EXODUS 34:20 — KING JAMES VERSION 0 0
“But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.”
Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem all your firstborn sons. No one is to appear before me empty-handed. The redemption of the firstborn and the prohibition on appearing before God empty-handed form a pair. The no one is to appear before me empty-handed principle runs through both testaments — Deuteronomy 16:16 repeats it for the pilgrimage feasts, and 2 Corinthians 9:6–7 applies the principle to the church's giving. Coming before God with empty hands is not merely poor manners but a covenant violation — an implicit claim that God has given nothing worth returning.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
Publish a note on this verse
0/2000
No notes on this verse yet. Be the first to write one!