Exodus 38:26

A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
bekah	בֶּ֚קַע Be.ka'	H1235	a section (half) of ashekel · noun, common masculine singular absolute
man	לַגֻּלְגֹּ֔לֶת la.gul.Go.let	H1538	a skull (as round) · preposition with the article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
half	מַחֲצִ֥ית ma.cha.Tzit	H4276	a halving or the middle · noun, common feminine singular construct
shekel	הַשֶּׁ֖קֶל ha.She.kel	H8255	probably a weight · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
shekel	בְּשֶׁ֣קֶל be.She.kel	H8255	probably a weight · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
sanctuary	הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁ ha.Ko.desh	H6944	a sacred place or thing · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
went	הָעֹבֵ֜ר ha.'o.Ver	H5674	to cross over · definite article + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
numbered	הַפְּקֻדִ֗ים ha.pe.ku.Dim	H6485	to visit (with friendly or hostile intent) · definite article + verb, qal passive participle, masculine plural absolute
twenty	עֶשְׂרִ֤ים 'es.Rim	H6242	twenty · cardinal number, masculine plural absolute
years	שָׁנָה֙ sha.Nah	H8141	a year (as a revolution of time) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
old	מִבֶּ֨ן mi.Ben	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
upward	וָמַ֔עְלָה va.Ma'.lah	H4605	properly · conjunction + cardinal number, both genders singular absolute + directional suffix
six	לְשֵׁשׁ le.shesh-	H8337	six (as an overplus beyond five or the fingers of the h… · preposition + cardinal number, both genders singular construct
hundred	מֵא֥וֹת me.'ot	H3967	a hundred · cardinal number, feminine plural construct
thousand	אֶ֙לֶף֙ 'e.lef	H505	hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alph… · cardinal number, both genders singular absolute
three	וּשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת u.she.Lo.shet	H7969	three · conjunction + cardinal number, both genders singular construct
thousand	אֲלָפִ֔ים 'a.la.Fim	H505	hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alph… · cardinal number, both genders plural absolute
five	וַחֲמֵ֥שׁ va.cha.Mesh	H2568	five · conjunction + cardinal number, both genders singular construct
hundred	מֵא֖וֹת me.'ot	H3967	a hundred · cardinal number, feminine plural absolute
fifty	וַחֲמִשִּֽׁים va.cha.mi.Shim	H2572	fifty · conjunction + cardinal number, masculine plural absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Numbers 1:46 Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.
Exodus 30:13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twe…
Exodus 12:37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.
Exodus 30:15-16 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an aton…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 38:21–end

Here we have a breviat of the account which, by Moses's appointment, the Levites took and kept of the gold, silver, and brass, that was brought in for the tabernacle's use, and how it was employed. Ithamar the son of Aaron was appointed to draw up this account, and was thus by less services trained up and fitted for greater, Exo 38:21. Bezaleel and Aholiab must bring in the account (Exo 38:22, Exo 38:23), and Ithamar must audit it, and give it in to Moses. And it was thus: - 1. All the gold was a free-will offering; every man brought as he could and would, and it amounted to twenty-nine talents, and 730 shekels over, which some compute to be about 150,000l. worth of gold, according to the pr…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 38:25

the silver of them that were numbered--603,550 men at half a shekel each would contribute 301,775 shekels; which at 2s. 4d. each, amounts to Â£35,207 sterling. It may seem difficult to imagine how the Israelites should be possessed of so much wealth in the desert; but it should be remembered that they were enriched first by the spoils of the Egyptians, and afterwards by those of the Amalekites. Besides, it is highly probable that during their sojourn they traded with the neighboring nations who bordered on the wilderness [HEWLETT]. Next: Exodus Chapter 39

Adam Clarke on Exodus 38:26

A bekah for every man - The Hebrew word בקי beka, from בקי baka, to divide, separate into two, seems to signify, not a particular coin, but a shekel broken or cut in two; so, anciently, our farthing was a penny divided in the midst and then subdivided, so that each division contained the fourth part of the penny; hence its name fourthing or fourthling, since corrupted into farthing. There appear to be three particular reasons why much riches should be employed in the construction of the tabernacle, etc. 1. To impress the people's minds with the glory and dignity of the Divine Majesty, and the importance of his service. 2. To take out of their hands the occasion of covetousness; for as they b…

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Dictionary and topics

Bekah — Both the name and its explanation, “a half shekel,” are given in Ex. 38:26. The word properly means a “division,” a “part.” (R.V., “beka.”)
Census — There are five instances of a census of the Jewish people having been taken. (1.) In the fourth month after the Exodus, when the people were encamped at Sinai. The number of men from twenty years old…
Tabernacle — (1.) A house or dwelling-place (Job 5:24; 18:6, etc.). (2.) A portable shrine (comp. Acts 19:24) containing the image of Moloch (Amos 5:26; marg. and R.V., “Siccuth”). (3.) The human body (2 Cor.…
Talent — Of silver contained 3,000 shekels (Ex. 38:25, 26), and was equal to 94 3/7 lbs. avoirdupois. The Greek talent, however, as in the LXX., was only 82 1/4 lbs. It was in the form of a circular mass, as…
Weights — Reduced to English troy-weight, the Hebrew weights were: (1.) The gerah (Lev. 27:25; Num. 3:47), a Hebrew word, meaning a grain or kernel, and hence a small weight. It was the twentieth part of a…
Bekah · A half shekel, about thirty-one cents — A half shekel, about thirty-one cents
Census · .By Moses — .By Moses
Desert, Journey Of Israel Through The · Second numbering of the people — Second numbering of the people
Religion · .Supported by taxes — .Supported by taxes
Tabernacle · Va — Va
Talent · pounds) — pounds)
Tax · Poll — Poll

Exodus 38:26

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 38:21–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 38:25

Adam Clarke on Exodus 38:26

Dictionary and topics

Exodus 38:26

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 38:21–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 38:25

Adam Clarke on Exodus 38:26

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Exodus 38:26

John Calvin on Exodus 38:22–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Exodus 38:26

Rashi on Exodus 38:26