Numbers 3:12 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Numbers 3:12
And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;
to take (in the widest variety of applications) · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular
Levites
הַלְוִיִּ֗םhal.vi.Yim
H3881
a Levite or descendant of Levi · definite article + noun, gentilic masculine plural absolute
among
מִתּוֹךְ֙mi.toKh
H8432
a bisection · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
children
בְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei
H1121
a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine plural construct
Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לYis.ra.'El
H3478
Jisrael · proper noun, a place name
firstborn
בְּכ֛וֹרbe.Khor
H1060
firstborn · noun, common masculine singular absolute
openeth
פֶּ֥טֶרPe.ter
H6363
a fissure · noun, common masculine singular construct
matrix
רֶ֖חֶםRe.chem
H7358
the womb · noun, common masculine singular absolute
children
מִבְּנֵ֣יmi.be.Nei
H1121
a son (as a builder of the family name) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לYis.ra.'El
H3478
Jisrael · proper noun, a place name
Levites
הַלְוִיִּֽםhal.vi.Yim
H3881
a Levite or descendant of Levi · definite article + noun, gentilic 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 3:41 And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levi…
Numbers 8:16 For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of al…
Numbers 18:6 And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do…
Exodus 13:2 Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.
Numbers 3:45 Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the L…
Numbers 8:18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Numbers 3:1-13
Here, I. The family of Aaron is confirmed in the priests' office, Num 3:10. They had been called to it before, and consecrated; here they are appointed to wait on their priests' office: the apostle uses this phrase (Rom 12:7), Let us wait on our ministry. The office of the ministry requires a constant attendance and great diligence; so frequent are the returns of its work, and yet so transient its favourable opportunities, that it must be waited on. Here is repeated what was said before (Num 1:51): The stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death, which forbids the invading of the priest's office by any other person whatsoever; none must come nigh to minister but Aaron and his sons only,…
I have taken the Levites, &c.--The consecration of this tribe did not originate in the legislative wisdom of Moses, but in the special appointment of God, who chose them as substitutes for the first-born. By an appointment made in memory of the last solemn judgment on Egypt (from which the Israelitish households were miraculously exempt) all the first-born were consecrated to God (Exo 13:12; Exo 22:29), who thus, under peculiar circumstances, seemed to adopt the patriarchal usage of appointing the oldest to act as the priest of the family. But the privilege of redemption that was allowed the first-born opened the way for a change; and accordingly, on the full organization of the Mosaic econo…
And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel,.... Separated them from others, and set them apart for the service of the sanctuary; this was his own act and deed, and which he did of his own will and pleasure, who is a sovereign Being, and might and would do whatsoever he pleased, nor should any object unto him, or contradict him: and this he did:
instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel; he made an exchange of those for the Levites; upon the destruction of the firstborn of Egypt, and saving the firstborn of Israel, he claimed the latter as his own in a special sense, and now he gave up his right to them, and instead there…
The Church Fathers
But also what it says — "in place of every firstborn that opens the womb" — does not seem to me able to be easily discussed or explained. For not everyone who opens the womb is straightway to be held worthy of the sanctification of the firstborn, since we also read in the Psalms that: "The sinners are estranged from the womb, they have gone astray from the belly, they have spoken false things." Which certainly can in no way stand according to the letter. For how could anyone go astray from the way of God the moment he came forth from his mother's belly? Or how could a child just brought forth speak false things or utter any sort of speech at all? Since therefore it is impossible either for anyone to go astray from the belly or to speak false things, it will be necessary that such a belly and womb be sought to which this saying can fit, that: "The sinners are estranged from the womb and have gone astray from the belly, they have spoken false things"; and that will be the womb which every firstborn opens who is sanctified to God. God once opened the womb of Leah, which was closed, and she bore the patriarchs; likewise also of Rachel, that she too might bear, whose sight was keen and whose appearance was comely. But also in many other places of Scripture you will find wombs being opened. If you consider these one by one according to their places, you will find how both sinners go astray from the womb and others, opening the womb, are sanctified into the order of the firstborn. "And they shall be mine," it says, "the Levites. For every firstborn is mine; from the day when I struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to myself every firstborn." It is known what the history contains about these things, how the firstborn of the Egyptians were struck when the people of Israel were led out of Egypt. This, then, is what is indicated in this place: that the firstborn of Israel were not sanctified before the firstborn of the Egyptians were struck; and it sets, as it were, the destruction and slaughter of the latter as the cause of the sanctification of the former. Hence here too it must be understood that there are certain firstborn even among the Egyptians, that is, among the opposing powers — as it were the choice ones in malice and the first among the demons — who, unless they are struck and extinguished, the firstborn of the Israelites can in no way…
"And the Lord spoke," it says, "to Moses, saying: Behold, I have taken the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, in place of every firstborn that opens the womb from among the sons of Israel; they shall be their redemption, and the Levites shall be mine. For every firstborn is mine. From the day when I struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to myself every firstborn of Israel; from man even to beast it shall be mine; I am the Lord." The Levites are taken in place of the firstborn, though indeed they are not firstborn. For Levi is born third from Leah; for first is Reuben, second Simeon, third Levi; and these are taken as firstborn who by nature are not firstborn. Is it to be believed that these things are written in the law of God without purpose? Or does it teach us this: that with God those are not reckoned firstborn who come first by bodily birth, but those whom God himself, having inspected the purpose of the mind, judges to be taken into the order of the firstborn? For so with God Jacob, though later in birth, was judged firstborn and received the blessings of the firstborn through the blindness of the parent, which was divinely brought about. For out of the purpose of the heart, which lay open to God, even before they were born into this world or had done anything good or evil, the Lord pronounces concerning them: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." The sons of Levi, therefore, are indeed not firstborn according to the flesh, but they are taken in place of the firstborn, so that it is something greater to be taken in place of the firstborn than to be born firstborn. "Behold," it says, "I have taken the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel." Say simply: I have taken the Levites from the sons of Israel; what is it that you add, "and from the midst of the sons of Israel"? From what midst, then? Levi is third, as we said above, among the sons of Israel. From what midst, then, the Levites are taken, I should like to know. I find in the Scriptures that blessed Shunammite, who once had fed the prophet, answering with confidence the king of Israel, who wished to confer some benefit upon her, and saying: "I dwell in the midst of my people." But more grandly and more magnificently I see it written in the Gospels concerning our Lord and Savior, when John says: "In the midst of you stands one whom you do not know." I think…
Dictionary and topics
Birthright — (1.) This word denotes the special privileges and advantages belonging to the first-born son among the Jews. He became the priest of the family. Thus Reuben was the first-born of the patriarchs, and…
Consecration — The devoting or setting apart of anything to the worship or service of God. The race of Abraham and the tribe of Levi were thus consecrated (Ex. 13:2, 12, 15; Num. 3:12). The Hebrews devoted their…
First-born, Redemption of — From the beginning the office of the priesthood in each family belonged to the eldest son. But when the extensive plan of sacrificial worship was introduced, requiring a company of men to be…
Gershon — =Ger’shom expulsion, the eldest of Levi’s three sons (Gen. 46:11; Ex. 6:16). In the wilderness the sons of Gershon had charge of the fabrics of the tabernacle when it was moved from place to place,…
Levite — A descendant of the tribe of Levi (Ex. 6:25; Lev. 25:32; Num. 35:2; Josh. 21:3, 41). This name is, however, generally used as the title of that portion of the tribe which was set apart for the…
Og — Gigantic, the king of Bashan, who was defeated by Moses in a pitched battle at Edrei, and was slain along with his sons (Deut. 1:4), and whose kingdom was given to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and…
Desert, Journey Of Israel Through The · Tribe of Levi taken instead of the first-born — Tribe of Levi taken instead of the first-born
First Born, The · Of Israel: Tribe of Levi taken for — Of Israel: Tribe of Levi taken for
Firstborn · Levites taken instead of firstborn of the families of Israel — Levites taken instead of firstborn of the families of Israel
Levites · Set apart as ministers of religion — Set apart as ministers of religion
Numbers 3:5-10
5. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
5. Loquutus est autem Jehova ad Mosen, dicendo:
6. Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.
6. Appropinquare fac tribum Levi, et siste eam coram Aharone sacerdote, ut ministret ei.
7. And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.
7. Et custodiant custodiam ejus, et custodiam universi coatus coram tabernaculo conventionis, ut exequantur cultum tabernaculi.
8. And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the ch…
God appointed the Levites for this service, because He had decided to adopt them as His own in the place of all the first-born of Egypt. When He slew the first-born of Egypt, He sanctified to Himself all the first-born of Israel, of man and beast, for His own possession (see Exo 13:1-2). By virtue of this sanctification, which was founded upon the adoption of the whole nation as His first-born son, the nation was required to dedicate to Him its first-born sons for service at the sanctuary, and sacrifice all the first-born of its cattle to Him. But now the Levites and their cattle were to be adopted in their place, and the first-born sons of Israel to be released in return (Num 3:40.). By thi…
The firstborn sons . . . of Israel belonged to God, having been spared when the Egyptian firstborn sons died (3:13; see Exod 11–12). The Levites were chosen . . . to serve as substitutes in their place.
Rashi on Numbers 3:12
ואני הנה לקחתי AND I, BEHOLD I HAVE TAKEN [THE LEVITES FROM AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL] — This means: And I — whence do “I” claim the right on them from among the children of Israel, that the Israelites should have to hire them (cf. Rashi on v. 8) for My service? It is through the firstborn — to whom I surely have a title — that I have a claim on them (the Levites) and so I take them in their (the firstborns’) stead. For originally the service (the priestly functions) was performed by the firstborn, but when they (the Israelites and among them their firstborn too) sinned by worshipping the golden calf they became disqualified, and the Levites who had not worshipped the idol were chosen in…
But, if it seems good, let us return once more to the very order of the history that is recounted in Numbers, and from it let us contemplate where and how the mystery of the firstborn ought to be sought. Let us therefore review more attentively how the twelve tribes are distributed by threes into four parts and settle in a fixed station at each of the quarters of the heavens, and we find Judah indeed stationed on the east with Issachar and Zebulun, but Reuben on the west with Simeon and Gad; on the south Ephraim with Benjamin and Manasseh, but on the north Dan with Naphtali and Asher. Out of all these, placed as it were around the four corners of the earth in a circuit, in the midst of them, as being nearest to God, around the very tabernacle of God, the Levites are stationed. In the camp of Judah indeed, which is on the east, Moses and Aaron; but in the camp of Reuben, Gershon; in the camp of Benjamin, Kohath; and where Dan set his camp, Merari is written to be placed; and so in the midst of the sons of Israel, on every side and round about, the sons of Levi seem to be inserted among the rest and interwoven, as it were. These are the things that the letter of the law sets forth for us, so that, gathering from them the seeds of the sacred mysteries, we may ascend as by certain steps from lowly things to lofty ones and from earthly things to heavenly ones. Ascend therefore now, O hearer, if you can, and be lifted up from earthly senses by the gaze of the mind and the keenness of the heart. Forget earthly things for a little while, and walk with the step of the mind above the clouds and above the very heaven. There seek the tabernacle of God, where as a forerunner for us Jesus entered and now stands before the face of God, interceding for us. There, I say, seek those fourfold orders and stations of the camps, there behold the Israelite ranks and the watches of the saints, and there examine those mysteries of the firstborn which we now seek here. But I do not dare to ascend there alone, I do not dare to plunge myself into these so secret recesses of the mysteries without the authority of some great teacher. I cannot ascend there unless Paul goes before me and himself shows me the way of this new and steep journey. He therefore, the greatest of the Apostles, who knew that there are many churches not only on earth but also in the heavens — of which John also…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Levites, The · Taken instead of the first-born of Israel — Taken instead of the first-born of Israel
Substitution · The Levites for the firstborn of the Israelites — The Levites for the firstborn of the Israelites
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
