New American Standard Bible 1995

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Numbers

Note Journal Prayer

18

:

16

“

"As to their redemption price, from a month old you shall redeem them, by your valuation, five shekels in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.

Lexicon

Verse part Definition: Part of speech: Strong's: Hebrew: Transliteration:
"As to their redemption to ransom Verb H6299 וּפְדוּיָו֙ u·fe·du·yav
price, to ransom Verb H6299 תִּפְדֶּ֔ה tif·deh,
from a month new moon, a month Noun H2320 חֹ֣דֶשׁ cho·desh
old son Noun H1121 מִבֶּן־ mib·ben-
you shall redeem to ransom Verb H6299    
them, by your valuation, an order, row, estimate Noun H6187 בְּעֶ֨רְכְּךָ֔ be·'er·ke·cha,
five five Noun H2568 חֲמֵ֥שֶׁת cha·me·shet
Analysis:

Five: Incompletion or lacking

For a person to understand the meaning of the number “five”, one must first realize that the meaning of the number ten is completion or wholeness. Since five is half of ten, the idea is that the number five represents incompletion or that which is lacking. A Scripture that expresses this idea is found in the book of John. At a place called Beit Chesed (Bethesda), there was a pool whose waters healed the sick. The reader is told that around the pool there were five porches. It is stated that on these five porches laid individuals who were not whole. Some were paralyzed and the rest of them had a variety of health problems. It is not a chance happening that these people who were lacking their health were on five porches. Another well-known passage that contains the number five is found in I Samuel 17. In the account of David and Goliath, David picks up five stones (see I Samuel 17:40). Why is the reader told the specific number and not simply that David had gathered a few stones? The answer is to assist the reader in understanding that the stone, which David hurled at Goliath, was not the source of victory. Rather, this was only the means that God used to accomplish His victory. In other words, the stone and even David, who hurled this stone at Goliath, were insufficient to bring about this victory.

One of the first places where the idea of "lacking" or "incompleteness" is seen regarding the number five is in the book of Genesis. In chapter 18, two angels are sent to Sodom to destroy the city. God tells Abraham that if 50 righteous people are found in the city, then the city will be free of this punishment (We will learn that the number 50 is related to freedom when this number is studied). This is revealed to Abraham and he responds saying, perhaps the city will lack 50 righteous people by five. It is significant that Abraham uses the number five when referring to the city lacking enough righteous people. 

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shekels (a measure of weight) shekel Noun H8255 שְׁקָלִ֖ים she·ka·lim
in silver, silver, money Noun H3701 כֶּ֛סֶף ke·sef
according to the shekel (a measure of weight) shekel Noun H8255 בְּשֶׁ֣קֶל be·she·kel
of the sanctuary, apartness, sacredness Noun H6944 הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁ hak·ko·desh;
which he, she, it Pronoun H1931 הֽוּא׃ hu.
is twenty twenty Noun H6242 עֶשְׂרִ֥ים es·rim
gerahs. a gerah (one-twentieth of a shekel) Noun H1626 גֵּרָ֖ה ge·rah

Parallel Verses

Removed text
Added text
New American Standard Bible 1995 "As to their redemption price, from a month old you shall redeem them, by your valuation, five shekels in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.
King James Bible "As And those that are to their redemption price, be redeemed from a month old you shall redeem them, by your valuation, five shekels in silver, shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.
Hebrew Greek English "As to their redemption price, from a month old you shall redeem them, by your valuation, five shekels in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.