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Exodus 13:12

in Exodus 13

you are to present to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the LORD.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

that thou shalt set apart unto Jehovah all that openeth the womb, and every firstling which thou hast that cometh of a beast; the males shall be Jehovah’s.

KJV

That thou shalt set apart unto the Lord all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the Lord’s.

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This verse in Exodus 13

Commentary

3 notes on this verse

This site's exposition

the firstborn male of every womb

on Exodus 13:12-13

The law claims the firstborn male of every womb, and a lamb takes the place of the unclean donkey. The same verb redeem then falls on the sons, so a life is bought back by another life.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

The firstborn of their children were to be redeemed, and by no means sacrificed, as the Gentiles sacrificed their children to Moloch. The price of the redemption of the firstborn was fixed by the law ( Num. xviii. We were all obnoxious to the wrath and curse of God; by the blood of Christ we are redeemed, that we may be joined to the church of the firstborn.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

That thou shalt set apart unto the Lord all that openeth the matrix,....

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

This is an expression of setting apart, i.e., that one is to remove the firstling from the flock and it is to be for the Eternal.
Ramban: Spain, 1194–1270 · Ramban on Exodus 13:12:1, via Sefaria, Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
This is stated because the law of that which “openeth the womb” [mentioned in Verse 12], applied only from the time they came to the Land of Israel. 391 See my Hebrew commentary p. 344 for correctness of this reading as based on Ramban manuscript.
Ramban: Spain, 1194–1270 · Ramban on Exodus 13:11:1, via Sefaria, Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

14 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וְהַעֲבַרְתָּ֥and you will dedicate

    vehaavartaH5674 →556 times

  • כָל־every

    khol-H3605 →5413 times

  • פֶּֽטֶר־firstborn of

    peter-H6363 →12 times

  • רֶ֖חֶםa womb

    rechemH7358 →26 times

  • לַֽיהֹוָ֑הto Yahweh

    layahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • וְכָל־and every

    vekholH3605 →5413 times

  • פֶּ֣טֶר׀firstborn of

    peterH6363 →12 times

  • שֶׁ֣גֶר[the] offspring of

    shegerH7698 →

  • בְּהֵמָ֗הcattle

    behemahH929 →190 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֨רwhich

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • יִהְיֶ֥הit will be[long]

    yihyehH1961 →3559 times

  • לְךָ֛to you

    lekha

  • הַזְּכָרִ֖יםthe males

    hazekharimH2145 →82 times

  • לַיהוָֽה׃[will belong] to Yahweh

    layahwehH3068 →6520 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

16 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Genesis 4:4while Abel brought the best portions of the firstborn of his flock. And the LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,13 worksNumbers 18:15The 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.7 worksLeviticus 27:26But no one may consecrate a firstborn of the livestock, because a firstborn belongs to the LORD. Whether it is an ox or a sheep, it is the LORD’s.6 worksExodus 34:19The first offspring of every womb belongs to Me, including all the firstborn males among your livestock, whether cattle or sheep.6 worksEzekiel 44:30The 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.5 worksNumbers 3:13for all the firstborn are Mine. On the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They are Mine; I am the LORD.”5 works
The other 10 cross-references, with their words ▾
Deuteronomy 15:19You must set apart to the LORD your God every firstborn male produced by your herds and flocks. You are not to put the firstborn of your oxen to work, nor are you to shear the firstborn of your flock.4 worksExodus 22:29You must not hold back offerings from your granaries or vats. You are to give Me the firstborn of your sons.4 worksExodus 13:2“Consecrate to Me every firstborn male. The firstborn from every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me, both of man and beast.”4 worksNumbers 3:12“Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me,3 worksNumbers 8:17For every firstborn male in Israel is Mine, both man and beast. I set them apart for Myself on the day I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.3 worksEzekiel 20:26And I pronounced them unclean through their gifts—the sacrifice of every firstborn in the fire—so that I might devastate them, in order that they would know that I am the LORD.3 worksEzekiel 16:20You even took the sons and daughters you bore to Me and sacrificed them as food to idols. Was your prostitution not enough?3 worksExodus 22:30You shall do likewise with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but on the eighth day you are to give them to Me.3 worksLeviticus 22:2“Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings that the Israelites have consecrated to Me, so that they do not profane My holy name. I am the LORD.3 worksLuke 2:23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to the Lord”),2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Exodus 34:19

    The first offspring of every womb belongs to Me, including all the firstborn males among your livestock, whether cattle or sheep.

    it leads to

    • 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.”

      Reached by 4 separate paths from here.

    • Exodus 22:29

      You must not hold back offerings from your granaries or vats. You are to give Me the firstborn of your sons.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

  • Through

    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…

    it leads to

    • Nehemiah 10:35–37

      We will also bring the firstfruits of our land and of every fruit tree to the house of the LORD year by year.

    • Numbers 15:19–21

      and you eat the food of the land, you shall lift up an offering to the LORD.

    • 2 Chronicles 31:10

      and Azariah, the chief priest of the household of Zadok, answered him, “Since the people began to bring their contributions into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat and there…

    • Deuteronomy 18:4

      You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool sheared from your flock.

    • Numbers 18:12–18

      I give you all the freshest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain that the Israelites give to the LORD as their firstfruits.

  • Through

    Leviticus 27:26

    But no one may consecrate a firstborn of the livestock, because a firstborn belongs to the LORD. Whether it is an ox or a sheep, it is the LORD’s.

    it leads to

    • Exodus 13:12–13

      you are to present to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the LORD.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

Where this verse is studied

About Exodus

The Israelites Leaving Egypt, David Roberts, 1829. Public domain.
The Israelites Leaving Egypt, David Roberts, 1829. Public domain.
Exodus: the study guide →Read Exodus 13 →

This page draws on Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 3458, Redeeming the Unclean; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Exodus 13 →