And for the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the first-born of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites: According to verse 39, there was a total number of 22,000 male Levites, while according to verse 43, there was a total of 22,273 firstborn Israelite sons, so there were 273 more firstborn Israelite sons than male Levites. Since all the firstborn Israelite sons belonged to God, the Israelites had to buy back the extra ones as a ransom to him. Good News Translation is probably easier to read here because after verse 46 it starts verse 47 with a new sentence; it also uses the figure “273” rather than spelling out the number. But “you must buy back the extra sons” in Good News Translation wrongly suggests in English that this command comes as something new and unexpected. Revised Standard Version is more accurate since in the Hebrew text the redemption (“the price of redemption” in New Revised Standard Version) of the 273 firstborn Israelite sons is almost taken for granted, and the text deals with how to redeem them. The Hebrew word for redemption is actually a participle, which King James Version reflects by beginning verse 46 with “And for those that are to be redeemed of….” Verse 46 in Good News Translation can be revised slightly to read “Since the firstborn Israelite sons to be redeemed [bought back] outnumber the Levites by 273, you must buy back those extra sons.” Another possible model is “To buy back the 273 of the firstborn Israelite sons that outnumber the male Levites, 27 you….”

You shall take five shekels apiece: The ransom price for each extra firstborn Israelite son is five shekels. Shekels does not refer to coins but to “pieces of silver” (Good News Translation) by weight. The standard shekel may have weighed about 11.4 grams (0.4 ounce), so five shekels is about 57 grams (2 ounces) of silver.

Reckoning by the shekel of the sanctuary indicates that there may have been a separate standard of weight used in the service of the Tabernacle. Many scholars believe it was double the weight of the shekel used in ordinary commerce. Good News Translation says “according to the official standard,” which does not show that this standard was connected to the sanctuary, that is, it was either kept at the Tabernacle, or it was the weighing system used there (different from the later royal standard). A better model here is “by the sacred standard” (Revised English Bible). For sanctuary, which renders the Hebrew word qodesh, see the comments on verse 28.

The shekel of twenty gerahs: The text specifies that this sanctuary weight of the shekel must equal twenty gerahs. The gerah was the smallest unit of weight, which was less than 0.6 gram (0.02 ounce). Good News Translation considers this phrase as unnecessary information, so it only renders the previous phrase, saying “according to the official standard.” Other possible models are “according to the standard weight of the Holy Place [or, Tabernacle]” and “weighed according to the correct [or, standard/official] weight.” In any case, this expression already occurs at Exo 30.13, so translators should reevaluate what was used there and either use the same expression if it is satisfactory or choose a revision to use at both places (see also Lev 27.25; Num 18.16).

You shall take them and give the money by which the excess number of them is redeemed to Aaron and his sons: The first pronoun them refers to the silver pieces collected to redeem the extra firstborn Israelite sons, and the second pronoun them refers to the firstborn Israelite sons. The Hebrew word for money is literally “silver” (New Living Translation). The silver had to be given to Aaron and his sons, that is, the priests.

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .