Exodus 13:1

¹ The Lord spoke ²  to Moses:

The LORD said to Moses,

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Then the LORD said to Moses,

GOD spoke to Moses, saying,

And the Lord said to Moses,

The LORD said to Moses:

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

¹ The Lord spoke ²  to Moses:

¹ sn This next section seems a little confusing at first glance: vv. 1 and 2 call for the dedication of the firstborn, then vv. 3-10 instruct concerning the ritual of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and then vv. 11-16 return to the firstborn. B. Jacob (Exodus, 360) explains that vv. 3-16 contain a sermon, in which Moses “began his speech by reminding the people of the events which had just occurred and how they would be recalled by them in the future,” and then he explained the rulings that went along with it. So the first two verses state the core of the sermon, a new command calling for the redeemed (firstborn) to be sanctified. The second portion stresses that God requires the redeemed to remember their redemption by purifying themselves (3-10). The third section (11-16) develops the theme of dedication to Yahweh. The point is that in view of God’s mighty redemption, the redeemed (represented by the firstborn) must be set apart for Yahweh’s service.

² tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke.”