[The privilege of the first-born . . . still exists to this day in families of most if not all cultures, prominent in royal families where the first child if specifically male, becomes the successor to the throne. Surely this ‘privilege’ is rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures, in the pronouncements of YHWH in these very chapters of Numbers/Bamidbar, for where else would the tradition/practice have come from?
Of course, the child that first inhabits the mother’s womb and emerges in birth [opens the womb) naturally brings delight to all parents of any race and culture, particularly if male. Most cultures give prominent status to the firstborn male, sometimes to the detriment of daughters, eldest or not, who after all, lose their family names when they take on their husband’s name in marriage.
The prominence of the first-born male existed in other ancient cultures. In Egypt, the last plague was against the first-born of the Egyptians as well as beasts; in our understanding, it was against the first-born even of any Israelite who did not believe in the Word of YHWH delivered by Moses, particularly if they did not appropriate for themselves and their households the very specific instructions to be obeyed to the last detail on the night of Passover. Since Scripture is silent if any Israelite disbelieved, we conclude there were none; after all, what slave, Hebrew or not, would not wish to be liberated from bondage to the Egyptians?
When we inter-relate incidents and declarations involving the first-born, we begin to wonder what is the point? Well, perhaps it is because Israel is declared by YHWH as His first-born, among other metaphors (servant, wife). And there are expectations demanded of YHWH’s firstborn son, clearly defined in the Torah. Israel is YHWH’s firstborn, and there is no other FIRSTBORN even if CAPITALIZED in any revised version of the Hebrew Scriptures, such as the Christian Old Testament.
Commentary is from Pentateuch and Haftarahs, ed. Dr. J.H. Hertz; translation is by EF/Everett Fox, The Five Books of Moses.—Admin1]
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Bamidbar/Numbers 3
1 Now these are the begettings of Aharon and Moshe at the time YHVH spoke with Moshe on Mount Sinai:generations. As no descendants of Moses are named, ‘generations’ is here equivalent to happenings; i.e. the chapter relates what happened to Aaron and his sons at the hand of Moses, who appoints the Levites ministers unto them (Ehrlich).
in the day that the LORD spoke. “When the LORD spoke.’
2 These are the names of the sons of Aharon: the firstborn-Nadav, and Avihu, El’azar and Itamar; 3 these are the names of the sons of Aharon, the anointed priests, whom he had mandated to act-as-priests. 4 Now Nadav and Avihu died before the presence of YHVH, when they brought-near outside fire before the presence of YHVH in the Wilderness of Sinai; sons they did not have, so El’azar and Itamar were made-priest in the living-presence of Aharon their father.Nadab and Abihu. (from Leviticus X:1-5). Aaron’s eldest sons—their death points the moral, ‘Boast not thyself of tomorrow for thou knowest not what a day ay bring forth!’ That day promised to be the happiest in Aaron’s life. As he, the High Pirest, was moving about in his magnificent robes and performing the solemn duties of his exalted office, how elated he must have been! Yet soon his two sons were lying dead at his feet.
offered strange fire. Unconsecrated fire, not from the Divinely kindled flames on he Altar. On the very day of the consecration of the Sanctuary they ventured to change an essential of the Service in obedience to a momentary whim. In the circumstances, and in view of their office, it constituted an unpardonable offence. The Rabbis, observing that the narrative is followed by an injunction that the priests were not to drink intoxicating liquor before performing their duties, state that Nadab and Abihu had dared to enter the Sanctuary under the influence of drink. Another suggestion is that they had consulted neither Moses nor Aaron in taking the step they did; and that this deliberate disregard of their elders sprang from unfilial jealousy. they asked themselves, ‘When will these old men die? How long must we wait to lead the congregation?’ It was an impious ambition that led them to commit the unhallowed deed which called down terrible retribution for them.
in the presence of Aaron. In his lifetime.
5 YHVH spoke to Moshe, saying:6 Bring-near the tribe of Levi, and have-it-stand (regularly) in the presence of Aharon the priest, that they may attend upon him.
7 They are to keep his charge and the charge of the entire community, in front of the Tent of
Appointment, to serve the serving-tasks of the Dwelling.
keep his charge. Do the bidding of Aaron and all the priests in the performance of their duties.
of the whole congregation. They are the messengers or agents representing the laity of Israel at the service of the Sanctuary.
8 They are to be-in-charge of the implements of the Tent of Appointment and the charge of the Children of Israel, to serve the serving-tasks of the Dwelling.9 You are to give-over the Levites to Aharon and to his sons, formally-given, given-over are they to him, from among the Children of Israel.
wholly given. lit. ‘given,given’; the repetition is emphatic, and expresses complete surrender.
from the children of Israel. i.e. from amongst the children of Israel. God had decreed that the Levites should be thus separated and distinguished from the main body of Israelites.
10 And Aharon and his sons, you are to make-accountable, that they may keep-the-charge of their priesthood; the outsider who comes-near is to be put-to-death!keep their priesthood. Not neglect the duties which are specifically theirs by falling bak upon the Levites as substitutes.
11 YHVH spoke to Moshe, saying:12 As for me, I hereby take the Levites from the midst of the Children of Israel, in place of every firstborn, breacher of womb from the Children of Israel; they shall be mine, the Levites.
instead of every first-born. The sacredness of the first-born, and the priestly functions which they are enjoined to perform, date from the time of the slaying of the first-born in the land of Egypt. At the worship of the Golden Calf, the first-born forfeited their special priestly privileges through their participation in that idolatrous worship. The Levites were chosen in their stead, in recognition of their firm and faithful stand at that hour of apostasy.
13 For mine is every firstborn; at the time that I struck-down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I hallowed to me every firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. Mine shall they be- I am YHVH!Mine they shall be. The Levites.
14 Now YHVH spoke to Moshe in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying:15 Count the Sons of Levi, by their Fathers’ House, by their clans, every male from the age of a month and upward, you are to count them.
every male from a month old and upward. The Levites were numbered in this manner because they were substitutes for the first-born, who, by Divine command, were to be redeemed ‘from a month old’.
16 So Moshe counted them by order of YHVH, as he was commanded.17 Now these were the Sons of Levi according to their names: Gershon, Kehat and Merari.
18 And these the names of the sons of Gershon, by their clans: Livni and Shim’i.
19 And the sons of Kehat, by their clans: Amram and Yitzhar, Hevron and Uzziel.
20 And the sons of Merari, by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are they, the Levite clans, by their Fathers’ House.
21-26. The Gershonites were to encamp on the western side of the Tabernacle, and were charged with carrying its tapestry.
21 For Gershon, the Livnite clan and the Shim’ite clan, these are they, the Gershonite clans:22 those counted of them, according to the number of every male from the age of a month and upward, those counted of them: seven thousand and five hundred.
23 The Gershonite clans-behind the Dwelling they are to camp, seaward.
24 Now the leader of the Father’s House for the Gershonites: Elyasaf son of Lael.
25 The charge of the Sons of Gershon at the Tent of Appointment (was) the Dwelling and the Tent, its covering, the screen of the entrance to the Tent of Appointment,
26 the hangings of the courtyard, the screen of the entrance to the courtyard which is about the Dwelling and about the slaughter-site, all around, and its cords-including all their serving tasks.
27-32. The Kohathites encamped to the south of the Tabernacle, and had charge of transporting its holy furniture—the Ark, the Table, the Candlestick, the Altars.
27 To Kehat, the Amramite clan, the Yitzharite clan, the Hevronite clan, and the Uzzi’elite clan, hese (are) they, the Kehatite clans,28 numbering every male, from the age of a month and upward: eight thousand and six hundred, keepers of the charge of the holy-things.
29 The clans of the Sons of Kehat are to encamp along the flank of the Dwelling, southward.
Numbers 3:30 Now the leader of the Father’s House for the Kehatite clans: Elitzafan son of Uzziel.
31 Their charge: the coffer, the table, the lampstand and the slaughter-sites, and the implements of holiness that are used in conjunction with them, and the screen-and all their serving-tasks.
32 Now the leader of the Levite leaders: El’azar son of Aharon the priest, accountable for the keepers of the charge of the holy-things.
Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest. Eleazar was himself a Kohathite through his father Aaron and his grandfather Amram; hence he ranks as the prince of Levi, and is invested with the supervision of all the other overseers.
33 To Merari-the Mahlite clan and the Mushite clan, these (are they), the Merarite clans.33-37. The Merarites were to the north of the Sanctuary and were charged with transporting its boards, bolts, pillars, and sockets.
34 Now those counted of them, numbering every male from the age of a month and upward: six thousand and two hundred. 35 And the leader of the Father’s House of the Merarite clans: Tzuriel son of Avihayil. On the flank of the Dwelling they are to camp, northward. 36 Accountable for the (following) charge (are) the Sons of Merari: the boards of the Dwelling and its bars, its columns, its sockets, and all its implements, with all its service-of-packing; 37 the columns of the courtyard, all around, and their bases, their posts and their cords. 38 Now those encamping in front of the Dwelling, eastward, in front of the Tent ofAppointment, toward-sunrise, (are): Moshe and Aharon and his sons, keepers of the charge of the Holy-area, for the charge of the Children of Israel; the outsider who comes-near is to be put-to-death!
those that were to pitch . . . eastward. The most honourable place in the camp, and the most convenient for constant and direct access to the Sanctuary.
39 All those counted of the Levites, whom Moshe and Aharon counted by order of YHVH, by their clans, every male, from the age of a month and upward: two and twenty thousand.twenty and two thousand. This total of 22,000 Levites falls short by 300 of the separate totals of the divisions mentioned in this chapter. The Talmud explains the discrepancy by saying the Levites were taken and counted instead of the first-born of the Israelites and as a ‘redemption’ for them. Hence, their own first-born who amounted to 300 had to be excluded, as being ineligible for the purpose of redeeming other first-born.
40 YHVH said to Moshe: Count every firstborn male of the Children of Israel, from the age of a month and upward, take-up the enumeration of their names.40-51. The substituttion of the Levites for the first-born.
41 Take the Levites aside for me -I am YHVH!- in place of every firstborn among the Children of Israel; along with the animals of the Levites, in place of every firstborn animal among the Children of Israel. 42 Moshe made an accounting, as YHVH had commanded him, of every firstborn among the Children of Israel. 43 And it was, every firstborn male by the number of names, from the age of a month and upward, by their count: two and twenty thousand, three and seventy and two hundred.twenty . . . and thirteen. The first-born number 273 more than the Levites; and as no substitutes were available for the redemption of this extra 273, they had to be redeemed independently, by a payment of five shekels apiece, as the redemption price of a male child under five years old who has been vowed unto God; (in Lev. XXVII,6 from a month old. No valuation is placed in regard to a child under a month old. In Jewish law there are no mourning rites to be observed for a child who dies within a month of birth.)
At first sight, the numbers in these chapters present definite difficulties. Six hundred thousand adult males imply a total population of over two million. How did such a large multitude live on the arid peninsula of Sinai, whose present population is under 10,000? But Scripture nowhere affirms that the Israelites lived for forty years upon the natural produce of the desert, but that they were fed miraculously with manna (Exod. XVI,4,35). And unless miracles are prejudged to be impossible, account must be taken of the miraculous provision made for the sustenance of the Israelites till the time that they entered Canaan. Moreover, the resources of the Wilderness must not be judged by present conditions. The word ‘Wilderness’ doe not mean a barren tract, but an uninhabited country, which may be very fertile. And traces exist to show that the ‘Wilderness’ not only could but did support at one time an extensive population. For a powerful presentation of evidence that this whole region had a higher rainfall, and was much more productive, at the time of the Exodus than now, see Huntington’s ‘The Climate of Ancient Palestine’ (Bulletin of the American Geographical Society, vol. XL,1908).
The other objection is that the number of first-born males is given as 22,273—a very small number in proportion to the total number of males. What is meant is the number of first-born males under twenty years of age at the time of the census. the law did not have retrospective force, so as to include all first-born sons throughout the nation who themselves were fathers or grandfathers at the time.
44 And YHVH spoke to Moshe, saying:45 Take aside the Levites, in place of every firstborn among the Children of Israel, along with the animals of the Levites, in place of their animals; mine shall be the Levites -I am YHVH! 46 And as the redemption-price for the three and seventy and two hundred, those-in-excess beyond the Levites from the firstborn of the Children of Israel, 47 you are to take five-five shekels per capita, by the Holy-shrine shekel you are to take, twenty grains to the shekel. 48 You are to give the silver to Aharon and to his sons, as a redemption-price for those-in-excess among them. 49 So Moshe took the silver for redemption from those-in-excess beyond those redeemed by the Levites, 50 from the firstborn of the Children of Israel he took the silver: five and sixty and three hundred and a thousand, by the Holy-shrine shekel; 51 Moshe gave the silver for redemption to Aharon and to his sons, by order of YHVH, as YHVH had commanded Moshe.