Exodus 13:16
It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This verse isn't just about remembering the Exodus; it's a command to make that memory physically manifest. The "mark on your hand" and "frontlets between your eyes" were meant to be constant, visible reminders that God's powerful hand, not their own might, secured their freedom.
Immediately following the command to remember the Exodus and keep the Passover, God instructs the Israelites to set apart their firstborn sons and animals. This verse explains that these rituals are to serve as constant reminders of God's powerful deliverance from Egypt, ensuring that this foundational event is never forgotten by future generations. The narrative then shifts to God deliberately leading them away from the more direct route to the Promised Land to avoid immediate conflict with the Philistines.
Understand the original words
'ôt · Hebrew Noun
A symbol or sign intended to serve as a reminder, memorial, or witness of a significant event or covenant truth. It points to a deeper reality and calls for remembrance or obedience.
yād ḥăzāqâ · Hebrew Noun phrase
A theological term describing the powerful, active manifestation of God's power in human history, often associated with deliverance, judgment, or salvation. It symbolizes God’s authority and sovereignty in action.
This verse is about making a profound spiritual truth – God's powerful deliverance from Egypt – a constant, visible reminder in everyday life, not just a historical event.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
The Exodus from Egypt
Following the ten plagues, the LORD miraculously led the Israelites out of nearly 400 years of slavery in Egypt. This event is the foundational act of redemption for Israel.
c. 1446 BC
The March to the Red Sea
The Israelites, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, began their journey into the Sinai wilderness shortly after leaving Egypt.
c. 1446 BC
The Parting of the Red Sea
The Egyptian army pursued the Israelites, but God intervened, parting the Red Sea for the Israelites to cross. The pursuing army was then drowned.
c. 1446 BC
Journey Through the Wilderness
Israel began its 40-year wandering in the desert, a period of both divine provision and testing, as they journeyed towards the Promised Land.
This passage directly echoes Exodus 13:16, commanding the Israelites to bind these words as a sign on their hands and as frontlets between their eyes, reinforcing the importance of remembering God's commands throughout their lives.
Psalm 78:4This psalm highlights the generational duty to recount God's mighty deeds, specifically mentioning that past generations told their children about God's strength and wondrous works, mirroring the purpose behind the sign mentioned in Exodus.
Isaiah 49:16This verse uses similar imagery of engraving or marking, stating 'Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands,' which conveys a profound sense of God's constant remembrance and commitment to His people, akin to the 'mark on the hand' as a reminder.
Romans 12:1The Apostle Paul calls believers to present their bodies as a 'living sacrifice,' which connects to the Exodus command by urging a continuous, tangible offering of oneself to God as a response to His mercies, making daily life a sign of devotion.
clarkeExodus 13:16: "And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt."
It shall be for a token, etc. - See Clarke's note on Exodus 13:9 .
bensonExodus 13:16: "And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt."
Exodus 13:16 . For frontlets between thine eyes — As conspicuous as any thing fixed to thy forehead, or between thine eyes. That is, they were constantly to retain such a sense of their deliverance as if they had it before their eyes.
This verse isn't just about remembering the Exodus; it's a command to make that memory physically manifest. The "mark on your hand" and "frontlets between your eyes" were meant to be constant, visible reminders that God's powerful hand, not their own might, secured their freedom.
Immediately following the command to remember the Exodus and keep the Passover, God instructs the Israelites to set apart their firstborn sons and animals. This verse explains that these rituals are to serve as constant reminders of God's powerful deliverance from Egypt, ensuring that this foundational event is never forgotten by future generations. The narrative then shifts to God deliberately leading them away from the more direct route to the Promised Land to avoid immediate conflict with the Philistines.
Immediately following the command to remember the Exodus and keep the Passover, God instructs the Israelites to set apart their firstborn sons and animals. This verse explains that these rituals are to serve as constant reminders of God's powerful deliverance from Egypt, ensuring that this foundational event is never forgotten by future generations. The narrative then shifts to God deliberately leading them away from the more direct route to the Promised Land to avoid immediate conflict with the Philistines.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Exodus 13:16 is available in the Sola app.
c. 1446 BC
The Giving of the Law at Sinai
God met with Israel at Mount Sinai, giving them His law, including the Ten Commandments, establishing His covenant with them.
"It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”" — This verse isn't just about remembering the Exodus; it's a command to make that memory physically manifest. The "mark on your hand" and "frontlets between your eyes" were meant to be constant, visibl…
