John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 22:26
And the Lord spake unto Moses ,.... At the same time, as before, in a continued discourse, the subject being of the same kind, relating to sacrifices: saying , as follows. read more
And the Lord spake unto Moses ,.... At the same time, as before, in a continued discourse, the subject being of the same kind, relating to sacrifices: saying , as follows. read more
When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth ,.... Those three are only mentioned, because they were only made use of in sacrifice, to which this law refers: then it shall be seven days under the dam ; whether a calf, or a lamb, or a kid of the goats; it was not to be taken from its dam and killed, either for food or sacrifice, before it was seven days old: Fagius says, the Hebrews give two reasons why a creature might not be offered before the eighth day; one is, that a... read more
And whether it be cow or ewe ,.... Or "an ox or sheep" F6 שור או שה "bovem vel pecus", Pagninus, Montanus, &c.; , for this law, as Aben Ezra says, respects both male and female, and neither the one nor the other with their young might be slain; though Jarchi says, the custom is concerning the female, for it is forbidden to slay the dam and its son, or daughter; but it is not the custom concerning males, wherefore it is lawful to slay the father and the son: ye shall not... read more
And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the Lord ,.... Which was a sort of peace offering, distinct from freewill offerings and vows before spoken of: offer it at your own will ; just what they pleased, whether a bullock, a sheep, or a goat, and whether a male or female; these were left to their own option, or for acceptation to you, as the Targum of Jonathan, and so Jarchi; that is, it was right in them, and they ought to be careful to offer it in such manner, that it... read more
On the same day it shall be eaten up ,.... Which is the law concerning it; See Gill on Leviticus 7:15 , ye shall leave none of it till the morning ; of another day, as the Vulgate Latin version adds, and much less the fat of them, and the most holy things, as Ben Gersom observes, the one being to be burnt upon the altar, the other to be eaten by the priests I am the Lord ; who has made this law, and expect it will be observed. read more
When a bullock - is brought forth - This is a most unfortunate as well as absurd translation. The creature called an ox is a bull castrated; surely then a bullock was never yet brought forth! The original word שור shor signifies a bull, a bullock, or indeed any thing of the neat kind: here, even common sense required that it should be translated calf; and did I not hold myself sacredly bound to print the text of the common version with scrupulous exactness, I should translate the former... read more
Ye shall not kill it and her young in one day - This precept was certainly intended to inculcate mercy and tenderness of heart; and so the Jews understood it. When it is necessary to take away the lives of innocent animals for the support of our own, we should do it in such a way as not to blunt our moral feelings; and deplore the necessity, while we feel an express gratitude to God for permission, to do it. read more
Leave none of it until the morrow - See the note on Leviticus 7:15 . read more
Verse 27 Leviticus 22:27.When a bullock or a sheep. God forbids the young to be taken from the womb to the altar, not only because this bad example was likely to be transferred from the sacrifices to the ordinary food, but also because the offering would have been a fraudulent one. We have seen that the sacrifices were called the bread of God, in order that men should be more liberal with respect to them, and not offer meagre victims; but to kill a young animal fresh from the womb would have... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Leviticus 22:17-33
Here are four laws concerning sacrifices:? I. Whatever was offered in sacrifice to God should be without blemish, otherwise it should not be accepted. This had often been mentioned in the particular institutions of the several sorts of offerings. Now here they are told what was to be accounted a blemish which rendered a beast unfit for sacrifice: if it was blind, or lame, had a wen, or the mange (Lev. 22:22),?if it was bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut (Lev. 22:24), that is, as the Jewish... read more