The number 273 holds significance in the context of the Old Testament, specifically in the Book of Numbers. It is associated with the census and redemption of the firstborn males of Israel, as described in Numbers 3.

Context in the Book of Numbers

In Numbers 3, God commands Moses to take a census of the Levites by their families and clans. The Levites are set apart for service in the Tabernacle, replacing the firstborn males of the Israelites, who were originally consecrated to God. The Levites are to serve as substitutes for the firstborn sons of Israel, who were spared during the final plague in Egypt, the death of the firstborn.

The Census and Redemption

The census of the Levites reveals that there are 22,000 males from one month old and upward (Numbers 3:39). However, when Moses counts the firstborn males of the Israelites, the total comes to 22,273 (Numbers 3:43). This results in a discrepancy of 273 more firstborn Israelites than there are Levites.

Redemption of the 273

To address this discrepancy, God instructs Moses to redeem the excess 273 firstborn Israelites. Numbers 3:46-48 states: "To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who outnumber the Levites, you are to collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel of twenty gerahs. Give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for the excess number."

The redemption price is set at five shekels per person, and the total amount collected is given to Aaron and his sons, the priests, as a form of compensation for their service and as a symbolic act of redemption.

Significance

The number 273, therefore, represents the specific number of firstborn Israelites who required redemption due to the shortfall in the number of Levites. This event underscores the importance of the Levites' role in the religious life of Israel and the concept of redemption, which is a recurring theme throughout the Bible. The redemption of the firstborn also highlights the principle of substitutionary atonement, where one group (the Levites) stands in for another (the firstborn Israelites) in service to God.273 (1 Occurrence)

Numbers 3:46
For the redemption of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, who exceed the number of the Levites,
(See NAS NIV)

273 (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance 273 (1 Occurrence). Numbers 3:46 For the redemption
of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of ...
/num/273.htm - 6k

250 (5 Occurrences)

/num/250.htm - 7k

276 (1 Occurrence)

/num/276.htm - 6k

Immersion
... immersion) and sacrifice (Schurer, HJP, II, 2, pp. 319 f; Edersheim, LTJM, II,
745, and I, 273). John the Baptist, baptized "in the river ...
/i/immersion.htm - 14k

Trine
... immersion) and sacrifice (Schurer, HJP, II, 2, pp. 319 f; Edersheim, LTJM, II,
745, and I, 273). John the Baptist, baptized "in the river ...
/t/trine.htm - 14k

Triune
... immersion) and sacrifice (Schurer, HJP, II, 2, pp. 319 f; Edersheim, LTJM, II,
745, and I, 273). John the Baptist, baptized "in the river ...
/t/triune.htm - 13k

Building (249 Occurrences)
... comb pick and marginal dressing of the walls of the Temple area belong to the Herodian
period (see Bliss and Dickie, "Excavations at Jerusalem," 273, PEFS, 1898 ...
/b/building.htm - 47k

Build (242 Occurrences)
... comb pick and marginal dressing of the walls of the Temple area belong to the Herodian
period (see Bliss and Dickie, "Excavations at Jerusalem," 273, PEFS, 1898 ...
/b/build.htm - 45k

Persian (4 Occurrences)
... Names of certain persons found in the Avesta (eg Atare-pata, a Dastur who lived
under Hormuzd I, 273 AD, and Rastare-Yaghenti, whom the Dinkarl identifies with ...
/p/persian.htm - 45k

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