In 13.1-16: Unleavened Bread and first born: God provides instruction for life in Canaan.
The death of Egypt's first born (12.29) prompts the Lord to instruct Israel concerning the dedication or consecration of Israel's firstborn to God (vv. 1-2, 11-16).
The instructions for Passover (12.1-28, 43-51) also prompt God to provide laws for celebrating a closely related festival, the festival of Unleavened Bread (vv. 3-10).
Both obligations will begin later, when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites (vv. 5, 11).
As such, the laws function as a promise for the future.
In verse 4: On the month of Abib, see comment on 12.2.
In verse 5: This listing of peoples- Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and Jebusites- is a traditional list of the native inhabitants of the promised land of Canaan (Gen 15.19-21; Duet 7,1).
In verse 9: Sign on your hand and reminder on your forehead indicate ornaments that came to be worn in worship in remembrance of the Exodus.
In Jewish practice, they are called phylacteries.
See v.16 and Deut 6.8.
In verse 13: The donkey is ritually unclean (Lev 11.3).
Therefore, a ritually clean animal (a sheep) must be offered to redeem or purchase back the first born donkey from God.
If the owner does not redeem the donkey with a sheep, the owner must break its neck and kill it since it cannot be ritually slaughtered as a clean animal.
The firstborn donkey belongs to God and cannot be used by humans without redeeming it.
Every firstborn male child must be redeemed or purchased back from God, either with money (Num 18.16; five shekels) or the substitution of a member of the priestly tribe of Levi (Num 3.11-13).
On the meaning of redeem, see comment 6.6.
In verse 16: See comment on v. 9.
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