Everything that opens the womb, of all flesh which they offer to Yahweh, both of man and animal, shall be yours. Nevertheless, you shall surely redeem the firstborn of man, and you shall redeem the firstborn of unclean animals. You shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels of money, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which weighs twenty gerahs.
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Numbers 18:15-16 sits inside this longer paragraph.
“Everything devoted in Israel shall be yours. Everything that opens the womb, of all flesh which they offer to Yahweh, both of man and animal, shall be yours. Nevertheless, you shall surely redeem the firstborn of man, and you shall redeem the firstborn of unclean animals. You shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels of money, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which weighs twenty gerahs.
Parallel Translations
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Everything that opens the womb, of all flesh which they offer to Yahweh, both of man and animal, shall be yours. Nevertheless, you shall surely redeem the firstborn of man, and you shall redeem the firstborn of unclean animals.
You shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels of money, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which weighs twenty gerahs.
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Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh, which they bring unto the LORD, whether it be of men or beasts, shall be thine: nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.
And those that are to be redeemed from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.
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Every thing that openeth the womb, of all flesh which they offer unto the LORD, both of man and beast, shall be thine; howbeit the first-born of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.
And their redemption-money — from a month old shalt thou redeem them — shall be, according to thy valuation, five shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary — the same is twenty gerahs.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Commandments (1)
The laws of the Torah, each cited and shown as a primary source.
Cross-references (12)
- Exodus 30:13 (v16) They shall give this, everyone who passes over to those who are counted, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel…
- Exodus 34:20 (v15) You shall redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a lamb. If you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. You shall redeem all the…
- Exodus 13:2 (v15) “Sanctify to me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of animal. It is mine.”
- Numbers 3:47 (v16) you shall take five shekels apiece for each one; according to the shekel of the sanctuary you shall take them (the shekel is twenty gerahs);
- Exodus 13:12-13 (v15) that you shall set apart to Yahweh all that opens the womb, and every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have. The males shall…
Show all 12 cross-references
- Leviticus 27:2-7 (v16) “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When a man consecrates a person to Yahweh in a vow, according to your valuation, your…
- Leviticus 27:25 (v16) All your valuations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs to the shekel.
- Ezekiel 45:12 (v16) The shekel shall be twenty gerahs. Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina.
- Exodus 22:29 (v15) “You shall not delay to offer from your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. “You shall give the firstborn of your sons to me.
- Leviticus 27:26-27 (v15) “ ‘However the firstborn among animals, which belongs to Yahweh as a firstborn, no man may dedicate, whether an ox or a sheep. It is…
- Numbers 3:13 (v15) for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I made holy to me all the firstborn in…
- Numbers 3:46 (v15) For the redemption of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel who exceed the number of the Levites,
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (12 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
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Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv15–16 Whether it be of men, which were offered to…
Whether it be of men, which were offered to God in his temple, Exo 13:12; Luk 2:22, and to his service and disposal.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv15–16 And those that are to be redeemed,.... Which is…
And those that are to be redeemed,.... Which is to be understood not of unclean beasts last mentioned, for they were redeemed with lambs and not with money; and after they were eight days and not a month old, as follows, Exo 13:13; but of the firstborn of men:
from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation: that is, take the redemption money next mentioned; and though both time and price are fixed, yet said to be according to the estimation of the priest; see Lev 27:5,
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for the money of five shekels; which was about eleven or twelve shillings of our money, and is the price given for the redemption of the firstborn, when the Levites were taken in their stead, Num 3:47,
after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs; see Gill on Num 3:47; of the manner of redeeming the firstborn; see Gill on Exo 13:15.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv15–16 Of men - Which were offered to God in…
Of men - Which were offered to God in his temple, and to his service and disposal.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv15–16 Verse 15. The first-born of man - and the…
Verse 15. The first-born of man - and the firstling of unclean beasts] Thus vain man is ranked with the beasts that perish; and with the worst kinds of them too, those deemed unclean.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v16 Num 18:16. Those that are to be redeemed —…
Num 18:16. Those that are to be redeemed — Namely, of men only, not of unclean beasts, as is manifest from the time and price of redemption here mentioned, both which agree to men; the time, Num 18:16; the price, Num 3:46-47; but neither agree to unclean beasts, which were to be redeemed with a sheep, (Exo 13:13,) and that after it was eight days old.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v15 Surely redeem ... redeem - A stronger expression is…
Surely redeem ... redeem - A stronger expression is intentionally used in reference to the redemption of the first-born of man than in reference to that of unclean beasts. For the rule as to the former admitted of no exception: the owner of the latter, if unwilling to redeem, might destroy the beasts. Compare the marginal references.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv15–16 Beast. The Rabbins restrain this to the ass alone,…
Beast. The Rabbins restrain this to the ass alone, which they pretend was deemed the only unclean animal by the Israelites, in Egypt, when this law was established; and Moses indeed specifies it alone, Exodus xiii. 13. (Abenezra) --- But we cannot doubt but that camels, and all other unclean animals, were to be included, if the Hebrews kept them; (Calmet) and those which were rendered impure by some defect, were also to be redeemed. (Menochius)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv15–16 15. Every thing that openeth the matrix — Every…
15. Every thing that openeth the matrix — Every firstborn male. The female firstborn of man and beast were exempted from consecration. See Lev_27:26, note. The firstborn of man were to be consecrated to Jehovah as a sacrifice, not after the manner of the heathen, by slaying and burning upon the altar, but by presenting them to the Lord as living sacrifices, devoting all their powers of body and mind to his service. Rom_12:1, note. “As the Egyptians were judged in their firstborn children because of their guilt, so that the children took the place of the whole nation, and bore as a sacrifice the curse of extermination which lay on all; so, on the contrary, Israel — the people chosen by Jehovah and redeemed from the bondage of man — in testimony that it owes its existence and possessions to divine grace alone,… shall bring to God, as payment, the firstling blessings of his house in place of the whole.” — Oehler. Since the first birth represented all the births, the whole nation was to consecrate itself to Jehovah, and present itself as a priestly nation in the consecration of the firstborn, thus fore-shadowing the “royal priesthood” of every individual believer in Christ. See the Septuagint of Exo_19:6, and 1Pe_2:9.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv15–16 15. of all flesh which they offer] i.e. clean…
15. of all flesh which they offer] i.e. clean animals, for they alone could be offered.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv15–16 (15) Every thing that openeth the matrix . .…
(15) Every thing that openeth the matrix . . . —(See Lev_27:6; Lev_27:26-27.) Five shekels was the redemption-price paid for each of the firstborn who were not redeemed by the Levites (Num_3:47).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On v16 From a month old. Literally, "from the monthly child,"…
From a month old. Literally, "from the monthly child," as soon as they reach the age of one month. According to thine estimation. See on Lev_5:15 Lev_27:2-7. It would seem that the priest was to make the valuation for the people, since each first-born or firstling was separately claimed by God, and had to be separately redeemed; but at the same time, to prevent extortion, the sum which the priest might assess was fixed by God. For the money of five shekels. About seventeen shillings of our money. (see Num_3:47) It is extremely drill cult to estimate the number of first-born, but it is evident that in any ease a large income must have accrued to the priests in this way. No value is here set upon the firstlings of unclean beasts; in the most usual ease, that of the ass, the rule had been laid down in Exo_13:13; and in other cases it was apparently left to the discretion of the priests, subject to the right of the owner, if he saw fit, to destroy the animal rather than pay for it. (see Lev_27:27)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v15 18:15-16 The Lord provided for the Hebrew priests and…
18:15-16 The Lord provided for the Hebrew priests and their families out of what was set aside for the Lord. The priests had rights to firstborn animal offerings and to the redemption fee for Israel’s firstborn sons. Both the firstborn sons and the offspring of unclean animals had to be redeemed by a fee paid in silver, since neither could be sacrificed (see 3:13, 40-51; Exod 13:2).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.