Category:Redemption of First-born

---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

Redemption of First-born - 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requiring a company of men to be exclusively devoted to this ministry, the primitive office of the first-born was superseded by that of the Levites (Numbers 3:11), and it was ordained that the first-born of man and of unclean animals should henceforth be redeemed (Numbers 18:15). The laws concerning this redemption of the first-born of man are recorded in Exodus 13:12; Exodus 22:29; Exodus 34:20; Numbers 3:45; Numbers 8:17; Numbers 18:16; Leviticus 12:2, Leviticus 12:4. The first-born male of every clean animal was to be given up to the priest for sacrifice (Deuteronomy 12:6; Exodus 13:12; Exodus 34:20; Numbers 18:15). But the first-bornn of unclean animals was either to be redeemed or sold and the price given to the priest (Leviticus 27:11, Leviticus 27:27). The first-born of a donkey, if not redeemed, was to be put to death (Exodus 13:13; Exodus 34:20.