What is the meaning of Numbers 3:47?

You are to collect

Numbers 3 sets the scene: the Levites stand in place of Israel’s firstborn sons, but there are 273 more firstborn males than there are Levites (Numbers 3:39–46). God instructs Moses, “You are to collect…”—a direct, non-negotiable command, just as He earlier required the consecration of every firstborn (Exodus 13:2, 34:19–20). The wording reminds us that redemption originates with God; the people can’t decide the terms. Later, when Mary and Joseph present Jesus at the temple (Luke 2:22–24), they are obeying the same principle: God sets the price, and His people respond.

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five shekels

Five shekels becomes the fixed “redemption price” (cf. Numbers 18:16; Leviticus 27:6).

• It’s modest enough for an average family, showing God’s compassion.

• It’s still costly, preventing anyone from treating redemption lightly.

• The amount is consistent across the Law, underscoring God’s fairness.

Every Old Testament shekel points forward to the greater price Jesus paid, “not with perishable things… but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18–19).

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for each one

Redemption is personal. Each excess firstborn must be paid for individually—no group discount, no partial coverage (Psalm 49:7–8). God counts every life and provides a specific way for every person to be brought back under His covenant protection (John 3:16). The individualism here anticipates the New Covenant call for each heart to respond to Christ.

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according to the sanctuary shekel

The “sanctuary shekel” is the temple standard, free from manipulation (Exodus 30:13).

• God—not the marketplace—sets the measure of what is acceptable.

• Holiness governs economics; worship and daily life intertwine.

• Using the sanctuary scale prevents dishonest gain (Ezekiel 45:12).

In the same way, God alone defines the terms of salvation; human opinion cannot adjust the scale.

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of twenty gerahs

A gerah equals one-twentieth of a shekel (Leviticus 27:25). By stating the exact conversion—twenty gerahs per shekel—God eliminates confusion. Precision inspires confidence: if Scripture is this careful with weights, we can trust it with our souls (Micah 6:11). The detail also locks the redemption price to a real, measurable value, rooting spiritual truth in tangible reality.

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summary

Numbers 3:47 explains the practical outworking of redemption for Israel’s firstborn: God commands Moses to collect an exact price—five sanctuary shekels, twenty gerahs each—for every extra firstborn male. The verse underscores that:

• Redemption is God-initiated and non-negotiable.

• A real, meaningful cost must be paid.

• Each person matters individually.

• God provides a just, precise standard.

Together these truths foreshadow the perfect, once-for-all ransom Jesus would pay, fulfilling every shekel’s promise with His own blood.