Moses counted, as Yahweh commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
Parallel translations
- KJV And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
- BSB So Moses numbered all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the LORD had commanded him.
- NKJV So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel, as the Lord commanded him.
- NASB So Moses counted all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded him;
- NLT So Moses counted the firstborn sons of the people of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Moses counted all Israel's firstborn as the Lord commanded. His obedience carried out the divine instruction precisely.
Overview
Moses faithfully numbered the firstborn of Israel according to God's word. The emphasis on doing 'as Yahweh commanded' again marks Moses as an obedient servant. This careful compliance prepares for the redemption calculation that follows.
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Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 3:42 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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