Why does Numbers 3 take the Levites in place of Israel’s firstborn, and what happens to the extra 273 firstborn?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

God says every firstborn belongs to him since he struck the firstborn in Egypt, and he takes the Levites in their place. The 273 Israelite firstborn above the stated Levite total are redeemed at five sanctuary sicles each. Moses gives the resulting 1,365 sicles to Aaron and his sons.

Chapter breakdown

Numbers 3 counts the Levites, distinguishes their duties, and takes them in place of Israel’s firstborn. It begins with the generations of Aaron and Moses on the day the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. Aaron’s sons are Nadab, his firstborn, then Abiu, Eleazar and Ithamar. These priests were anointed, with their hands filled and consecrated for priestly duties. Nadab and Abiu died without children when they offered strange fire before the Lord in the desert of Sinai. Eleazar and Ithamar performed the priestly office in the presence of Aaron their father.

The Lord tells Moses to bring Levi’s tribe before Aaron the priest to minister to him, keep watch, and observe what belongs to the multitude’s service before the tabernacle of the testimony. They must keep the tabernacle’s vessels and serve in its ministry. The Levites are given as a gift to Aaron and his sons, delivered by the children of Israel. Aaron and his sons must be appointed over priestly service. A stranger who approaches to minister must be put to death.

The Lord says he has taken the Levites from Israel in place of every firstborn who opens the womb, and the Levites are his. Every firstborn belongs to him: since he struck the firstborn in Egypt, he has sanctified to himself all Israel’s firstborn, both man and beast. They are his; he is the Lord.

In the desert of Sinai, the Lord tells Moses to number Levi’s sons by their fathers’ houses and families, every male one month old and upward. Moses does as commanded. Levi’s sons are Gerson, Caath and Merari. Gerson’s sons are Lebni and Semei. Caath’s sons are Amram, Jesaar, Hebron and Oziel. Merari’s sons are Moholi and Musi.

Gerson’s families are the Lebnites and Semeites. Their males one month old and upward number 7,500. They must camp behind the tabernacle on the west, under Eliasaph son of Lael. Their charge in the tabernacle of the covenant includes the tabernacle itself and its cover, the hanging before its doors, the court curtains, the hanging at the court’s entry, whatever belongs to the altar’s rite, the tabernacle’s cords and all its furniture.

Caath’s families are the Amramites, Jesaarites, Hebronites and Ozielites, reckoned by name. Their males one month old and upward number 8,600 and have the guard of the sanctuary. They must camp on the south under Elisaphan son of Oziel. They must keep the ark, table, candlestick, altars, sanctuary vessels used in ministry, veil and all furniture of this kind. Eleazar son of Aaron the priest is prince of the Levites’ princes and is over those who watch for the sanctuary’s guard.

Merari’s families are the Moholites and Musites, reckoned by name. Their males one month old and upward number 6,200. Their prince is Suriel son of Abihaiel, and they must camp on the north. They have custody of the tabernacle’s boards, bars, pillars, sockets and everything belonging to that service, as well as the surrounding court pillars with their sockets, pins and cords.

Moses and Aaron, with their sons, must camp before the tabernacle of the covenant on the east. They have custody of the sanctuary among Israel. Any stranger who comes to it must be put to death. The text gives 22,000 as the total Levite males one month old and upward whom Moses and Aaron number by families according to the Lord’s command.

The Lord tells Moses to count all Israel’s firstborn males one month old and upward. He must take the Levites for Israel’s firstborn and their cattle for all the firstborn of Israel’s cattle; he is the Lord. Moses counts the firstborn as commanded. The males recorded by name, one month old and upward, number 22,273.

The Lord tells Moses to take the Levites for Israel’s firstborn and the Levites’ cattle for their cattle. The Levites are his; he is the Lord. For the 273 Israelite firstborn above the number of Levites, Moses must take five sicles per head by the sanctuary’s weight. One sicle has twenty obols. He must give this money to Aaron and his sons as the price of those above the number. Moses takes the money for these firstborn redeemed from the Levites: 1,365 sanctuary sicles. He gives it to Aaron and his sons as the Lord commanded.

The story inside

The redemption account moves from a command to counts, a price and a recorded payment. God claims the firstborn and takes Levi in their place. The chapter states the Levite total as 22,000 and counts 22,273 Israelite firstborn. God names the 273 above the Levite number and gives the price of five sanctuary sicles per head. Moses then takes 1,365 sicles and gives the money to Aaron and his sons. The account records these actions without describing a crisis, a selection by lot or a threatened consequence if the number were rounded down.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The firstborn claim has a stated reason. God connects it with striking the firstborn in Egypt and says both human and animal firstborn are his, before directing the Levite substitution.
2
The families have different duties and camps. Gerson is west, Caath south and Merari north, with Moses and Aaron and their sons east; the named objects and leaders distinguish their assignments.
3
The excess firstborn have a specified price and recipient. Five sicles each for 273 gives the recorded 1,365 sicles delivered to Aaron and his sons, so the payment is more than an unstated general contribution.

Test your recall

Why does God claim Israel’s firstborn when taking the Levites in their place?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 14178–14196
Numbers Chapter 3 The Levites are numbered and their offices distinguished. They are taken in the place of the firstborn of the children of Israel. 3:1. These are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the Lord spoke to Moses in mount Sinai. 3:2. And these the names of the sons of Aaron: his firstborn Nadab, then Abiu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3:3. These the names of the sons of Aaron the priests that were anointed, and whose hands were filled and consecrated, to do the functions of priesthood. 3:4. Now Nadab and Abiu died, without children, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the desert of Sinai: and Eleazar and Ithamar performed the priestly office in the presence of Aaron their father.
Lines 14198–14214
3:5. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 3:6. Bring the tribe of Levi, and make them stand in the sight of Aaron the priest to minister to him, and let them watch, 3:7. And observe whatsoever appertaineth to the service of the multitude before the tabernacle of the testimony, 3:8. And let them keep the vessels of the tabernacle, serving in the ministry thereof. 3:9. And thou shalt give the Levites for a gift, 3:10. To Aaron and to his sons, to whom they are delivered by the children of Israel. But thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons over the service of priesthood. The stranger that approacheth to minister, shall be put to death.
Lines 14216–14224
3:11. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 3:12. I have taken the Levites from the children of Israel, for every firstborn that openeth the womb among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine. 3:13. For every firstborn is mine: since I struck the firstborn in the land of Egypt: I have sanctified to myself whatsoever is firstborn in Israel both of man and beast, they are mine: I am the Lord.
Lines 14226–14240
3:14. And the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, saying: 3:15. Number the sons of Levi by the houses of their fathers and their families, every male from one month and upward. 3:16. Moses numbered them as the Lord had commanded. 3:17. And there were found sons of Levi by their names, Gerson and Caath Merari. 3:18. The sons of Gerson: Lebni and Semei. 3:19. The sons of Caath: Amram, and Jesaar, Hebron and Oziel: 3:20. The sons of Merari, Moholi and Musi.
Lines 14242–14257
3:21. Of Gerson were two families, the Lebnites, and the Semeites: 3:22. Of which were numbered, people of the male sex from one month and upward, seven thousand five hundred. 3:23. These shall pitch behind the tabernacle on the west, 3:24. Under their prince Eliasaph the son of Lael. 3:25. And their charge shall be in the tabernacle of the covenant: 3:26. The tabernacle itself and the cover thereof, the hanging that is drawn before the doors of the tabernacle of the covenant, and the curtains of the court: the hanging also that is hanged in the entry of the court of the tabernacle, and whatsoever belongeth to the rite of the altar, the cords of the tabernacle, and all the furniture thereof.
Lines 14259–14276
3:27. Of the kindred of Caath come the families of the Amramites and Jesaarites and Hebronites and Ozielites. These are the families of the Caathites reckoned up by their names: 3:28. All of the male sex from one month and upward, eight thousand six hundred: they shall have the guard of the sanctuary, 3:29. And shall camp on the south side. 3:30. And their prince shall be Elisaphan the son of Oziel: 3:31. And they shall keep the ark, and the table and the candlestick, the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary, wherewith they minister, and the veil, and all the furniture of this kind. 3:32. And the prince of the princes of the Levites, Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, shall be over them that watch for the guard of the sanctuary.
Lines 14278–14292
3:33. And of Merari are the families of the Moholites, and Musites, reckoned up by their names: 3:34. All of the male kind from one month and upward, six thousand two hundred. 3:35. Their prince Suriel the son of Abihaiel: their shall camp on the north side. 3:36. Under their custody shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars, and the pillars and their sockets, and all things that pertain to this kind of service: 3:37. And the pillars of the court round about with their sockets, and the pins with their cords.
Lines 14294–14301
3:38. Before the tabernacle of the covenant, that is to say on the east side shall Moses and Aaron camp, with their sons, having the custody of the sanctuary, in the midst of the children of Israel. What stranger soever cometh unto it, shall be put to death. 3:39. All the Levites, that I Moses and Aaron numbered according to the precept of the Lord, by their f families, of the male kind from one month and upward, were twenty-two thousand.
Lines 14303–14315
3:40. And the Lord said to Moses: Number the firstborn of the male sex of the children of Israel, from one month and upward, and thou shalt take the sum of them. 3:41. And thou shalt take the Levites to me for all the firstborn of the children of Israel, I am the Lord: and their cattle for all the firstborn of the cattle of the children of Israel: 3:42. Moses reckoned up, as the Lord had commanded, the firstborn of the children of Israel: 3:43. And the males by their names, from one month and upward, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.
Lines 14317–14343
3:44. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 3:45. Take the Levites for the firstborn of the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites for their cattle, and the Levites shall be mine. I am the Lord. 3:46. But for the price of the two hundred and seventy-three, of the firstborn of the children of Israel, that exceed the number of the Levites, 3:47. Thou shalt take five sicles for every head, according to the weight of the sanctuary. A sicle hath twenty obols. 3:48. And thou shalt give the money to Aaron and his sons, the price of them that are above. 3:49. Moses therefore took the money of them that were above, and whom they had redeemed from the Levites, 3:50. For the firstborn of the children of Israel, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary, 3:51. And gave it to Aaron and his sons according to the word that the Lord had commanded him.