Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me.
Parallel translations
- WEB “You shall not delay to offer from your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. “You shall give the firstborn of your sons to me.
- BSB You must not hold back offerings from your granaries or vats. You are to give Me the firstborn of your sons.
- NKJV “You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe produce and your juices. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me.
- NASB “You shall not hold back the offering from your entire harvest and your wine. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me.
- NLT “You must not hold anything back when you give me offerings from your crops and your wine. “You must give me your firstborn sons.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israel must not delay offering the firstfruits of harvest and presses, and must give God their firstborn sons. The first and best belong to the Lord.
Overview
This command claims the firstfruits and firstborn as God's due, acknowledging Him as the giver of all and the redeemer of Israel's firstborn from Egypt. Prompt, wholehearted giving expresses trust and gratitude. The firstborn principle finds its fulfillment in Christ, the firstborn of all creation, given by the Father for our redemption (Colossians 1:15).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Exod 13:2Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.
- Exod 23:16And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
- Deut 26:2–10That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there.
- Jas 1:18Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
- Exod 23:19The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.
- Rom 8:23And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
- Prov 3:9–10Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
- Mic 7:1Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.
- Exod 13:12That 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.
- Exod 34:19All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male.
- Matt 6:33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
- 2 Kgs 4:42And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.
- Ezek 20:40For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.
- 2 Chr 31:5And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 22:29 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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