Translations
KJVPrimary
King James VersionFor they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me.
F.O.G.Secondary
The F.O.Gfor they are entirely given over to Me from among the b'nei Yisrael. In place of every one who opens the womb — the firstborn of all Yisrael — I have taken them for Myself.
F.O.G.M.
F.O.G Messagefor they are wholly Mine, taken from among the Israelites. I have claimed them for Myself in place of every firstborn — every child who first opens the womb in Israel.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleFor the Levites have been wholly given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself in place of all who come first from the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel.
Footnotes
The Hebrew uses an emphatic doubled form: *netunin nettunim* ("given, given" — wholly given over). This is not partial dedication but total consecration expressed through grammatical repetition. The phrase *peter kol-rechem* ("opener of every womb") directly echoes Exodus 13, where the firstborn was claimed by YHWH in the wake of Passover. The Levites thus serve as a permanent, living redemption of Israel's firstborn — a covenantal substitution woven into the fabric of national life. FOG renders "entirely given over" to honour the doubled construction; FOG Message uses "wholly Mine," drawing out the possessive claim at the heart of the covenant.
