And the Lord said unto Moses ,.... After he had taken the number of the Levites: number all the firstborn of the children of Israel, from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names ; that they might be compared with the number of the Levites, and the difference between them observed. read more
And thou shall take the Levites for me ,.... For his service, to minister to his priests, and serve in his tabernacle: I am the Lord ; who has a right to all, and can claim who he pleases for himself in a special manner, and therefore could and did take the Levites to himself: instead of the firstborn among the children of Israel ; these he had taken to him before, and ordered to be sanctified unto him, and for whom a redemption price was paid to his priests for the support of... read more
And Moses numbered, as the Lord commanded him ,.... No doubt assisted by others, though not mentioned: all the firstborn among the children of Israel ; which some think were only those that were born since they came out of Egypt, as Bonfrerius, Bishop Patrick, and others. read more
And all the firstborn males ,.... For such only were ordered to be numbered, and not firstborn females: by the number of names ; which were particularly taken: from a month old and upward ; for before that time they were not sanctified to the Lord, nor subject to the redemption price: of those that were numbered of them were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen ; 22,273 men; so that there were two hundred seventy three more than the Levites, Numbers... read more
And the Lord spake unto Moses ,.... After the number was taken, and gave him directions what to do upon it: saying ; as follows. read more
Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel ,.... The Lord had declared before that he had taken them, and now he bids Moses take them, who had numbered them, and give them to Aaron, instead of the firstborn, whose numbers were also taken for this purpose: and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle ; but not to be given to Aaron and his sons, or to the priests for their use, but to remain with the Levites for their use, who were now separated... read more
And for those that are to be redeemed , &c.; With money, there being not Levites enough to answer to them, and exchange for them: of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites ; for the sum total of the Levites, as given, was but 22,000, Numbers 3:39 , whereas the sum total of the firstborn of Israel were 22,273, Numbers 3:43 , so that there were, two hundred seventy three more of the latter than of the... read more
Thou shall even take five shekels apiece the poll ,.... Or head; every firstborn, or his parent for him, was bound to pay five shekels, which were about eleven or twelve shillings of our money, and which was afterwards settled as the price of such a redemption, Numbers 18:16 , after the shekel of the sanctuary shall thou take them ; being full weight according to the standard there kept: the shekel is twenty gerahs ; See Gill on Leviticus 27:25 . read more
And thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed ,.... Or the superfluous number, the number of them that exceeded the Levites, namely, two hundred seventy three; the price of their redemption is ordered to be given unto Aaron, and to his sons ; since the Levites were taken in lieu of the firstborn, whose redemption money belonged to the priests; and seeing the Levites were given to Aaron and his sons on that consideration, and there being a deficiency of... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Numbers 3:40-51
Here is the exchange made of the Levites for the first-born. 1. The first-born were numbered from a month old, Num. 3:42, 43. Those certainly were not reckoned who, though first-born, had become heads of families themselves, but those only that were under age; and the learned bishop Patrick is decidedly of opinion that none were numbered but those only that were born since their coming out of Egypt, when the first-born were sanctified, Exod. 13:2. If there were 22,000 first-born males, we may... read more