Episode 829: Figures don't lie, Liars Figure

In Numbers 3:40-41, we read that God told Moses to number all the firstborn males from a month old and upwards, the reason being that all these first born should have died in Egypt. They escaped because of the Lord's mercy. So they belonged to the Lord. But the Lord said here, “Number the firstborn of the male sex of the children of Israel, from one month and upward, and thou shalt take the sum of them. And thou shalt take the Levites to me for all the firstborn of the children of Israel, I am the Lord: and their cattle for all the firstborn of the cattle of the children of Israel.” So Moses numbered all the firstborn and they were 22,273 in number (verse 43). Then he numbered the Levites and they were only 22,000. For the extra 273 firstborn, a redemption price had to paid. (verses 46-47).
So the Levites replaced the firstborn who should have belonged to the Lord. Now the Levites belonged to the Lord, and the Lord told them, “You shall possess nothing in their land, neither shall you have a portion among them: I am thy portion and inheritance” (Numbers 18:20). They were to be exclusively devoted to the Lord's service.