First-born, Redemption of

The redemption of the first-born was a Mosaic ordinance requiring that all first-born males — both human and animal — be presented to the LORD as belonging to him, following the Passover event in which God struck Egypt's first-born and spared Israel's. First-born clean animals were sacrificed; first-born donkeys (unclean) were redeemed with a lamb or had their necks broken; and all first-born male children were redeemed by payment of five silver shekels to the priests (Numbers 18:15-16; Exodus 13:12; Exodus 22:29).

The theological rationale was memorial and covenantal: every first-born belonged to God because he had spared Israel's first-born in Egypt. When the Levites were consecrated to full-time priestly service (Numbers 3:11), they were accepted as substitutes for all the first-born of Israel, and the small numerical surplus of Israelite first-born over Levites (273) was resolved by the five-shekel redemption payment. Luke 2:22-24 records that Jesus, as the first-born son of Mary, was presented and redeemed at the temple according to this law — embedding the Son of God within the Mosaic ritual system he would fulfill.