Numbers 18:15

15 Whatever thing cometh first forth of the womb of all flesh, which they offer to the Lord, whether it is of men, either of beasts, it shall be of thy right; so only that thou take price for the first begotten child of man, and that thou make each beast that is unclean to be bought again; (Whatever thing of all flesh that cometh forth first from the womb, whether it is of men, or of beasts, which they offer to the Lord, shall be thy right to have; so only that thou take payment in exchange, or as redemption, for the first-born of man, and that thou make each beast that is unclean to be bought back;)

Numbers 18:15 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 18:15

Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh
The firstborn of every creature:

which they bring unto the Lord;
as they were obliged, he claiming it as his own, ( Exodus 13:2 ) ;

[whether it be] of men or beasts, shall be thine;
every firstborn of either, being the Lord's, became the priest's by his gift:

nevertheless, the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem;
that is, take the redemption price for it, which was five shekels, as in ( Numbers 18:16 ) ; for the original proprietor was, strictly speaking, the redeemer, and paid the money, and the priest was the receiver, to whom it was paid; see ( Exodus 13:13 ) ;

and the firstlings of unclean beasts shall thou redeem;
with lambs, as an ass, which is put for unclean beasts, is ordered to be redeemed with a lamb, or its neck to be broken, ( Exodus 13:13 ) ; the Africans, the shepherds among them, as Herodotus relates ^F11, of their firstlings they cut off the ear of the beast and throw it over a house, and then turn its neck back, for they worship only the sun and moon; which seems to be an imitation of this law.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 Melpomene, sive, l. 4. c. 188.

Numbers 18:15 In-Context

13 All the beginnings of fruits which the earth bringeth forth, and be brought (in) to the Lord, shall fall into thine uses; he that is clean in thine house(hold), shall eat of those (things).

14 All things that the sons of Israel yield by a vow, shall be thine. (Everything that the Israelites give by a vow, shall be yours.)

15 Whatever thing cometh first forth of the womb of all flesh, which they offer to the Lord, whether it is of men, either of beasts, it shall be of thy right; so only that thou take price for the first begotten child of man, and that thou make each beast that is unclean to be bought again; (Whatever thing of all flesh that cometh forth first from the womb, whether it is of men, or of beasts, which they offer to the Lord, shall be thy right to have; so only that thou take payment in exchange, or as redemption, for the first-born of man, and that thou make each beast that is unclean to be bought back;)

16 whose again-buying shall be after one month, for five shekels of silver, by the weight of [the] saintuary (whose redemption shall be after one month, for five shekels of silver, by the measure of the sanctuary); a shekel hath twenty halfpence.

17 Forsooth thou shalt not make the first engendered of an ox, and of sheep, and of goat, to be again-bought, for those be hallowed to the Lord; only thou shalt pour the blood of those upon the altar, and thou shalt burn the inner fatness into sweetest odour to the Lord. (But thou shalt not allow the first-born of an ox, or of a sheep, or of a goat, to be bought back, for they be holy to the Lord; thou must throw their blood against the altar, and thou shalt burn their inner fatness to make the sweetest aroma to the Lord.)