40 Then the Lord said to Moses , " Number every firstborn male of the sons of Israel from a month old and upward , and make a list of their names . 41 "You shall take the Levites for Me, I am the Lord , instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel , and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the sons of Israel ." 42 So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the sons of Israel , just as the Lord had commanded him; 43 and all the firstborn males by the number of names from a month old and upward , for their numbered men were 22,273 e e e e e . 44 Then the Lord spoke to Moses , saying , 45 " Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel and the cattle of the Levites . And the Levites shall be Mine; I am the Lord . 46 " For the ransom of the 273 e e of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess beyond the Levites , 47 you shall take five shekels apiece , per head ; you shall take them in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary ( the shekel is twenty gerahs ), 48 and give the money , the ransom of those who are in excess among them, to Aaron and to his sons ." 49 So Moses took the ransom money from those who were in excess , beyond those ransomed by the Levites ; 50 from the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the money in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary , 1,365 e e e e . 51 Then Moses gave the ransom money to Aaron and to his sons , at the command of the Lord , just as the Lord had commanded Moses .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Numbers 3:40-51
Commentary on Numbers 3:40-51
(Read Numbers 3:40-51)
The number of the first-born, and that of the Levites, came near to each other. Known unto God are all his works beforehand; there is an exact proportion between them, and so it will appear, when they are compared together. The small number of first-born, over and above the number of the Levites, were to be redeemed, and the redemption-money given to Aaron. The church is called the church of the first-born, which is redeemed, not as they were, with silver and gold; but, being devoted by sin to the justice of God, is ransomed with the precious blood of the Son of God. All men are the Lord's by creation, and all true christians are his by redemption. Each should know his own post and duty; nor can any service required by such a Master be rightly accounted mean or hard.