SANCTIONS AND DOMINION - EntreWave

AppendixThe Meaning of Firstborn at PassoverBecause of the problem of the 27-to-one ratio, Bible-believingcommentators who understand the nature of the demographic problemhave frequently dealt with it by altering the definition of firstborn inNumbers 3. They employ a different definition for the Passover. Weshall see why this is the case in the sections on the proposed solutions.Numbers 3:40 reads: "And the LORD said unto Moses, Number allthe firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month oldand upward, and take the number of their names." This is the samelanguage that is used in the previous verse: "All that were numberedof the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at thecommandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the malesfrom a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand." All ofthe male Levites were numbered. The parallel language for thefirstborn seems to exclude the possibility that firstborn was limited tothose sons under age 20. (23) But is this conclusion correct?On the other hand, is it possible that firstborn only referred to malesunder age 20? Consider the survival of the Egyptian army. The deathof the firstborn in Egypt did not seem to afflict adults. "And it came topass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land ofEgypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto thefirstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstbornof cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants,and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for therewas not a house where there was not one dead" (Ex. 12:29-30).Pharaoh survived; so did the captive in prison. The phrase, "thecaptive," is a representative term: a head of household. So, the adulthead of household survived if he had a firstborn son living at home.Egypt's firstborn male offspring, at least minors living at home, didnot survive. All of Pharaoh's servants arose. All of the Egyptiansarose. What can this mean? It means that the adults under Pharaoh'scommand survived, but their firstborn sons did not. One male wasdead in a family, but not two, i.e., both father (if he was a firstbornson) and son.Pharaoh still commanded an army. Were the survivors all youngerhttp://freebooks.commentary.net/freebooks/docs/html/gnsd/appendix.htm (11 of 35) [5/26/2000 1:32:07 PM]