Redemption of the Firstborn –
Pidyon HaBen
פדיון הבן
The blessing for this ceremony is also distinct –
al pidyon habechor =
for the redemption of the firstborn.
Some say
bechor
instead of
al pidyon haben – for the redemption of the son or
pidyon ha-ben – redemption of the son,
plural: Pidyon Ha-bonin, or Pidyon Ha-bens.
In Hebrew the word for redemption is
Pidyon פדיון
Ha Ben הבן
means: of the son.
What is redemption and why would it be needed?
Is there a cost, a price for redemption?
If there is a price – who is responsible to pay for it?
Pidyon- redemption, goes back to the days of Moses during the time the nation of Israel was in the wilderness on route from Egypt to the Promised Land.
Korah, who was a tribal leader in Israel, led a rebellion against Moses. As a member of the Levites, Korah was permitted to minister in the mishkan/tabernacle. However Korah was jealous of Aaron, the brother of Moses, who had been appointed High Priest, and he demanded that he be the one to serve as High Priest instead of Aaron.
The outcome of this rebellion is recorded in the Numbers as He, his followers, and their families and possessions were swallowed up by the ground in a judgment of God.
However in a wonderful picture of grace shown by our Heavenly Father, almost 400 years later, a few of his surviving descendants wrote some of the Psalms.
Psalm 49 is one of those credited to the sons of Korah; who, were fully aware of the consequences of sin and they wrote of redemption and its’ price in Psalm 49:6-9:
They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him; (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.
In the above passage, it is clearly stated that while many choose to trust in their riches and even boast in them, there is at least one thing that all their riches are unable to pay for. No amount of earthly riches can secure redemption and rescue from sin and corruption.
The word corruption used here is the word
pit
and refers to
the final destination of those who have rejected Our Heavenly Father and His Messiah.
As noted the word redemption in Hebrew is
Pidyon – פדיון
and in traditional Hebrew it refers to:
a price that must be paid: to redeem, to rescue, or to deliver someone.
Its’ root is a legal term that concerns:
the substitution required for a person to be delivered from bondage.
Pidyon HaBen is usually referred to as the
redemption of the firstborn.
It is a mitzvah/commandment in Hebraic life because the first and best of all things belong to our Heavenly Father and this includes the firstborn of all children. We see evidence of this in the lives of the early patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and even Jacob who received the blessing of the firstborn through transfer from Esau.
The firstborn child of every Israelite parent received the birthright, which made him the head of the entire family clan.
A pidyon haben,
or
redemption of the firstborn son,
is a ceremony where the father of a firstborn son/bechor, born to Israelite parents redeems his son/bechor by giving a Kohen or Levi (a priestly descendent of Aaron) five silver coins, thirty days after the baby’s birth and only if male and not by caesarean.
Interpretations differ in what the firstborn son is to be redeemed from, ranging from being redeemed from their firstborn status, which brought negative associations following the Ten Plagues. In Exodus the 10th plague was death to all first born in Egypt but the Israelites were spared because they followed God’s instructions. As a result God declared that every first born son and every firstborn of their animals belonged to Him. Because the Israelites had been saved by God’s hand, they were now to be servants and priests before Him.
Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. Exodus 9:1
You are free, but still you are God’s servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong 1Peter 2:16
We are set free to serve Him, not ourselves.
Originally, the Israelites firstborn were the priestly class and would serve as the priests and ministers to the Lord. He was to be the priest (kohen) of the family. As the bechor, he was responsible to offer avodah /sacrifice.
Ever since the golden calf incident when they forfeited their status, the priesthood was transferred to the children of Aaron. Of all the tribes, only the tribe of Levi was not guilty of participating; because of this the Lord decreed that the Levites were to take the place of the firstborn sons of Israel. Numbers 3:11–12.
Luke 2:25 – 33
Several years after the Israelites departure from Egypt these firstborn sons became the priesthood of the Israelite nation.
However as The Lord began to reveal more of His plan for His people, He designated an entire tribe for this holy purpose. The sons of Levi were chosen as recorded in Numbers 8:14–18. However this presented a problem of what to do with the previously appointed firstborn sons.
In the Torah, (first 5 books of the Old Testament), God gives a solution by specifying that the firstborn sons
be redeemed and
bought back for service other than full-time priesthood.
Since the days of Moses the custom of pidyon ha ben has been a important event in the biblical life cycle. As mentioned in Numbers 18:6 the timing of pidyon ha ben is one month after a boy’s birth. In biblical times, this would require the father to take his new born son into the Tabernacle or Temple where he would offer a specific amount of money for the baby boys’ redemption. The exact amount is stated – five shekels of Silver.
Because Joseph and Mary were obedient to the instructions given in Torah, they brought the newborn baby boy to the Temple in Jerusalem to fulfill their obligations.
This obligation was two fold:
1st according to Leviticus 12:8, to ceremonially cleanse the mother and make the required sacrifices.
Yeshua/Jesus’ family was not wealthy and in verse 24 we read that Joseph and Mary may have been relatively poor as they presented the less expensive offering of pigeons/doves.
The 2nd part was to redeem the firstborn son through the pidyon ha ben ceremony and Yeshua/Jesus was not exempt from this redemption; because every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord.
Exodus 11:45, 12:29 – 30 and Exodus 13:2, 12, 15 record the observance of the above.
The purification of the mother is described in Leviticus 12:1-8
The firstborn of every house was required to live a dedicated life, and to think of himself as consecrated to special duties. In Hebrews 12:23 it speaks of the firstborn and of the thought referring to the whole company of those who are the firstborn, as they are also the firstfruits of humanity James 1:18.
They brought Messiah to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord. Because the law required that by the end of forty days from His birth, He should be presented in the Temple and that the usual offerings should be made; it seems that Mary and Joseph considered it more convenient to go from Bethlehem, where He was born. It would seem a better proposition as this was only six miles away, instead of after Mary’s recovery, first taking Him to Nazareth, which was a great distance from Jerusalem. We can, reasonably enough believe that they waited in Bethlehem during all the days of her purification, and that they went straight to Jerusalem from Bethlehem.
They entered the temple, and offered the sacrifices necessary for the purification of women after child-bearing, who, according to custom, waited in the Outer Court until the ceremony was performed.
As it is written, Every male that openeth the womb, And to offer a sacrifice, a pair of turtle doves.
Those who were wealthy were commanded to bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering, and a turtle-dove, or a young pigeon, for a sin-offering.
It is interesting that Luke mentions the presentation of the child to the Lord before the offering of the sacrifice for the mother’s purification; but in fact this should have been before the presentation, because, until it was performed, the mother couldn’t enter the Temple; and Luke introduces both the parents as presenting the child?
The deeper meaning of:
present Him to the Lord –
meant that every first-born male child
among the Israelites was regarded as
holy to the Lord, Exodus 13:2.
By their being
holy unto the Lord
meant that
the office of priests belonged to them.
It was theirs
to be set apart to the service of God –
to offer sacrifice, and to perform the priestly duties.
It is probable that at first, these duties which were transferred onto the “father,” were, when he became infirm or died, transferred to the eldest son; and the duty of leading family worship should be performed by the eldest son. Afterward, God chose the tribe of Levi in the place of the eldest sons, to serve Him in the sanctuary, Numbers 8:13-18.
Yet it was still necessary to present the child to God, and it was required that it should be done with an offering.
Though most translations read their, it was only the mother who needed purifying from the uncleanness of childbearing.
It was in obedience to this law of Moses, that Mary presented her son unto the Lord, in the
East Gate of the Court called Nicanor’s Gate,
(see last post for location of this gate);
where she herself would be sprinkled by the priest with
the blood of her sacrifice!
In her case the 2 birds, two turtle doves, or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering, the other for a sin offering.
In due time, we were all to be redeemed by that firstborn son and His Blood is over us.
not with corruptible things as silver and gold,
but with the precious blood of Christ. 1Pe. 1:18, 19.
The consuming of the mother’s burnt offering, and that she was sprinkled with the blood of her sin offering, were to find their eternal transferral, in the fullness of her first born son whose blood which cleanseth from all sin.
All was done obediently, according to the law of Moses.
Leviticus 12:1.
And here Mary appeared with her firstborn son, the true Messiah; and this was the first time of His coming into His temple, as was foretold, Malachi 3:1.
Luke 2:22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; 23 As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord; 24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
Hebrews 10:14 14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified (set apart).
Hebrew # H5680 One From Beyond
Chart of The Ancient Hebrew pictographs
and for the word Pidyon.
Pidyon, as used here, is spelled
Pey Dalet Yood Vav Noon.
פדיון
Pey 
is the picture of
the open mouth 
and means to speak.
Dalet 
is the picture of
the door 
and refers to a doorway, a place of decision,
or an entrance to life or death.
Yood
is the picture of
the hand or arm
and points us to a mighty work or deed.
Vav
is the picture of
the wooden peg or the iron nail
and means
to fasten or to secure two things that are separated from one another.
Noon
is the picture of the fish
and describes activity or life.
The message found in the pictographs is that:
He is declaring an entrance or a pathway that will require a mighty deed to secure life.
As we have read, NO amount of money will perform this mighty deed, something else will be needed.
Recall that Hebrew letters are also numbers, and each hold a certain meaning according to how they are used in the rest of the Bible.
They reveal a little more about this:
mighty deed that no amount of money can buy.
For more details on the Alefbet/Alphabet click link below
https://www.minimannamoments.com/ancient-pictographic-hebrew-language/
Pey is the number 80 and means a new beginning and a new birth.
Dalet is the number 4 and refers to creation.
Yood is the number 10 and stands for ordinal perfection.
Vav is the number 6 and reveals man’s enmity/separation from God.
Noon is the number 50 and describes deliverance followed by rest.
The Sons of Korah wrote in the Psalms that no one is able to pay the price of redemption.
Did they leave us with a question as to how anyone will ever be delivered from bondage?
Through the meaning in the numbers there is something else found in Pidyon that brings great hope and it’s that this:
redemption will bring a new birth or a new beginning for all creation. It has been ordained in heaven, and it is the answer to the enmity/separation between us and our Heavenly Father, and it will result in our deliverance followed by rest.
Hebrews 10:12 describes this person.
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.
Here we read of a man who was able to pay the price necessary for mankind to be delivered from the bondage of sin.
Mark 10: 45, identifies this man more fully, and the mighty deed/work which He did is also revealed:
For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
In Ps 49:15 We read that the Sons of Korah knew that God would someday provide a way for us to be redeemed.
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me.
One other connection with the Torah requirement in the Mosaic Covenant and Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, is that because He was Mary’s firstborn son, and Mary was of the kingly lineage of the tribe of Judah; He was not of the priestly tribe of Levi or the sub clan of the kohanim; so, according to the directions given in the Torah, He must be redeemed. His presentation at the Temple was to have the Kohanim/Levites represent His avodah/His service then, was ironically fulfilled at the end of His life when He was killed by their counsel!
John 11:49–52
And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, 50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
Avodah. עֲבוֹדָה;
in Hebrew is literally “service”
the word jointly means work, worship, and sacred service.
Avodah, is the same word used for prayer and also the word for slavery, which is involuntary service.
There is irony here in that those appointed to redeem Him as His kohanim, according to the terms of the Mosaic covenant, were the very ones who made Him our Redeemer. In other words those who were appointed to represent Messiah Yeshua/Jesus before His Father God, were the very ones who later offered Him up as a sacrifice for our sins. Our Heavenly Father is truly God of all gods and King of all kings because His ways are so far beyond our ways!
In 1Tim 2:5,6 the mystery is completed and Paul reveals the name of the One who was able to pay the Pidyon:
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
