Exodus 13:12

Summary

Exodus 13:12 instructs that every firstborn that "opens the womb" — both human and animal offspring — is to be passed over/dedicated to Yehovah. The verse specifies that among the offspring of livestock, it is specifically the males that belong to Yehovah.

Key words

• ha'avarTa ("you will dedicate", H5674C) — hiphil (causative) sequential perfect, second person masculine singular. The causative stem indicates the subject actively causes something to "pass over" or be transferred/set apart for Yehovah, continuing the narrative sequence from the preceding verses.
• peter ("firstborn of", H6363A) — masculine singular construct, appearing twice (lines 4 and 10). As a construct form it must be followed by another noun, forming the phrase "firstborn of the womb" and later "firstborn of the offspring."
• rechem ("a womb", H7358) — masculine singular noun, completing the construct chain peter rechem, "firstborn that opens the womb," a phrase referring to the first offspring born.
• sheger ("[the] offspring of", H7698) — feminine singular construct, used specifically for animal offspring, distinguishing this second clause (livestock) from the first clause (general firstborn of the womb).
• zekharim ("males", H2145) — masculine plural adjective with definite article ha (H9009). This form specifies that among the offspring described, only the males are the referent of the final clause.

What the text says

The verse divides into two parallel clauses joined by the conjunction ve ("and", H9002). The first clause uses khol peter rechem ("every firstborn of a womb", H3605 + H6363A + H7358) as the object of the causative verb ha'avarTa ("you will dedicate", H5674C), directed la-Yehovah ("to Yehovah", H9005 + H3068G). This first clause does not specify sex, using the general term rechem ("womb", H7358) for any offspring.

The second clause shifts to khol peter sheger behemah ("every firstborn of the offspring of cattle", H3605 + H6363A + H7698 + H0929), governed by the relative clause asher yihyeh lekha ("which will belong to you", H0834A + H1961 + H9005 + H9031), using the imperfect form yihyeh to indicate future or ongoing possession. The final phrase, ha-zekharim la-Yehovah ("the males [belong] to Yehovah", H9009 + H2145 + H9005 + H3068G), lacks an explicit verb in the Hebrew — the verb "belong" is understood from context. This construction narrows the referent of the animal clause specifically to zekharim ("males", H2145), a specification not present in the first clause about the general firstborn "of the womb."

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the first clause with ἀφελεῖς πᾶν διανοῖγον μήτραν, τὰ ἀρσενικά ("you shall set apart everything opening the womb, the males"), inserting "the males" (τὰ ἀρσενικά) into the first clause — a specification the Hebrew peter rechem does not carry there (it appears in Hebrew only in the second clause, as ha-zekharim). The Vulgate's quidquid habueris masculini sexus ("whatever you have of male sex") likewise applies the male-only restriction broadly, aligning with the LXX's placement rather than the Hebrew's structure, where "male" modifies only the livestock clause.