Exodus 30:16

16 And you will take the atonement money from the {Israelites} and give it to the service of the tent of assembly, and it will be as a memorial for the {Israelites} before Yahweh to make atonement for your lives."

Exodus 30:16 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 30:16

And thou shall take the atonement money of the children of
Israel
The half shekel, the ransom of their souls:

and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the
congregation;
for the building of the tabernacle, for the repairs of it, and for the sacrifices offered in it; particularly we find that this first collection this way was appropriated to the silver sockets of the sanctuary, and the vail, for the silver hooks, and for the pillars, ( Exodus 38:27 Exodus 38:28 ) :

that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the
Lord, to make an atonement for your souls;
to put them in mind that they were sinners, that their lives were forfeited, that a ransom price was given and accepted of God, that hereby atonement, in a typical sense, was made for them; and this was before the Lord, as a token of their gratitude to him, and of their acknowledgment of the favour.

Exodus 30:16 In-Context

14 {Everyone who is counted} from {twenty years old} and above will give the contribution of Yahweh.

15 The rich will not give more, and the poor will not give less than the half shekel to give the contribution of Yahweh to make atonement for their lives.

16 And you will take the atonement money from the {Israelites} and give it to the service of the tent of assembly, and it will be as a memorial for the {Israelites} before Yahweh to make atonement for your lives."

17 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

18 "And you will make a basin of bronze and its bronze stand for washing, and you will put it between the tent of assembly and the altar, and you will put water there.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [b]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"