Exodus 13:3 kjv
And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten.
Exodus 13:3 nkjv
And Moses said to the people: "Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.
Exodus 13:3 niv
Then Moses said to the people, "Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the LORD brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast.
Exodus 13:3 esv
Then Moses said to the people, "Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the LORD brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.
Exodus 13:3 nlt
So Moses said to the people, "This is a day to remember forever ? the day you left Egypt, the place of your slavery. Today the LORD has brought you out by the power of his mighty hand. (Remember, eat no food containing yeast.)
Exodus 13 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 6:6 | "...I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm..." | God's powerful deliverance from slavery |
| Exod 12:15 | "Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread... who eats leavened bread... that person shall be cut off..." | Law of unleavened bread with Passover |
| Exod 13:9 | "It shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out..." | Reiterates strong hand and memorial |
| Deut 4:9 | "Only take care... lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart..." | Command to actively remember |
| Deut 5:15 | "You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand..." | Recall past slavery and God's power |
| Deut 6:12 | "then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." | Warning against forgetting God's redemption |
| Deut 7:19 | "...the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out..." | Details God's powerful rescue |
| Deut 8:2 | "And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you..." | Remembrance of divine guidance |
| Deut 16:3 | "...you shall eat unleavened bread with it, the bread of affliction—for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste..." | Unleavened bread as "bread of affliction" |
| Josh 4:6-7 | "...what do these stones mean to you? Then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off... these stones shall be a memorial..." | Memorials for future generations |
| Neh 9:10-11 | "...you displayed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants... you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day... you divided the sea..." | Recounts God's powerful acts in Exodus |
| Ps 78:3-7 | "...that we would not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord..." | Passing on the remembrance to children |
| Ps 105:5 | "Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered..." | Remembering God's miraculous deeds |
| Ps 111:4 | "He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful." | God ensures His works are remembered |
| Jer 32:21 | "And you brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm..." | Prophets affirming God's strong hand |
| Ezek 20:5-6 | "On the day when I chose Israel... I lifted up my hand... to bring them out of the land of Egypt..." | God's sovereign choice and action |
| 1 Cor 5:7 | "Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." | Leaven as metaphor for sin, Christ as purity |
| 1 Cor 11:24-25 | "Do this in remembrance of me... This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." | New Covenant command to remember Christ |
| Eph 2:11-12 | "Remember that you were at one time Gentiles in the flesh... remember that you were at that time separated from Christ... having no hope and without God..." | Remembrance of former spiritual bondage |
| Heb 8:12 | "...for I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." | God's act of forgetting/not remembering sin |
| Rev 2:5 | "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first." | Command to remember initial devotion/state |
| Rom 6:17-18 | "But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart... and having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness." | Spiritual freedom from slavery to sin |
Exodus 13 verses
Exodus 13 3 Meaning
Exodus 13:3 instructs the people of Israel to continually remember the day of their deliverance from Egypt, which was their "house of slavery," by the powerful act of the Lord. This remembrance is to be perpetually observed, signified by the dietary command that no leavened bread shall be consumed. The verse encapsulates the core theological truth that their freedom was a direct result of God's mighty intervention, not human strength, and must therefore be foundational to their identity and ongoing practice.
Exodus 13 3 Context
Exodus 13:3 occurs immediately after the pivotal event of the Passover and the consecration of the firstborn (Exod 12:29-13:2), serving as Moses' foundational instruction to the newly freed Israelites as they embark on their journey out of Egypt. It links their freedom to a solemn and perpetual act of remembrance, ensuring that the deliverance by God’s "strong hand" remains central to their national identity and religious practice. Historically, the Pharaoh of Egypt was considered a divine ruler, and his land a symbol of invincibility. This command directly confronts that worldview, declaring YHWH, the God of Israel, as the ultimate, irresistible power who rescued His people from such absolute oppression. The specific instruction regarding unleavened bread connects this deliverance directly to the haste and divine intervention of the Passover night, embedding a physical practice into a spiritual truth.
Exodus 13 3 Word analysis
- And Moses said to the people: Highlights Moses' role as the divinely appointed spokesperson, conveying God's commands to the whole nation, underscoring the communal and binding nature of the instruction.
- "Remember" (Hebrew: zakhar, זָכַר): More than a mere mental recall, it implies active observance and commemoration through ritual, storytelling, and adherence to specific commands. It means to embody the memory, making the past act of God perpetually present in their lives and passing it down through generations. This is a foundational concept in the Hebrew Bible, establishing identity and covenant fidelity.
- "this day": Refers to the specific, historical event of the Exodus, making it a tangible and defining moment in their national narrative, to be uniquely set apart and commemorated.
- "in which you came out from Egypt": Establishes the geographical and political point of departure from a place of hostile foreign rule.
- "from the house of slavery" (Hebrew: bêt 'avādim, בֵּית עֲבָדִים): This phrase emphasizes the systemic and dehumanizing nature of their bondage. It was not merely a physical place but a condition of utter subservience and lack of freedom, reinforcing the profound transformation God enacted in their lives.
- "for by a strong hand" (Hebrew: bêḥōzeq yād, בְּחֹזֶק יָד): This key phrase signifies divine, irresistible, overwhelming power and compelling force. It directly challenges the perceived might of Pharaoh and the Egyptian pantheon, asserting YHWH's absolute sovereignty and capacity to act decisively on behalf of His people against any human or divine opposition. It repeatedly features in the Exodus narrative and later historical accounts.
- "the Lord" (Hebrew: YHWH, יְהוָה): Refers to the covenant God, the personal, holy name of God who revealed Himself to Moses and established a covenant relationship with Israel, affirming His active, faithful, and personal involvement in their deliverance.
- "has brought you out from this place": Reaffirms God's exclusive and active agency in their liberation, separating them from the old condition and place, and guiding them into their new, free existence.
- "No leavened bread shall be eaten": This is a direct, concrete command intrinsically linked to the hasty departure from Egypt. Leaven symbolized fermentation and decay, often associated with sin or corruption in biblical thought. Eating unleavened bread (matzah) represents purity, haste, the distinctiveness of their new identity, and a perpetual physical reminder of their redemption and dependence on God.
Exodus 13 3 Bonus section
- The emphasis on "remembering" (zakhar) throughout the Torah highlights a critical component of Israelite faith: salvation history is to be rehearsed and embodied. It's not just a historical event but a continually living truth that defines identity and obligation.
- The repetition of the phrase "strong hand" across the Old Testament serves as a theological anchor, testifying to God's unwavering faithfulness and omnipotence in the face of human oppression or impossibility.
- The institution of unleavened bread served a didactic purpose for future generations (Exod 13:8). It transforms a culinary practice into a profound object lesson, enabling parents to instruct their children about God's mighty acts and their own covenant relationship with Him.
- The contrast between "house of slavery" and their newly gained freedom underscores the radical nature of God's redemptive work, from utter helplessness to divine protection and guidance.
Exodus 13 3 Commentary
Exodus 13:3 lays a theological cornerstone for the nascent nation of Israel. It mandates perpetual remembrance, not as a passive recollection, but as an active, commemorative lifestyle, binding future generations to the foundational truth of God's unparalleled power in their liberation. The phrase "by a strong hand" declares an irrefutable divine intervention that no earthly power, including the formidable Egyptian empire, could withstand, establishing YHWH's unique supremacy. This remembrance directly impacts their daily practices through the command to eat unleavened bread, symbolizing the abruptness of their departure and the purity associated with their new covenant identity. This physical act ensures that the core lesson—freedom from slavery is God-given and not earned—is perpetually reenacted, solidifying their unique identity as God's redeemed people and instructing them on complete reliance upon Him.