Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 13:2
Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, [both] of man and of beast: it [is] mine.
2. whatsoever openeth ] i.e. first openeth; Heb. per, a technical term: so vv. 12, 13 (|| Exo 34:19-20), 15; Num 3:12; Num 8:16; Num 18:15; Eze 20:26 . The law is cited (but not verbally) in Luk 2:23.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Sanctify unto me – The command is addressed to Moses. It was to declare the will of God that all firstborn were to be consecrated to Him, set apart from all other creatures. The command is expressly based upon the Passover. The firstborn exempt from the destruction became in a new and special sense the exclusive property of the Lord: the firstborn of man as His ministers, the firstborn of cattle as victims. In lieu of the firstborn of men the Levites were devoted to the temple services.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 2. Sanctify unto me all the first-born] To sanctify, kadash, signifies to consecrate, separate, and set apart a thing or person from all secular purposes to some religious use; and exactly answers to the import of the Greek , from a, privative, and , the earth, because every thing offered or consecrated to God was separated from all earthly uses. Hence a holy person or saint is termed , i.e., a person separated from the earth; one who lives a holy life, entirely devoted to the service of God. Thus the persons and animals sanctified to God were employed in the service of the tabernacle and temple; and the animals, such as were proper, were offered in sacrifice.
The Hindoos frequently make a vow, and devote to an idol the first-born of a goat and of a man. The goat is permitted to run wild, as a consecrated animal. A child thus devoted has a lock of hair separated, which at the time appointed is cut off and placed near the idol. Hindoo women sometimes pray to Gunga (the Ganges) for children, and promise to devote the first-born to her. Children thus devoted are cast into the Ganges, but are generally saved by the friendly hand of some stranger. – Ward’s Customs.
Whatsoever openeth the womb] That is, the first-born, if a male; for females were not offered, nor the first male, if a female had been born previously. Again, if a man had several wives, the first-born of each, if a male, was to be offered to God. And all this was done to commemorate the preservation of the first-born of the Israelites, when those of the Egyptians were destroyed.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Sanctify unto me, to my use and service, in manner as I shall hereafter explain. And sanctify, i.e. command all the people to sanctify, as Moses did, Exo 13:12.
All the first-born, viz. if they be males, as it is limited, Exo 13:12.
Whatsoever openeth the womb; every child which is the first-born of his mother: so that if a man had many wives, either together or successively, his first child by every one of these was a first-born. Whether clean or unclean, though in different manner; whereof see Num 18:13,15,17. It is mine, by special right and title; as being by my singular care and favour preserved from the common destruction, and therefore I challenge a peculiar interest in them, and do hereby require that they be devoted to me.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
2. Sanctify unto me all thefirst-bornTo “sanctify” means to “consecrate,”to “set apart” from a common to a sacred use. Thefoundation of this duty rested on the fact that the Israelites,having had their first-born preserved by a distinguishing act ofgrace from the general destruction that overtook the families of theEgyptians, were bound in token of gratitude to consider them as theLord’s peculiar property (compare Heb12:23).
Ex13:3-10. MEMORIAL OF THEPASSOVER.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Sanctify unto me all the firstborn,…. That is, of males, as the Targum of Jonathan adds, for those, and not females, were only either sacrificed or redeemed, see Ex 13:12, and this sanctification of them to the Lord signifies the separation or devoting of them to the service of God; if the firstborn of clean creatures they were to be sacrificed, if unclean to be redeemed with a price, and so the firstborn of men, because it was not lawful to sacrifice them; and the money for the redemption of them was given to the priests, the ministers of the Lord, and so to him; who these first, born were is further explained:
whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast; that is, if a male; for, if a female, though it openeth the womb, was not reckoned a firstborn, because not to be offered; nor even a male after the birth of a female, because that openeth not the womb; and so if a man married a widow, and she had had children by her former husband, though she should bring him a son, which was his firstborn, yet not being her’s, and not opening the womb, was not subject to this law; but if a man married several wives one after another, or together, who had never been married before, or had had no children; if each of them brought him a son at first birth, they were all of them firstborn, and to be sanctified to the Lord; but the Jews say u, if a woman at her first birth brought forth a male and a female, the father was free from this law of the redemption of the firstborn, because the female might come forth first: this phrase, “among the children of Israel”, shows that this law only belonged to them, and not to the Gentiles; wherefore the Jewish doctors say w, if a man buys cattle of an Heathen, and sells to him, or is in partnership with him, and gives and takes of him, he is free from the law of the firstborn; for it is said “among the Israelites”, and not among others:
it is mine: all creatures, man and beast, are the Lord’s by creation; but these firstborn were his in a peculiar manner, and which he reserved to himself, to his own use and service; and the people of Israel were under great obligation to devote them to him, since he had spared all their firstborn, when all the firstborn of the Egyptians, both man and beast, were destroyed: this may denote the special and peculiar interest the Lord has in the general assembly and church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven, through the special, particular, and eternal choice of them in Christ, and the redemption of them to him by the price of his blood; and who, on account both of their election of God, and redemption by Christ, are laid under obligation to give up themselves to God, a holy, living, and acceptable sacrifice, which is but their reasonable service.
u Misn. Becorot, c. 8. sect. 4, 5. & Bartenora in ib. w lbid. c. 2. sect. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
2. Sanctify unto me all the first-born. This also refers to the First Commandment, because God asserts His right over the first-born, lest the recollection of their redemption should ever be lost. For thus were the Israelites admonished that they must honor that God by whose grace they had escaped in safety from the common destruction of Egypt, and, moreover, that they were rescued by His special blessing, in order that they should consecrate themselves to God their Deliverer. For the offering which He here requires, was a mark of separation between them and the heathen nations. (328) The first-born is called the opening of the womb, because it is the beginning of generation. The expression, “among the children of Israel,” when he is speaking of brutes, as well as of their own offspring and children, is meant to distinguish the wild beasts from the tame and domestic animals. But although He commands only the first-born of the race of Abraham to be offered to Him, still this must undoubtedly be extended to the sanctification of the whole people; for whilst He says, that the first-born were His, because they especially owed their preservation to His mercy, yet for the same reason he signifies that all were His own.
(328) Omitted in Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
XIII.
SANCTIFICATION OF THE FIRSTBORN, AND LAW OF REDEMPTION.
(2) Sanctify unto me all the firstborn.It was a reasonable demand that the existing firstborn of Israel, spared by God when the Egyptian firstborn were destroyed, should be regarded thenceforth as His, and set apart for His service. The extension of the demand to existing beasts was also reasonable, since they too had been spared. Gods further requirement, that henceforth all the future firstborn should also be His, was intended to perpetuate the memory of the recent deliverance, and to help to fix it in the mind of the nation. The substitution of a redemption in the case of unclean beasts was necessitated by the circumstances of the case, since they could not be sacrificed; and the redemption of the firstborn sons naturally followed when the Levitical priesthood was established, and their services were no longer necessary. (See Num. 3:40-51; Num. 18:16.) The Jews still observe the ordinance, so far as the children are concerned, and redeem the son which has opened the womb on the thirtieth day after the birth.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 13:2. Sanctify unto me all the first-born The Lord not only appointed an annual festival commemorative of his redemption of Israel, and ordained a weekly remembrance of it, Deu 5:15 but also commanded all the first-born of the males (Exo 13:12 and Num 3:40.) to be sanctified; that is, (as the word cadesh always signifies,) to be separated, or set apart, from common and ordinary to higher and sacred uses. In this command, the reference to God’s preservation of the first-born of Israel, when he destroyed the first-born of Egypt, is evident; see Exo 13:15. The firstborn of man was to be dedicated to the Lord, set apart to the sacred ministrations of the priestly office. But it appears from Num 3:12 that the Levites were afterwards chosen instead of the first-born, who were to be redeemed at a certain rate, which was applied to the maintenance of the priests, Num 18:15-16. By this separation of the first-born is signified to us, that God’s people, who are the congregation of the first-born, (ch. Exo 4:22. Heb 12:23.) and are redeemed from death by the blood of Christ, should devote themselves as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is their reasonable service. Rom 12:1.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Exo 13:2 Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, [both] of man and of beast: it [is] mine.
Ver. 2. It is mine. ] By right of redemption also. He that is saved is “not his own”; 1Co 6:19 but his that saved him. Servati sumus ut serviamus. Luk 1:74 God hath sworn we shall do so, Luk 1:73 or else never come to his kingdom. Psa 95:11
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Sanctify. Figure of speech Metonymy (of Subject). App-6. = Declare that I will sanctify (or set apart), which Moses did in verses: Exo 13:12.
children = sons.
man. Hebrew. ‘adam. App-14.
There are two pairs of Phylacteries, so called (in Greek) from their use – a prayer-fillet or band worn to-day on forehead and hands during prayer. First pair here, Exo 13:3-10 and Exo 13:11-16. Second pair in Deu 6:4-8 and Exo 11:13-2. Compare the structures in Deu 6:4-9.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Sanctify: The word kadash is to consecrate, separate, and set apart a person or thing from all common or secular purposes to some religious use; and exactly answers to the Greek , from , privative, and , the earth; because everything offered or consecrated to God was separated from all earthly uses. Exo 13:12-15, Exo 4:22, Exo 22:29, Exo 22:30, Exo 23:19, Exo 34:19, Exo 34:20, Lev 27:26, Num 3:13, Num 8:16, Num 8:17, Num 18:15, Deu 15:19, Luk 2:23, Heb 12:23
Reciprocal: Num 7:1 – sanctified them Neh 10:36 – the firstborn Eze 16:20 – thy sons Eze 44:30 – all the firstfruits Mat 1:25 – she
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Exo 13:2. Sanctify That is, command all the people to sanctify; unto me To my use and service, in a manner I shall hereafter explain; all the firstborn That are males, as the command is limited, Exo 13:12; whatsoever openeth the womb That is, every child which is the firstborn of his mother: so that if a man had many wives, either together or successively, his first child by every one of these was a firstborn, and, if a male, was claimed by the Lord. But if a female came first, and afterward a male, that male was not devoted to God, because it was not the firstborn. Hence the parents were not to look upon themselves as having an interest in their firstborn, if males, till they had first solemnly presented them to God, and received them back from him again. It is mine By special right and title, as being by singular favour preserved from the common destruction. The firstborn of man, if males, were claimed for the sacred ministrations of the priestly office. But after the Jewish commonwealth was formed, the Levites were chosen to officiate in their stead, Num 3:12; and the firstborn were to be redeemed at a certain rate, which was part of the priests maintenance, Num 18:15-16. And of beast Which was to be offered to God, if a male: only an ass was to be redeemed.