Exodus 13:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

NIV: "In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

NASB: And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘With a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

CSB: "In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘By the strength of his hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

NLT: And in the future, your children will ask you, ‘What does all this mean?’ Then you will tell them, ‘With the power of his mighty hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt, the place of our slavery.

KJV: And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:

NKJV: So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall say to him, ‘By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

As generations pass, Israel's children are to be raised with certain traditions (Exodus 12:14, 17, 24; 13:10). These are meant to remind God's chosen people (Deuteronomy 14:2) of what He did to free them from slavery (Exodus 12:27; 13:8–9). Ideally, parents should not wait until their children begin to ask such questions. Rather, it's best to teach children the meaning of traditions from a young age (Deuteronomy 6:5–9).

Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Dedication of the Firstborn each provide specific, physical reminders of the Lord's power. In a culture where most people were illiterate, these rituals provided physical teaching tools to remind the people of God's acts. In the New Testament, Jesus provided His followers with two physical rituals as well. They include baptism (Matthew 28:19) and remembering His death through the Lord's Supper or Communion (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24–26). These acts became common among both Jewish and Gentile believers and continue to remain an important part of Christian worship today.

Exodus 13:11–16 expands on the command to consecrate all firstborn of Israel to the Lord. Every male which is the first birthed by any person or animal is considered God's. Animals may be sacrificed, but persons and animals that are to be kept must be "redeemed" by sacrificing a lamb. This reminds Israel of God's work on their behalf (Exodus 12:29–32). It also emphasizes the need for sacrifice in order to be reconciled to God.

God reiterates the requirements of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Israel is to celebrate this every year as a way of remembering their liberation from Egyptian slavery. In addition, the people are to consecrate all of the first-born of any mother—both people and animals. Animals that cannot be sacrificed are to be redeemed. Sons are to be redeemed by an animal sacrifice. The Lord creates a column of clouds for the people to follow during the day, which is lit by fire so they can also follow it at night. This keeps them moving quickly. Soon, Egyptian soldiers will catch up to them and God will once again provide miraculous rescue (Exodus 14).

The Lord has just freed Israel from centuries of Egyptian slavery (Exodus 12). The final blow to Egypt was the death of all firstborn (Exodus 12:29–32) on the night of the first Passover (Exodus 12:12–13). God's guidelines for that night are partly repeated here along with directions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. He instructs the nation about consecrating their own firstborn as He guides them. A column of fiery clouds helps the people travel day and night. This haste is important because Egypt's king is about to change his mind. He will soon send the Egyptian military to chase down the Israelites (Exodus 14).

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.