Numbers 18:16

You are to pay the redemption price for a month-old male according to your valuation: five shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel, which is twenty gerahs.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — God instructs Aaron and the Levitical priests on the exact monetary valuation required to redeem firstborn sons after they reach one month of age.

The words — The text specifies פְדוּיָוֹ (pəduyāw) for the redemption price and חֲמֵ֥שֶׁת שְׁקָלִ֖ים (chameshet sheqalim) for the fixed amount of five shekels.

The thread — This valuation standard appears in Numbers 3:47 for the census redemption, Exodus 30:13 for the temple tax, and Leviticus 27:2 for personal vow assessments.

Why it lands — The text commands a five-shekel silver payment for a month-old firstborn son. Interpreters infer this establishes a fixed, non-negotiable valuation to facilitate the ritual transfer of redemption from the sanctuary to the priestly line.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וּפְדוּיָו֙u./fe.du.Ya/vand/ redemption price/ its מִבֶּן־mi./ben-from/ a son of חֹ֣דֶשׁCho.desha month תִּפְדֶּ֔הtif.Dehyou will redeem [it]בְּעֶ֨רְכְּךָ֔be./'Er.ke./khaby/ valuation/ your כֶּ֛סֶףKe.sef[will be] silver חֲמֵ֥שֶׁתcha.Me.shetfive שְׁקָלִ֖יםshe.ka.Limshekels בְּשֶׁ֣קֶלbe./She.kelby/ [the] shekel of הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁha./Ko.deshthe/ holy place עֶשְׂרִ֥ים'es.Rim[is] twenty גֵּרָ֖הge.Rahgerah[s]הֽוּא׃Hu'it

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

Exodus 30:13 Everyone who crosses over to those counted must pay a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD.
Numbers 3:47 you are to collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel of twenty gerahs.
Leviticus 27:2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘When someone makes a special vow to the LORD involving the value of persons,
Leviticus 27:25 Every valuation will be according to the sanctuary shekel, twenty gerahs to the shekel.
Ezekiel 45:12 The shekel will consist of twenty gerahs. Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels will equal one mina.