John Gill Commentary Numbers 18:15

"Everything that openeth the womb, of all flesh which they offer unto Jehovah, both of man and beast shall be thine: nevertheless the first-born of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem." — Numbers 18:15 (ASV)

Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh
The firstborn of every creature:

which they bring unto the Lord ;
as they were obliged, he claiming it as his own, (Exodus 13:2) ;

[whether it be] of men or beasts, shall be yours ;
every firstborn of either, being the Lord's, became the priest's by his gift:

nevertheless, the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem ;
that is, take the redemption price for it, which was five shekels, as in (Numbers 18:16) ; for the original proprietor was, strictly speaking, the redeemer, and paid the money, and the priest was the receiver, to whom it was paid; see (Exodus 13:13) ;

and the firstlings of unclean beasts you shall redeem ;
with lambs, as an ass, which is put for unclean beasts, is ordered to be redeemed with a lamb, or its neck to be broken, (Exodus 13:13) ; the Africans, the shepherds among them, as Herodotus relates ^F11 , of their firstlings they cut off the ear of the beast and throw it over a house, and then turn its neck back, for they worship only the sun and moon; which seems to be an imitation of this law.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F11: Melpomene, sive, l. 4. c. 188.