Bible Strands
Exodus 34:19
The first offspring of every womb belongs to Me, including all the firstborn males among your livestock, whether cattle or sheep.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God addresses Moses, establishing covenant stipulations that follow the Feast of Unleavened Bread and precede the laws on redeeming firstborn sons and donkeys.
The words — The text employs פֶּטֶר (peṭer), meaning "firstborn of," and רֶחֶם (reḥem), meaning "womb," to designate initial offspring as belonging to God. It further specifies מִקְנֶךָ (miqneka), "your livestock," explicitly naming cattle and sheep.
The thread — This ownership claim repeats in Exodus 13:2, Exodus 13:12, and Exodus 22:29, where firstborn males and animals are consistently assigned to the Lord.
Why it lands — The verse declares literal ownership of the initial yield of human reproduction and animal husbandry. It requires concrete action through consecration or redemption rather than symbolic acknowledgment.
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
All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male.
Cross-references
- 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.”
- Exodus 22:29 You must not hold back offerings from your granaries or vats. You are to give Me the firstborn of your sons.
- Exodus 13:12 you are to present to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the LORD.
- Numbers 18:15 The firstborn of every womb, whether man or beast, that is offered to the LORD belongs to you. But you must surely redeem every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals.
- Ezekiel 44:30 The best of all the firstfruits and of every contribution from all your offerings will belong to the priests. You are to give your first batch of dough to the priest, so that a blessing may rest upon your homes.
- Luke 2:23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to the Lord”),