Verse-by-Verse Bible CommentaryDeuteronomy 15:19
"You shall consecrate to the LORD your God all the firstborn males that are born of your herd and of your flock; you shall not work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. Jump to: Gill's Exposition • Geneva Study Bible • Commentary Critical and Explanatory • Wesley's Notes • Calvin's Commentary • Coke's Commentary • Poole's Annotations • Haydock's Catholic Commentary • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes • Commentary Critical and Explanatory - Unabridged • Ellicott's Commentary • Treasury of Knowledge Other Authors
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole BibleAll 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 Copyright Statement Bibliography Geneva Study BibleAll the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the LORD thy God: h thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep.(h) For they are the Lords. Copyright Statement Bibliography Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole BibleAll the firstling males of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the Lord thy God — [See on Exodus 13:2 ]; see Exodus 22:30). thou shalt do not work with the firstling of thy bullock — that is, the second firstlings (see Deuteronomy 12:17, Deuteronomy 12:18; Deuteronomy 14:23). Copyright Statement Bibliography Wesley's Explanatory NotesAll the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep. 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. Copyright Statement Bibliography Calvin's Commentary on the Bible19.All the firstling males. Another caution is added, that they should make no profit of the first-born; for they might have used the labor of the ox in plowing, or as a beast of burden; they might also have sheared the lambs, and have afterwards brought a deteriorated animal into the tabernacle. God commands, therefore, that what was due to Him should be honestly and absolutely paid. But, if good laws sprang from evil habits, it hence appears with what audacious greediness men have ever been led away to wicked gains, since it was necessary that they should be prohibited by an express edict from seeking to enrich themselves at God’s expense. Wherefore, it is not to be wondered at that men are acute and sagacious in cheating each other, since they by no means hesitate to deceive God by wicked artifices. Copyright Statement Bibliography Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy BibleVer. 19. Thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, &c.— This would be better rendered, with the firstling of thy herd. Beside the firstling males, which were given to the priests, there were firstling females, which were first offered as peace-offerings to God, and then, after the priest had his share, the owner feasted upon the rest with his friends. See the next verse. Le Clerc, however, takes firstling here, as in other places, in a figurative sense, for the prime or select cattle; such as were only fit to be offered to God. The original word, rendered in the latter clause shear, as Calmet observes, signifies to pluck off: and Varro tells us, this was the method of fleecing sheep before that of shearing was found out. Prius lanae vulsuram, quam tonsuram inventam; and Pliny assures us, that the same custom still subsisted in his time, lib. 8: cap. 48. REFLECTIONS.—1st, Every seventh year the servants who had sold themselves, &c. were discharged. Note; God's spiritual Israel are called to liberty; and though their ear is bored to serve their divine Master for ever, yet his service is their happy freedom.—If a servant was discharged, he must not be sent away empty, but supplied, according to his master's abilities, with the means to procure himself a future livelihood. Note; If our Master in heaven has been kind to us, in filling our cup with affluence, it is but reasonable that we should shew kindness to our poor tenants and servants, that so they may be made happy in our service. 2nd, We are now delivered from the burdensome rites of the ceremonial law; and all ceremonial distinctions have ceased: but one obligation remains perpetual, that we should offer up ourselves, as first-fruits, to God and to the Lamb, to be living sacrifices, employed in his work, and devoted to his glory. Copyright Statement Bibliography Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy BibleWith 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 Deuteronomy 12:17. Copyright Statement Bibliography George Haydock's Catholic Bible CommentaryFirstlings. Some belonged to the priests. Others, of which Moses speaks here, might be disposed of by the owners, chap. xii. 17. (Calmet) --- Thus females, which came first, belonged to them, but they could not work with them; (Menochius) with such at least as were the best, and fattened for a religious feast. Sheep designed for this purpose were not to be shorn; or, as the original term means, their wool was not to be "torn away." Bellon observes, that this is still the custom in some parts of the East, as it was formerly in Italy, according to Varro. Pliny ([Natural History?] viii. 48,) also remarks, that fleece was torn off in some places, (Calmet) and the same method is said to prevail still in Shetland. (Haydock) Copyright Statement Bibliography E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible NotesAll, &c. Compare Exodus 34:19, Exodus 34:20. Copyright Statement Bibliography Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - UnabridgedAll the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep. All the firstling males ... thou shalt sanctify - (see the note at Exodus 22:30.) Thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock - i:e., the second firstlings (see the notes at Deuteronomy 12:17-18; Deuteronomy 14:23). Copyright Statement Bibliography Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(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). Copyright Statement Bibliography Treasury of Scripture KnowledgeAll the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep.
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