46 And for athe redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, bwho are more than the number of the Levites,
47 you shall take afive shekels for each one bindividually; you shall take them in the currency of the shekel of the sanctuary, cthe shekel of twenty gerahs.
48 And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is redeemed, to Aaron and his sons.”
49 So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those who were redeemed by the Levites.
50 From the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, aone thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.
51 And Moses agave their redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Originally, it appears that God set apart all firstborn children as His to be used in His service. When He instituted the Levitical priesthood, however, He substituted Levite priests for His service in place of the firstborn of the other tribes.
