Exode 30:13

13 Tous ceux qui passeront par le dénombrement, donneront un demi-sicle, selon le sicle du sanctuaire, qui est de vingt oboles; un demi-sicle sera donc l'offrande à l'Éternel.

Exode 30:13 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 30:13

This they shall give, everyone that passeth among them
that are numbered
And their number, according to Jarchi, was known by what was paid; for he says the sum was taken not by heads, but everyone gave the half shekel, and by counting them the number was known, as follows:

half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary;
that is, after the standard of a shekel kept in the sanctuary as a rule for all; and so Jarchi paraphrases it,

``according to the weight of a shekel, which I have fixed for thee to weigh, the shekel of the sanctuary.''

It was about fourteen pence: a shekel is twenty gerahs; a gerah being the twentieth part of a shekel, it was not quite three halfpence of our money:

an half shekel [shall be] the offering of the Lord;
which was to be offered to him for the ransom of souls, whose lives were forfeited by sin; and of the redemption of which this was an acknowledgment; and was typical of the ransom price of souls by Christ, which is not silver or gold, but his precious blood, his life, himself, which is given as an offering and sacrifice to God, in the room and stead of his people; and which is given to God, against whom sin is committed, the lawgiver, whose law is broken, the Judge, whose justice must be satisfied, and the creditor, to whom the price must be paid.

Exode 30:13 In-Context

11 L'Éternel parla aussi à Moïse, en disant:

12 Quand tu feras le compte des enfants d'Israël, selon leurs recensements, chacun d'eux fera un don à l'Éternel, pour racheter sa personne, lorsqu'on en fera le dénombrement; et ils ne seront frappés d'aucune plaie lorsqu'on les dénombrera.

13 Tous ceux qui passeront par le dénombrement, donneront un demi-sicle, selon le sicle du sanctuaire, qui est de vingt oboles; un demi-sicle sera donc l'offrande à l'Éternel.

14 Tous ceux qui passeront par le dénombrement, depuis vingt ans et au-dessus, donneront l'offrande de l'Éternel.

15 Le riche n'augmentera rien, et le pauvre ne diminuera rien du demi-sicle, en donnant l'offrande de l'Éternel, pour faire la propitiation pour vos personnes.