Numbers 18:15

Young's Literal Translation

every one opening a womb of all flesh which they bring near to Jehovah, among man and among beast, is thine; only, thou dost certainly ransom the first-born of man, and the firstling of the unclean beast thou dost ransom.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Everything that opens the womb, of all flesh which they offer to the LORD, both of man and animal shall be your: nevertheless the firstborn of man shall you surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals shall you redeem.

King James Version
Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh, which they bring unto the Lord , whether it be of men or beasts, shall be thine: nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.

Lexham English Bible
All the first offspring of a womb of any creature that they offer to Yahweh, whether human or animal, will be yours; you will surely redeem the firstborn of the human and the unclean firstborn of the animal.

New Century Version
The first one born to any family, whether people or animals, will be offered to the Lord . And that will be yours. But you must make a payment for every firstborn child and every firstborn animal that is unclean.

New English Translation
The firstborn of every womb which they present to the Lord , whether human or animal, will be yours. Nevertheless, the firstborn sons you must redeem, and the firstborn males of unclean animals you must redeem.

Amplified Bible
"Every firstborn of the womb of all flesh, whether it is man or animal, which they bring to the LORD, shall be yours; nevertheless, the firstborn of man you shall most certainly redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem.

New American Standard Bible
"Every firstborn of the womb of all flesh, whether human or animal, which they offer to the LORD, shall be yours; however you must redeem the human firstborn, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem.

Geneva Bible (1587)
All that first openeth the matrice of any flesh, which they shal offer vnto the Lord, of man or beast, shalbe thine: but the first borne of man shalt thou redeeme, and the first borne of the vncleane beast shalt thou redeeme.

Legacy Standard Bible
Every first issue of the womb of all flesh, whether man or animal, which they bring near to Yahweh, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem.

Contemporary English Version
The first-born son in every Israelite family, as well as the first-born males of their flocks and herds, belong to me. But a first-born son and every first-born donkey must be bought back from me.

Complete Jewish Bible
"Everything that comes first out of the womb, of all living things which they offer to Adonai , whether human or animal, will be yours. However, the firstborn of a human being you must redeem, and the firstborn of an unclean beast you are to redeem.

Darby Translation
Everything that breaketh open the womb of all flesh, which they present to Jehovah, of men or of beasts, shall be thine; nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou in any case ransom, and the firstborn of unclean beasts shalt thou ransom.

Easy-to-Read Version
"A woman's first baby and an animal's first baby must be given to the Lord . That baby will belong to you. If the firstborn animal is unclean, then it must be bought back. If the baby is a child, that child must be bought back.

English Standard Version
Everything that opens the womb of all flesh, whether man or beast, which they offer to the Lord , shall be yours. Nevertheless, the firstborn of man you shall redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem.

George Lamsa Translation
Everything that opens the womb of all flesh which they offer to the LORD, whether it be of man or beasts, shall be yours; nevertheless the first-born of man shall you surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shall you redeem.

Good News Translation
"Every first-born child or animal that the Israelites present to me belongs to you. But you must accept payment to buy back every first-born child, and must also accept payment for every first-born animal that is ritually unclean.

Christian Standard Bible®
The firstborn of every living thing, human or animal, presented to the Lord belongs to you. But you must certainly redeem a human firstborn, and redeem the firstborn of an unclean animal.

Literal Translation
every one opening a womb of all flesh which they offer to Jehovah, among man and among animal, shall be yours. Only, you shall certainly redeem the first-born of man, and you shall redeem the firstling of the unclean beasts.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
All that breaketh the Matrix amonge all flesh, which they brynge vnto the LORDE, whether it be man or beest, shalbe thine. But so, that thou cause the firstborne of ma to be redemed, and that thou cause the first borne of vncleane beestes to be redemed also

American Standard Version
Everything that openeth the womb, of all flesh which they offer unto Jehovah, both of man and beast shall be thine: nevertheless the first-born of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.

Bible in Basic English
The first birth of every living thing which is offered to the Lord, of man or beast, is to be yours; but for the first sons of man payment is to be made, and for the first young of unclean beasts.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
All that breaketh the matrice in all fleshe that men bryng vnto the Lorde, whether it be of men or beastes, shalbe thyne: Neuerthelater, the first borne of man shalt thou redeeme, & the first borne of vncleane beastes shalt thou redeeme.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Every thing that openeth the womb, of all flesh which they offer unto the LORD, both of man and beast, shall be thine; howbeit the first-born of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.

King James Version (1611)
Euery thing that openeth the matrice in all flesh, which they bring vnto the Lord, whether it bee of men or beasts, shall be thine: Neuertheles the first borne of man shalt thou surely redeeme, and the firstling of vncleane beasts shalt thou redeeme.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And every thing that opens the womb of all flesh, whatsoever they bring to the Lord, whether man or beast, shall be thine: only the first-born of men shall be surely redeemed, and thou shalt redeem the first-born of unclean cattle.

English Revised Version
Every thing that openeth the womb, of all flesh which they offer unto the LORD, both of man and beast, shall be thine: nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.

Berean Standard Bible
The firstborn of every womb, whether man or beast, that is offered to the LORD belongs to you. But you must surely redeem every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
What euer thing `schal breke out first of the wombe of al fleisch, which fleisch thei offren to the Lord, whether it is of men, ethir of beestis, it schal be of thi riyt; so oneli that thou take prijs for the firste gendrid child of man, and that thou make ech beeste which is vncleene to be bouyt ayen;

Update Bible Version
Everything that opens the womb, of all flesh which they offer to Yahweh, both of man and beast shall be yours: nevertheless the first-born of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean beasts you shall redeem.

Webster's Bible Translation
Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh, which they bring to the LORD, [whether] of men or beast, shall be thine: nevertheless, the first born of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.

World English Bible
Everything that opens the womb, of all flesh which they offer to Yahweh, both of man and animal shall be your: nevertheless the firstborn of man shall you surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals shall you redeem.

New King James Version
"Everything that first opens the womb of all flesh, which they bring to the LORD, whether man or beast, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem.

New Living Translation
"The firstborn of every mother, whether human or animal, that is offered to the Lord will be yours. But you must always redeem your firstborn sons and the firstborn of ceremonially unclean animals.

New Life Bible
Every first-born of all flesh, man or animal, which they give to the Lord, will be yours. But you must pay the price and make free the first-born of man and the first-born of animals that are unclean.

New Revised Standard
The first issue of the womb of all creatures, human and animal, which is offered to the Lord , shall be yours; but the firstborn of human beings you shall redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
every thing that is born first of all flesh that may be offered unto Yahweh among men and among beasts, shall be thine, - only thou shalt, redeem, the firstborn of men, and the firstborn of unclean beasts, shalt thou redeem.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Whatsoever is firstborn of all flesh, which they offer to the Lord, whether it be of men, or of beasts, shall belong to thee: only for the firstborn of man thou shalt take a price, and every beast that is unclean thou shalt cause to be redeemed,

Revised Standard Version
Everything that opens the womb of all flesh, whether man or beast, which they offer to the LORD, shall be yours; nevertheless the first-born of man you shall redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts you shall redeem.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Every first issue of the womb of all flesh, whether man or animal, which they offer to the LORD, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem.

Contextual Overview

⁸ And Jehovah speaketh unto Aaron: `And I, lo, I have given to thee the charge of My heave-offerings, of all the hallowed things of the sons of Israel -- to thee I have given them for the anointing, and to thy sons, by a statute age-during. <sup>9</sup> This is thine of the most holy things, from the fire: all their offering, to all their present, and to all their sin-offering, and to all their guilt-offering, which they give back to Me, is most holy to thee, and to thy sons; <sup>10</sup> in the holy of holies thou dost eat it; every male doth eat it; holy it is to thee. <sup>11</sup> `And this [is] thine: the heave-offering of their gift, to all the wave-offerings of the sons of Israel, to thee I have given them, and to thy sons, and to thy daughters with thee, by a statute age-during; every clean one in thy house doth eat it; ¹² all the best of the oil, and all the best of the new wine, and wheat -- their first-[fruits] which they give to Jehovah -- to thee I have given them. ¹³ `The first-fruits of all that [is] in their land, which they bring in to Jehovah, are thine; every clean one in thy house doth eat it; <sup>14</sup> every devoted thing in Israel is thine, <sup>15</sup> every one opening a womb of all flesh which they bring near to Jehovah, among man and among beast, is thine; only, thou dost certainly ransom the first-born of man, and the firstling of the unclean beast thou dost ransom. <sup>16</sup> `And their ransomed ones from a son of a month, thou dost ransom with thy valuation, of silver, five shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary, twenty gerahs it [is]. ¹⁷ `Only, the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou dost not ransom, holy they [are]: their blood thou dost sprinkle on the altar, and of their fat thou makest perfume, a fire-offering of sweet fragrance to Jehovah,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

openeth: Numbers 3:13, Exodus 13:2, Exodus 13:12, Exodus 22:29, Exodus 34:20, Leviticus 27:26

the firstborn: Exodus 13:13, Exodus 34:20, Leviticus 27:27

Reciprocal: Exodus 34:19 - openeth Numbers 3:15 - General Numbers 3:41 - General Numbers 3:46 - redeemed Deuteronomy 12:6 - tithes Deuteronomy 15:19 - thou shalt do Nehemiah 10:36 - the firstborn Luke 2:23 - Every

Cross-References

Genesis 4:9
And Jehovah saith unto Cain, `Where [is] Abel thy brother?' and he saith, `I have not known; my brother's keeper -- I?'

Genesis 12:13
say, I pray thee, thou [art] my sister, so that it is well with me because of thee, and my soul hath lived for thy sake.'

Genesis 18:25
Far be it from Thee to do according to this thing, to put to death the righteous with the wicked; that it hath been -- as the righteous so the wicked -- far be it from Thee; doth the Judge of all the earth not do justice?'

Genesis 18:27
And Abraham answereth and saith, `Lo, I pray thee, I have willed to speak unto the Lord, and I -- dust and ashes;

Job 2:10
And he saith unto her, `As one of the foolish women speaketh, thou speakest; yea, the good we receive from God, and the evil we do not receive.' In all this Job hath not sinned with his lips.

Psalms 44:21
Doth not God search out this? For He knoweth the secrets of the heart.

Proverbs 12:19
The lip of truth is established for ever, And for a moment -- a tongue of falsehood.

Proverbs 28:13
Whoso is covering his transgressions prospereth not, And he who is confessing and forsaking hath mercy.

Mark 2:8
And immediately Jesus, having known in his spirit that they thus reason in themselves, said to them, `Why these things reason ye in your hearts?

John 2:25
and because he had no need that any should testify concerning man, for he himself was knowing what was in man.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh,.... The firstborn of every creature:

which they bring unto the Lord; as they were obliged, he claiming it as his own, Exodus 13:2;

[whether it be] of men or beasts, shall be thine; every firstborn of either, being the Lord's, became the priest's by his gift:

nevertheless, the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem; that is, take the redemption price for it, which was five shekels, as in

Numbers 18:16; for the original proprietor was, strictly speaking, the redeemer, and paid the money, and the priest was the receiver, to whom it was paid; see Exodus 13:13;

and the firstlings of unclean beasts shall thou redeem; with lambs, as an ass, which is put for unclean beasts, is ordered to be redeemed with a lamb, or its neck to be broken, Exodus 13:13; the Africans, the shepherds among them, as Herodotus relates k, of their firstlings they cut off the ear of the beast and throw it over a house, and then turn its neck back, for they worship only the sun and moon; which seems to be an imitation of this law.

k Melpomene, sive, l. 4. c. 188.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Surely redeem ... redeem - A stronger expression is intentionally used in reference to the redemption of the first-born of man than in reference to that of unclean beasts. For the rule as to the former admitted of no exception: the owner of the latter, if unwilling to redeem, might destroy the beasts. Compare the marginal references.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 18:15. The first-born of man - and the firstling of unclean beasts — Thus vain man is ranked with the beasts that perish; and with the worst kinds of them too, those deemed unclean.