Exodus 34:20 Explained in Context

Read It With

• Exodus 34:10–28

Read Exodus 34:20 with 34:10–28. The line at 34:20 records “But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break…” and gives this movement its next narrated or instructed action. The whole unit shows: Covenant wonders and land promises accompany commands against treaties and rival worship, calendar and firstborn practices, and a forty-day inscription of covenant words.

Why This Verse Appears Here

Within Exodus 32–34's covenant rupture and repair through the calf, intercession, lethal response, threatened absence, renewed disclosure, and restored tablets, this unit makes the following contribution: Covenant wonders and land promises accompany commands against treaties and rival worship, calendar and firstborn practices, and a forty-day inscription of covenant words. At 34:20, the wording “But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break…” makes this verse's contribution precise. The line at 34:20 records “But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break…” and gives this movement its next narrated or instructed action.