to live in a way that honors Him. This divine claim serves as a reminder of the Exodus event, where God delivered His people and established His covenant with them, reinforcing their identity as His treasured possession.

both of man and beast
The inclusion of "both of man and beast" highlights the comprehensive nature of the command. In the ancient world, livestock was a critical component of wealth and survival, and the firstborn of animals held particular significance. By including both humans and animals, the text emphasizes the totality of God's claim and the breadth of His provision. This command serves as a reminder of God's provision and protection, as well as the Israelites' dependence on Him for all aspects of life. It calls the people to trust in God's faithfulness and to honor Him with the first and best of what they have.

Persons / Places / Events
1. God (Yahweh)
The sovereign Lord who commands the consecration of the firstborn, emphasizing His authority and ownership over Israel.

2. Moses
The leader of the Israelites who receives and communicates God's command to the people.

3. Israelites
The chosen people of God who are instructed to consecrate their firstborn to Him.

4. Firstborn
Refers to the first male offspring of both humans and animals, signifying a special status and dedication to God.

5. Egypt
The land from which the Israelites are being delivered, setting the context for the command as part of their liberation account.
Teaching Points
Divine Ownership
The command to consecrate the firstborn underscores God's ownership over all creation. As believers, we are reminded that everything we have belongs to God.

Remembrance and Gratitude
The consecration serves as a perpetual reminder of God's deliverance from Egypt. We are called to remember and be grateful for our own deliverance through Christ.

Holiness and Dedication
The act of consecration signifies setting apart for a holy purpose. We are encouraged to dedicate our lives and resources to God's service.

Substitutionary Atonement
The concept of the firstborn points to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, the firstborn of all creation, who redeems us.

Generational Faithfulness
The practice of consecrating the firstborn is a teaching tool for future generations, emphasizing the importance of passing down faith and obedience.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the command to consecrate the firstborn in Exodus 13:2 reflect God's sovereignty and ownership over Israel?

2. In what ways does the concept of the firstborn in Exodus 13:2 connect to the Passover event in Exodus 12?

3. How does the substitution of the Levites for the firstborn in Numbers 3 illustrate God's provision and plan for His people?

4. What significance does the presentation of Jesus as the firstborn in Luke 2 have for understanding His role in God's redemptive plan?

5. How can the principle of consecrating the firstborn be applied in our lives today in terms of dedicating our resources and priorities to God?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 12
The Passover event, where the firstborn of Egypt were struck down, while the Israelite firstborn were spared, setting the stage for the command in Exodus 13:2.

Numbers 3
The Levites are taken in place of the firstborn of Israel, showing a substitutionary role in service to God.

Luke 2
Jesus is presented at the temple as the firstborn, fulfilling the law and demonstrating the continuity of this principle in the New Testament.

Colossians 1
Christ is described as the "firstborn over all creation," highlighting His preeminence and the fulfillment of the firstborn concept.
A Consecrated ChildExodus 13:1-2
Consecrated to the LordExodus 13:1-2
Sanctify unto Me All the FirstbornJ. S. Exell, M. A.Exodus 13:1-2
The Consecration of the First-BornJ. Urquhart Exodus 13:1, 2
The Divine Right to the Best Things of ManJ. S. Exell, M. A.Exodus 13:1-2
The First Born, Types of ChristT. Taylor, D. D.Exodus 13:1-2
The Man-TitheJ. B. Owen, M. A.Exodus 13:1-2
The Sanctification of the Firstborn to the LordJ. S. Exell, M. A.Exodus 13:1-2
The Sanctification of the First-BornJ. Orr Exodus 13:1-3, 11-17
People
Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Hivite, Hivites, Israelites, Jebusites, Joseph, Moses, Pharaoh
Places
Etham, Red Sea, Succoth
Topics
Animal, Beast, Belongs, Birth, Breaketh, Cattle, Child, Consecrate, Firstborn, First-born, Hallow, Holy, Israelites, Kept, Male, Offspring, Open, Openeth, Opening, Opens, Sanctify, Sons, Whatever, Whatsoever, Whether, Womb
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Exodus 13:2

     7328   ceremonies
     8218   consecration
     8270   holiness, set apart
     8402   claims

Exodus 13:1-2

     4442   firstfruits

Exodus 13:1-10

     8644   commemoration

Exodus 13:1-16

     7410   phylactery

Library
Thought, Deed, Word
'It shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord's law may be in thy mouth.'--EXODUS xiii. 9. The question may be asked, whether this command is to be taken metaphorically or literally. No doubt the remembrance of the great deliverance was intrusted to acts. Besides the annual Passover feasts, inscriptions on the door-posts and fringes on the dress were appointed for this purpose. And the Jews from a very early period, certainly before our Lord's
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Fifth Day. Holiness and Redemption.
Sanctify unto me all the first-born.'--Ex. xiii. 2. 'All the first-born are mine; for on the day I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt I sanctified unto me all the first-born in Israel: mine they shall be: I am the Lord.'--Num. iii. 13, viii. 17. 'For I am the Lord your God that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.'--Lev. xi. 45. 'I have redeemed thee; thou art mine.'--Isa. xliii. 1. At Horeb we saw how the
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

June the Tenth Pillars of Cloud and Fire
"The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud." --EXODUS xiii. 17--xiv. 4. I need His leadership in the daytime. Sometimes the daylight is my foe. It tempts me into carelessness. I become the victim of distraction. The "garish day" can entice me into ways of trespass, and I am robbed of my spiritual health. Many a man has been faithful in the twilight and night who has lost himself in the sunshine. He went astray in his prosperity: success was his ruin. And so in the daytime I need the
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

The Personality of Power.
A Personally Conducted Journey. Everyone enjoys the pleasure of travel; but nearly all shrink back from its tiresomeness and drudgery. The transportation companies are constantly scheming to overcome this disagreeable side for both pleasure and business travel. One of the popular ways of pleasure travel of late is by means of personally conducted tours. A party is formed, often by the railroad company, and is accompanied by a special agent to attend to all the business matters of the trip. A variation
S.D. Gordon—Quiet Talks on Power

"The Lord Hath Need of Him. " Mark xi, 3
What! of an Ass? Yes, "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world." He gets renown to Himself by "using things which are despised." Let us never despair of the most foolish of men, if he become the servant of Jesus. It is said of the great John Hunt, that when a young man, he gave no promise of the talents he shewed in the work of the Ministry. We have spoken with one who knew him before his conversion, who made us smile as he described his gait and style of life. Yet this ungainly ploughboy
Thomas Champness—Broken Bread

Entangled in the Land
"For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in."--Exodus 14:3. ISRAEL WAS CLEAN escaped from Egypt. Not a hoof of their cattle was left behind; nor foot of child or aged man remained in the house of bondage. But though they were gone, they were not forgotten by the tyrant who had enslaved them. They had been a very useful body of workers; for they had built treasure cities and storehouses for Pharaoh. Compelled to work without wages,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

Letter xxxvi. To Pope Damasus.
Jerome's reply to the foregoing. For the second and fourth questions he refers Damasus to the writings of Tertullian, Novatian, and Origen. The remaining three he deals with in detail. Gen. iv. 15, he understands to mean "the slayer of Cain shall complete the sevenfold vengeance which is to be wreaked upon him." Exodus xiii. 18, he proposes to reconcile with Gen. xv. 16, by supposing that in the one place the tribe of Levi is referred to, in the other the tribe of Judah. He suggests, however, that
St. Jerome—The Principal Works of St. Jerome

Letter xxxv. From Pope Damasus.
Damasus addresses five questions to Jerome with a request for information concerning them. They are: 1. What is the meaning of the words "Whosoever slayeth Cain vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold"? (Gen. iv. 5.) 2. If God has made all things good, how comes it that He gives charge to Noah concerning unclean animals, and says to Peter, "What God hath cleansed that call not thou common"? (Acts x. 15.) 3. How is Gen. xv. 16, "in the fourth generation they shall come hither again," to be reconciled
St. Jerome—The Principal Works of St. Jerome

Epistle xxviii. To Augustine, Bishop of the Angli .
To Augustine, Bishop of the Angli [136] . Gregory to Augustine, &c. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will (Luke ii. 14); because a grain of wheat, falling into the earth, has died, that it might not reign in heaven alone; even He by whose death we live, by whose weakness we are made strong, by whose suffering we are rescued from suffering, through whose love we seek in Britain for brethren whom we knew not, by whose gift we find those whom without knowing them we sought.
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Jesus Living at Nazareth and visiting Jerusalem in his Twelfth Year.
(Nazareth and Jerusalem, a.d. 7 or 8.) ^C Luke II. 40-52. ^c 40 And the child grew [This verse contains the history of thirty years. It describes the growth of our Lord as a natural, human growth (compare Luke i. 80); for, though Jesus was truly divine, he was also perfectly man. To try to distinguish between the divine and human in Jesus, is to waste time upon an impracticable mystery which is too subtle for our dull and finite minds], and waxed strong [His life expanded like other human lives.
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Healing of the Woman - Christ's Personal Appearance - the Raising of Jairus' Daughter
THERE seems remarkable correspondence between the two miracles which Jesus had wrought on leaving Capernaum and those which He did on His return. In one sense they are complementary to each other. The stilling of the storm and the healing of the demonised were manifestations of the absolute power inherent in Christ; the recovery of the woman and the raising of Jairus' daughter, evidence of the absolute efficacy of faith. The unlikeliness of dominion over the storm, and of command over a legion of
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Jesus' Last Public Discourse. Denunciation of Scribes and Pharisees.
(in the Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, a.d. 30.) ^A Matt. XXIII. 1-39; ^B Mark XII. 38-40; ^C Luke XX. 45-47. ^a 1 Then spake Jesus ^b 38 And in his teaching ^c in the hearing of all the people he said unto ^a the multitudes, and to his disciples [he spoke in the most public manner], 2 saying, ^c 46 Beware of the scribes, ^a The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat: 3 all things whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Old Testament Canon from Its Beginning to Its Close.
The first important part of the Old Testament put together as a whole was the Pentateuch, or rather, the five books of Moses and Joshua. This was preceded by smaller documents, which one or more redactors embodied in it. The earliest things committed to writing were probably the ten words proceeding from Moses himself, afterwards enlarged into the ten commandments which exist at present in two recensions (Exod. xx., Deut. v.) It is true that we have the oldest form of the decalogue from the Jehovist
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible

Circumcision, Temple Service, and Naming of Jesus.
(the Temple at Jerusalem, b.c. 4) ^C Luke II. 21-39. ^c 21 And when eight days [Gen. xvii. 12] were fulfilled for circumcising him [The rite was doubtless performed by Joseph. By this rite Jesus was "made like unto his brethren" (Heb. ii. 16, 17); that is, he became a member of the covenant nation, and became a debtor to the law--Gal. v. 3] , his name was called JESUS [see Luke i. 59], which was so called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. [Luke i. 31.] 22 And when the days of their
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Cavils of the Pharisees Concerning Purification, and the Teaching of the Lord Concerning Purity - the Traditions Concerning Hand-Washing' and Vows. '
As we follow the narrative, confirmatory evidence of what had preceded springs up at almost every step. It is quite in accordance with the abrupt departure of Jesus from Capernaum, and its motives, that when, so far from finding rest and privacy at Bethsaida (east of the Jordan), a greater multitude than ever had there gathered around Him, which would fain have proclaimed Him King, He resolved on immediate return to the western shore, with the view of seeking a quieter retreat, even though it were
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Among the People, and with the Pharisees
It would have been difficult to proceed far either in Galilee or in Judaea without coming into contact with an altogether peculiar and striking individuality, differing from all around, and which would at once arrest attention. This was the Pharisee. Courted or feared, shunned or flattered, reverently looked up to or laughed at, he was equally a power everywhere, both ecclesiastically and politically, as belonging to the most influential, the most zealous, and the most closely-connected religions
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Concerning the Communion, or Participation of the Body and Blood of Christ.
Concerning the Communion, or Participation of the Body and Blood of Christ. The communion of the body and blood of Christ is [1104] inward and spiritual, which is the participation of his flesh and blood, by which the inward man is daily nourished in the hearts of those in whom Christ dwells. Of which things the breaking of bread by Christ with his disciples was a figure, which even they who had received the substance used in the church for a time, for the sake of the weak; even as abstaining from
Robert Barclay—Theses Theologicae and An Apology for the True Christian Divinity

The Third Day in Passion-Week - the Last Controversies and Discourses - the Sadducees and the Resurrection - the Scribe and the Great Commandment - Question
THE last day in the Temple was not to pass without other temptations' than that of the Priests when they questioned His authority, or of the Pharisees when they cunningly sought to entangle Him in His speech. Indeed, Christ had on this occasion taken a different position; He had claimed supreme authority, and thus challenged the leaders of Israel. For this reason, and because at the last we expect assaults from all His enemies, we are prepared for the controversies of that day. We remember that,
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Third Withdrawal from Herod's Territory.
Subdivision D. The Transfiguration. Concerning Elijah. (a Spur of Hermon, Near Cæsarea Philippi.) ^A Matt. XVII. 1-13; ^B Mark IX. 2-13; ^C Luke IX. 28-36. ^c 28 And it came to pass about eight days { ^a six days} ^c after these sayings [Mark agrees with Matthew in saying six days. Luke qualifies his estimate by saying "about." But if we regard him as including the day of the "sayings" and also the day of the transfiguration, and the other two as excluding these days, then the three statements
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage,
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Exodus 13:2 NIV
Exodus 13:2 NLT
Exodus 13:2 ESV
Exodus 13:2 NASB
Exodus 13:2 KJV

Exodus 13:2 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Exodus 13:1
Top of Page
Top of Page