John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 21:16
Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath ,.... By a will in writing, or byword of mouth, or by a deed of gift, actually bestowing his goods upon them, and dividing among them what he is for the present possessed of; see Luke 15:12 , that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn ; that is, when such is the case, that the son of his wife he has the least value for is really his firstborn,... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 21:15-17
This law restrains men from disinheriting their eldest sons out of mere caprice, and without just provocation. I. The case here put (Deut. 21:15) is very instructive. 1. It shows the great mischief of having more wives than one, which the law of Moses did not restrain, probably in hopes that men's own experience of the great inconvenience of it in families would at last put an end to it and make them a law to themselves. Observe the supposition here: If a man have two wives, it is a thousand... read more