Bible Strands
Numbers 3:49
So Moses collected the redemption money from those in excess of the number redeemed by the Levites.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses acts on the divine directive given in Numbers 3:48 to transfer funds to Aaron and his sons. This occurs immediately after the census of Israel’s firstborns and the Levites, during the calculation of the surplus requiring compensation.
The words — כֶּסֶף הַפִּדְיוֹם (kesef ha.pidyon) = money of the ransom. הָעֹדְפִים (ha.ode.fim) = those in excess.
The thread — The collection of redemption money for surplus firstborns recurs in Numbers 3:48 and 3:50, establishing the administrative procedure for the Levite substitution.
Why it lands — The text records Moses executing a precise financial transfer to complete the Levite substitution. Readers must observe the exact accounting demanded when a substitute class replaces a primary one.
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
King James Version
And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites: