A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men.
Each man paid a bekah (which is half a shekel, measured by the sanctuary's standard weight) for everyone who was counted in the census. This included all men from twenty years old and older, totaling 603,550 men.
This verse records that every adult man in Israel contributed half a shekel to the sanctuary, and the census counted 603,550 men aged twenty and older.
📚 Historical Context
This verse is part of the detailed account of building the tabernacle in the wilderness. The half-shekel tax was used to fund the construction and maintenance of the sanctuary. This census and tax collection happened during Israel's time in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt, establishing both their population count and a system for supporting their place of worship.
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