Exodus 13:16
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So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead, for with a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
In this chapter we have, I. The commands God gave to Israel, 1. To sanctify all their firstborn to him (Exo 13:1, Exo 13:2). 2. To be sure to remember their deliverance out of Egypt (Exo 13:3, Exo 13:4), and, in remembrance of it, to keep the feast of unleavened bread (Exo 13:5-7). 3. To transmit the knowledge of it with all possible care to their children (Exo 13:8-10). 4. To set apart unto God the firstlings of their cattle (Exo 13:11-13), and to explain that also to their children (Exo 13:14-16). II. The care God took of Israel, when he had brought them out of Egypt. I. Choosing their way for them (Exo 13:17, Exo 13:18). 2. Guiding them in the way (Exo 13:20-22). And III. Their care of Joseph's bones (Exo 13:19).
Open source ↗13:16 Like the annual Passover celebration (13:9), dedicating the firstborn to the Lord was like a mark, a visible way to identify oneself as the Lord’s possession.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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It shall be a sign for you on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the Law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For with a mighty hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt.
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Then the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror, signs, and wonders.
The blood on the houses where you are staying will distinguish them; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will fall on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.