Exodus 13:12

Exo 13:12 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.

Ver. 12. The males shall be the Lord’s.] This God did, that with the firstborn son, commonly best beloved, he might draw all the love to himself.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Exo 13:12. Every firstling of a beast shall be the Lord’s — That is, every firstling male of a clean beast, as of the cow, sheep, or goat kind, was to be offered in sacrifice; and the blood being sprinkled, and the fat burned on the altar, the flesh of them was to be given to the priests, Num 18:17-18.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

FIRSTLINGS OF BEASTS. (Exo 13:11-16)

every firstling, &c.--the injunction respecting the consecration of the first-born, as here repeated, with some additional circumstances. The firstlings of clean beasts, such as lambs, kids, and calves, if males, were to be devoted to God and employed in sacrifice. Those unclean beasts, as the ass's colt, being unfit for sacrifice, were to be redeemed (Num 18:15).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(12) Thou shalt set apart—i.e., separate off from the rest of the flock or herd, that it might not be mixed up with those which were not “sanctified.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

12. thou shalt cause to pass over unto Jehovah] The word is not the ordinary Heb. for ‘set apart’; and its use here is remarkable. In Num_27:7 f. (P), cf. 2Sa_3:10, it is indeed used in the simple sense of transferring or making over (an inheritance): but it is also the word regularly used of causing to pass over children in fire to Molech (2Ki_16:3, Eze_20:31 al.), and with ‘to Molech’ alone, Lev_18:21 (H), Jer_32:35, cf. Eze_16:21; Eze_23:37 (‘to them,’ i.e. to the idols), an esp. Exo_20:25-26 (the same expression as here) ‘in that they caused to pass over (viz. in the fire) all that first openeth the womb.’ It may be (cf., p. 409) that this heathen practice determined the use of the same verb here: Jehovah claimed the firstborn; and the Israelite was to cause his firstborn to pass over to Him: the child was not, however, retained by Him, or offered to Him as a sacrifice, but was to be ‘redeemed’ by its father (v. 13).

and every firstling, &c.] lit. and all that first openeth [the womb], (even) the casting (שגר) of beasts, that thou shalt have: shéger (the root is preserved in the Aram. shegar, to ‘cast’), denotes a newly born animal, Deu_7:13; Deu_28:4; Deu_28:18; Deu_28:51 †. The ‘beasts’ meant (as the parallel, Exo_34:19, states explicitly) are ox and sheep.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That thou shalt set apart unto the Lord all that openeth the matrix,.... Or "the womb", as in Exo 13:2, and this phrase, "set apart", explains the word "sanctify" there, and shows that it signifies the separating of such to the use and service of God, causing it to "pass", as the word (d) here used signifies, from a man's own power and use, to be the Lord's only:

and every firstling that cometh from a beast which thou hast; or "even every firstling" (e), explaining what is meant by what opens the matrix or womb, even every firstborn of a beast; though Jarchi interprets it of an abortion, what comes before its time, that this also should be set apart to the Lord; this must be understood of the firstlings of clean creatures, fit for food and sacrifice, such as the firstlings of cows, sheep, and goats, Num 18:17 as distinguished from unclean ones in the following verse:

the males shall be the Lord's; which explains what sort of firstborn of man and beast were to be set apart for his use, not females, though the first that opened the womb; but males.

(d) "et transire facies", Pagninus, Montanus, Fagius, Vatablus, Drusius, Cartwright; so Ainsworth. (e) "etiam quicunque vel quicquid aperuerit", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Ainsworth.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Thou shalt set apart, i. e. separate it from the rest, resign thy right in it to God. Heb.

Cause it to pass, not through the fire, as that verb is used, Deu 18:10; 2Ki 16:3; but under the rod, as it is used, and more fully expressed, Lev 27:32, which was the rite when any thing was separated and consecrated to God.

The males shall be the Lord’s, devoted to him, either to be sacrificed, if it was clean, or to be otherwise destroyed, if it was unclean, as it here follows.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Set apart. The expression is especially appropriate to the case of first-born animals, which would have to be separated off from the rest of the flock, or of the herd, and "put aside" for Jehovah, so as not to be mixed up and confounded with the other lambs, kids, and calves. The males shall be the Lord"s. This limitation, implied in verse 2, is here brought prominently into notice.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

והעברת This word והעברת is an expression for “setting apart”. Similarly it says, (Numbers 27:8) “And ye shall set his inheritance apart (והעברתם) for his daughter” (Mekhilta).

שגר בהמה DROPPED BY BEAST— a premature birth; and this is termed שגר because its mother casts it out (שגר) and expels it (שלחתו) from the womb before its due time (שגר is a synonym of שלח “to let go”). Scripture teaches you that although it is a premature birth it is nevertheless holy by reason of its being first born, in so far that it exempts from the law regarding the firstborn the young that comes (is born) after it (Mekhilta). It is true that an animal that is not a premature birth) is also called שגר, as (Deuteronomy 7:13) “the שגר of thy kine” (where it speaks of blessing this, and it is therefore evident that it cannot there denote a premature birth), but this שגר (i. e. its use here) is intended only to tell us something about a premature birth, because, you see, it has already written in this verse: “Every first offspring of the womb”! And if you say that also the firstborn of an unclean animal (and not a premature birth) is implied by שגר (and that this also must be hallowed) then I reply that Scripture comes and expressly states in another passage, (Deuteronomy 15:19) “[All the firstling males that are born] of thy herd and of thy flocks (thus only clean animals) [shalt thou sanctify etc.]”. Another meaning may be given in explanation of והעברת כל פטר רחם “thou shalt set apart every first born of the womb” — viz., that Scripture by the term פטר רחם is speaking of the firstborn of man (consequently the following words, שגר בהמה, need not denote an animal of premature birth, but an animal born in the natural course as it certainly means in Deuteronomy 7:13, and we thus avoid the necessity of here assigning to שגר a meaning different from that which it bears in the latter passage).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

V’HA’AVARTA’ UNTO THE ETERNAL ALL THAT OPENETH THE WOMB. 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. Then He reverts and explains that this “setting apart” means that every first male offspring dropped by a beast, and every first offspring of an ass and every firstborn son of a man shall be the Eternal’s. But Rashi commented: “And thou shalt set apart unto the Eternal all that openeth the womb. Scripture is speaking of the firstborn of man.”

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.