Deuteronomy 15:19

15:19-23 Here is a direction what to do with the firstlings. We are not now limited as the Israelites were; we make no difference between a first calf, or lamb, and the rest. Let us then look to the gospel meaning of this law, devoting ourselves and the first of our time and strength to God; and using all our comforts and enjoyments to his praise, and under the direction of his law, as we have them all by his gift.

All the firstling males that come of thy herd, or of thy flock, thou shalt sanctify unto the Lord thy God,.... According to the law in Exodus 13:2 . See Gill on Exodus 13:2 ; See Gill on Exodus 13:12 ; See Gill on Exodus 13:13 , thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock: as to plough or tread out the corn with it, which were done with other heifers: nor shear the firstling of thy sheep; nor was the wool shorn of it to be made use of; one of the Jewish canons runs thus,"if any man weave an hand's breadth of the wool of a firstling into cloth, the cloth is to be burnt (l).'' (l) Misn. Orlah, c. 3. sect. 3.

Deuteronomy 15:19-20 . All the firstling males thou shalt sanctify — Giving them to God on the eighth day. And thou shalt do no work with the female firstlings of the cow, nor shear those of the sheep. Even these must be offered to God as peace-offerings, or used in a religious feast. Year by year — Namely, in the solemn feasts, which returned upon them every year.

(19) All the firstling males. . . . thou shalt sanctify — i.e., recognise them as the property of Jehovah by not using them for ordinary purposes. In Leviticus 27:26 we read, “No man shall sanctify it”— i.e., shall make it the subject of a special vow or dedication, because it already belongs to Jehovah. This is the only interpretation consistent with the context in Leviticus; for Deuteronomy 27 deals entirely with “voluntary” offerings, which are in a sense outside the Law. (See Notes at the commencement of Deuteronomy 28, 29).

Verses 19-23. - In Deuteronomy 12:6, 17 and in Deuteronomy 14:23 , reference is made to sacrificial meals, and to the appropriation of the firstlings of the herds and flocks thereto; Moses here reverts to this, and gives a fuller exposition of it. It is enjoined that, as all the firstborn were to be sanctified to the Lord ( Exodus 13:2-13 ), they were not to work with the firstborn of their cattle, either by yoking the bullock to the plough or wagon or by shearing the sheep: these belonged to God, and were not to be put to any vulgar uses of men; year by year they were to be brought to the sanctuary, offered as sacrifices, and eaten before the Lord. If any of the firstborn animals were blind, or lame, or in any way blemished, such was not to be offered to the Lord, but might be used as food in their ordinary places of residence (cf. Leviticus 22:19 , etc.). Deuteronomy 15:19

With the firstling of thy bullock: this is meant, either, 1. Of the male firstlings; which, they say, is forbidden here, because some did plough with the firstlings of their oxen, and shear the firstlings of their sheep, before they were offered. But this seems absurd and incredible, because they were to be offered on the eighth day, Exodus 22:30 , when they were very unfit for such uses. Or rather, 2. The second firstlings, of which see on Deu 12:17 .

Compare Exodus 13:11 ff. The directions of the preceding legislation (see Numbers 18:15 ff) are here assumed, with the injunction added, that the animals thus set apart to God Deuteronomy 15:19 were not to be used by their owners for their earthly purposes. It is further allowed that firstborn animals which had a blemish should be regarded as exceptions, and instead of being given to God might be used as food Deuteronomy 15:21-22 . The application of the firstborn of cattle is here directed as in Deuteronomy 12:6 , Deuteronomy 12:17 ; Deuteronomy 14:23 : they are to be consumed in the sacred Feasts at the sanctuary.

19 . firstling ] Heb. bekôr , firstborn both of men (e.g. Deuteronomy 21:15 f., Exodus 11:5 ) and of animals; either collectively or of the individual firstling. The root meaning is to break ; and bekôr is defined ( Exodus 13:2 ; Exodus 34:19 ) as that which openeth , or cleaveth, the womb . It covers, therefore, not the earliest births of every year in the herd or flock, but the firstborn of every dam. W. R. Smith, Rel. Sem . 443, compares the ambiguous Ar. fara ‘. Another form, bikku̅ri̅m , is applied to firstfruits in general; bikkurah is the early fig ( Micah 7:1 , etc.). males ] ‘At least a preference for male victims is found among the Semites generally, even where the deity is a goddess,’ W. R. Smith, Rel. Sem . 280 n.; with instances from the Semitic and African races. He connects the distinction on the one hand with the prevalence of kinship through women and on the other with the fact that the cow fosters man with its milk. thou shalt sanctify unto the Lord ] So P, Exodus 13:2 (but with a different form of the same vb.); J. Exodus 13:12 , thou shalt cause to pass over to Jehovah ; Exodus 34:19 , all that openeth the womb is mine . 19–23. Of Firstlings All male firstlings of herd and flock are to be sanctified to Jehovah; those of the ox shall not work nor those of the sheep be shorn; their flesh shall be eaten before the Lord by the offerer and his household at the One Altar year by year ( Deuteronomy 15:9 f.).

A blemished firstling shall not be sacrificed, but eaten at home under the conditions laid down ( Deuteronomy 12:20 ff.) for the profane slaughter and eating of animals ( Deuteronomy 15:21-23 ).—Sg. throughout. Steuern. takes Deuteronomy 15:21 and Deuteronomy 15:22 f. as probably later additions on the ground that the former is covered by Deuteronomy 17:1 , the latter by Deuteronomy 12:22 ff. But their repetition in this law is pertinent to its central purpose. For reasons why the law is placed just here see below on Deuteronomy 15:20 . The earliest law on firstlings is found in variant forms in J, Exodus 13:11-16 ; Exodus 34:19 f. and E, Exodus 22:2 f. (see the notes in Driver’s Exod. 108, 235, 370 ff. with comparative table). These enjoin the passing over or giving to the Lord of all firstborn males, both human and animal; those of men and ‘unclean’ animals (i.e. unfit for sacrifice) may be redeemed. D does not give so full a law on the subject, for his only intention is to adapt the practice enjoined in these earlier laws to the new conditions in which sacrifice is lawful only at the one shrine. Hence he says nothing of the firstborn of men or of unclean beasts. And hence he omits the provision in Exodus 22:29 f, that the firstlings of ox and sheep were to be taken from the dam after seven days and on the eighth given to the Lord; because, while this was practicable when there were many local shrines, it is no longer so when there is to be one altar.