The idea of redemption confuses me
Question:
Hi there,
I'm reading through the Bible for the first time. I'm up to Numbers 18 and was confused by verses 14-16. For reference (I'm using an NIV, but I might switch to ESV sometime):
“Everything in Israel that is devoted to the Lord is yours. The first offspring of every womb, both human and animal, that is offered to the Lord is yours. But you must redeem every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals. When they are a month old, you must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs" (Numbers 18:14-16 NIV).
Looking at it, I now see this passage is addressed to the priests, not all the Levites.
In Numbers 18:14, the "cherem" concept is something I've only learned about recently, which is complex and probably something I'll have to dig into later. But I was confused about this "redeeming" aspect. So, every firstborn male Israelite and every firstborn male unclean animal must be "redeemed" for 5 shekels when they are a month old. Who is paying this? The priests? The parents or owners of the children/animals?
What does it mean that "the first offspring of every womb...that is offered to the Lord is yours"?
I'm reaching out because when I investigated this concept of a redemption price, I was reminded of Leviticus 27. I found your post "I don't understand Leviticus 27" helpful.
As a side note, you say that the vower is still able to use the land they dedicate in the meantime. I was wondering where that's borne out. Also, you talk about the implication of being sold into slavery if the vower cannot pay off his debt. Is that just a safe assumption, or do you see it somewhere in the text?
I notice Leviticus 27:8 reads differently in the NIV and ESV. The NIV makes it sound like the person being dedicated will be "reappraised" at a lower price, while the ESV makes it sound like the vower will be appraised—at least to me.
I think I'll have to learn Hebrew at some point (haha).
Thank you for your response!
Answer:
"Redemption" basically means regaining possession of something by buying it back. In the days of the Old Law, a closely related kinsman was responsible for rescuing family members from difficulties. When a relative sold family land to cover debts, his relative was expected to buy the land back (to redeem it) (Leviticus 25:23-25). If a man became so poor that he had to sell himself, his relatives were to buy him back (Leviticus 25:47-49).
In Israel, all firstborn children are dedicated to God, and firstborn males were initially selected to be priests. This was in payment (in a sense) for God freeing Israel from slavery. The tribe of Levite replaced this, but all firstborn males had to be redeemed by paying five shekels to the Temple. Firstborn females were considered to belong to God but did not have to be redeemed because they were not selected for service to God. Thus, a family with a girl first and then a boy would not have to pay the five shekels because the rules applied to the child who opens the womb. If a woman's first child is a boy, then there is a redemption fee.
"Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine" (Exodus 13:2).
"And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, that you shall set apart to the LORD all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the LORD'S. But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is this?' that you shall say to him, 'By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. And it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem'" (Exodus 13:11-15).
"You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe produce and your juices. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me" (Exodus 22:29).
"All that open the womb are Mine, and every male firstborn among your livestock, whether ox or sheep. But the firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb. And if you will not redeem him, then you shall break his neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed" (Exodus 34:19-20).
"Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be Mine, because all the firstborn are Mine. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be Mine: I am the LORD" (Numbers 3:12-13).
"And for the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, who are more than the number of the Levites, you shall take five shekels for each one individually; you shall take them in the currency of the shekel of the sanctuary, the shekel of twenty gerahs" (Numbers 3:46-47).
"After that the Levites shall go in to service the tabernacle of meeting. So you shall cleanse them and offer them, like a wave offering. For they are wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel; I have taken them for Myself instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the children of Israel. For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are Mine, both man and beast; on the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them to Myself. I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the children of Israel" (Numbers 8:15-18).
"Everything that first opens the womb of all flesh, which they bring to the LORD, whether man or beast, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. And those redeemed of the devoted things you shall redeem when one month old, according to your valuation, for five shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs" (Numbers 18:15).
God gave the priests use of people and unclean animals that were dedicated to God and which were not bought back. The clean animals were sacrificed. Thus, parents redeemed their firstborn sons from God for five shekels. Unclean animals were repurchased by the owners who had dedicated the animal to God.
Regarding land, the dedicated land doesn't become the priest's land unless it is not redeemed by the next Jubilee year. The vower had a time to repurchase his land. The implication is that the current owner could still make use of the land until that time. A debt of a vow is still a debt. If a person could not repay his debt, he was sold into slavery (Leviticus 25:47-55), and if no relative paid the redemption price by the year of Jubilee, the land was given to the priests.
If someone vows an item to God that must be redeemed yet doesn't have the means to pay the redemption price, then he becomes a slave. A redemption price is set for his relatives to buy him back, but that price is modified based on the vower's means. Both the NIV and the ESV say the same thing in Leviticus 27:8.
"And if someone is too poor to pay the valuation, then he shall be made to stand before the priest, and the priest shall value him; the priest shall value him according to what the vower can afford" (Leviticus 27:8 ESV).
"If anyone making the vow is too poor to pay the specified amount, the person being dedicated is to be presented to the priest, who will set the value according to what the one making the vow can afford" (Leviticus 27:8 NIV).
Question:
Thank you very much for your response, Mr. Hamilton. I imagine I will be studying the Bible a lot over my lifetime. I'm just trying to get a decent-level understanding of it on my "first pass."
I will have to read over your response a few times. But as for Leviticus 27:8 in the ESV and NIV...I thought there was a distinction between the person being redeemed for a monetary prize and the person doing the dedication. Like, a man might dedicate his son, daughter, or slave. I was taking the ESV as...if the man dedicating his 21-year-old daughter, say, he must pay 30 shekels (Leviticus 27:3-4). If he can't afford this, he becomes the one who is evaluated and given a monetary price he can afford. But the NIV made it sound more like the person being evaluated - in the hypothetical example, the 21-year-old daughter - would have her "price" lowered to something the father can afford.
Is my confusion stemming from the fact that people dedicate themselves rather than slaves or offspring? But obviously, a person between one month and five years (at least on the lower end of that spectrum) would not be able to dedicate themselves.
Thanks again.
Answer:
"Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When a man makes a difficult vow, he shall be valued according to your valuation of persons belonging to the LORD'" (Leviticus 27:2).
The rules are present for unusual situations in which a person is dedicating himself to the Lord or those he is responsible for. The rules that follow are for the priest to determine how to place a monetary value on what is being vowed.
"But if he is poorer than your valuation, then he shall be placed before the priest and the priest shall value him; according to the means of the one who vowed, the priest shall value him" (Leviticus 27:8).
The "he" in verse 8 refers back to the vower in verse 2. The Hebrew text avoids using a singular male between verses 3 and 7, so grammar demands that the "he" is the vower. In normal circumstances, the vower is expected to redeem what he has vowed. However, if the vower cannot pay the set price, he can present himself before the priest, who then determines what the man can pay ("according to the means of the one who vowed"). Thus, the redemption price could be lowered.
