The Meaning of Exodus 13:8 Explained

Exodus 13:8

KJV: And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt.

YLT: And thou hast declared to thy son in that day, saying, 'It is because of what Jehovah did to me, in my going out from Egypt,

Darby: And thou shalt inform thy son in that day, saying, It is because of what Jehovah did to me when I came out of Egypt.

ASV: And thou shalt tell thy son in that day, saying, It is because of that which Jehovah did for me when I came forth out of Egypt.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And thou shalt shew  thy son  in that day,  saying,  [This is done] because of  that  [which] the LORD  did  unto me when I came forth  out of Egypt. 

What does Exodus 13:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Exodus 13:1-16 - The First-Born Set Apart Unto Jehovah
Two Hebrew customs dated from the Exodus-first, the dedication of the first-born to God's service, and second, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. See Luke 22:7. The first-born had been especially redeemed and so were especially God's. On them all was branded the one brief word Mine. What a lesson for us all who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. We are His by right of purchase; we ought to be His by our own choice and indwelt by His Spirit. Whenever we take up this position with regard to God, we may count on His strong hand. In after years the first-born sons, who performed the priestly rites, were replaced by Levites, Numbers 3:11-13; but still they were ransomed by a slain lamb. Every first-born son lived because a lamb died. In this he stood on the same level as the firstling of an ass. What a parable is here! See Romans 3:22; Romans 10:12. [source]

Chapter Summary: Exodus 13

1  The firstborn are sanctified to God
3  The memorial of the Passover is commanded
11  The firstborn of man and beast are set apart
17  The Israelites go out of Egypt, and carry Joseph's bones with them
20  They come to Etham
21  God guides them by a pillar of a cloud, and a pillar of fire

What do the individual words in Exodus 13:8 mean?

And you shall tell your son in day that saying because of this did Yahweh for me when I came up from Egypt
וְהִגַּדְתָּ֣ לְבִנְךָ֔ בַּיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא לֵאמֹ֑ר בַּעֲב֣וּר זֶ֗ה עָשָׂ֤ה יְהוָה֙ לִ֔י בְּצֵאתִ֖י מִמִּצְרָֽיִם

וְהִגַּדְתָּ֣  And  you  shall  tell 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: נָגַד  
Sense: to be conspicuous, tell, make known.
לְבִנְךָ֔  your  son 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
בַּיּ֥וֹם  in  day 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הַה֖וּא  that 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
לֵאמֹ֑ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בַּעֲב֣וּר  because 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֲבוּר  
Sense: for the sake of, on account of, because of, in order to conj.
זֶ֗ה  of  this 
Parse: Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
לִ֔י  for  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
בְּצֵאתִ֖י  when  I  came  up 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, first person common singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
מִמִּצְרָֽיִם  from  Egypt 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.