? God’s Command
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In Exodus 13:2, 12–13, the LORD commanded that every firstborn male, whether of man or beast, belonged to Him.
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Clean animals (like lambs, oxen, goats) were sacrificed to the LORD.
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Unclean animals (like donkeys) had to be redeemed by sacrificing a lamb in their place, or else their necks were broken.
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Firstborn sons were not sacrificed but had to be redeemed.
? The Process of Redemption
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Set Apart to God – Every firstborn male child was recognized as belonging to the LORD.
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Redeemed with Money – Parents paid a ransom price, known as the “redemption of the firstborn” (Hebrew: pidyon haben).
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Numbers 18:15–16 specifies the redemption price:
Five shekels of silver (after the shekel of the sanctuary), to be paid when the child was one month old.
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Priests Received the Payment – Since the tribe of Levi was chosen by God in place of Israel’s firstborn (Numbers 3:12–13, 45), the redemption money was given to the priests.
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Perpetual Ordinance – This ritual served as a reminder of God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt, when He spared the firstborn who were under the blood of the lamb.
? Example in Practice
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Later in Israel’s history, this became a formal ceremony. Even today, observant Jewish families hold a Pidyon HaBen (redemption of the son) when a firstborn son is 30 days old, paying five silver coins to a Kohen (priestly descendant).
? Summary: Israel redeemed their firstborn sons by paying five shekels of silver to the priests when the child was one month old, as a continual reminder that the firstborn belonged to God because of the Passover deliverance.
