Bible Strands
Exodus 13:15
And when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of man and beast. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb, but I redeem all the firstborn of my sons.’
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses instructs Israelite fathers on how to answer their children’s questions about the Exodus, framing the ritual observance immediately after the departure from Egypt.
The words — The text employs הִקְשָׁה (hik.shah), literally “he made stubborn,” to describe Pharaoh’s refusal, followed by וַיַּהֲרֹג (wa.ya.harog), “and he killed,” to record Yahweh’s execution of Egypt’s firstborn.
The thread — The judgment on the firstborn is recorded in Exodus 12:29, while the surrounding instructions in Exodus 13:14 and Exodus 13:16 establish the explanatory and memorial framework for the practice.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to treat the redemption of firstborn sons as a direct response to historical divine action, demanding observance as a factual marker rather than an abstract symbol.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the Lord slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem.
Cross-references
- Exodus 12:29 Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn among the livestock.