ESV Reformation Study Bible – Ex 4:22
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Ex 4:22

4:22 Israel is my firstborn son. The Lord puts His claim upon Israel as His firstborn son, His beloved, a title ultimately realized in Jesus Christ (Mark 1:11). God’s claim is the reason for God’s deliverance and the covenant to be sealed at Sinai (“that he may serve me,” v. 23). This claim issues in God’s threat against Pharaoh’s firstborn (i.e., the firstborn of Egypt).