Verse 26
Only the firstlings of the beasts ,.... These are excepted from being sanctified, or set apart for sacred uses, for a very good reason, suggested in the next clause:
which should be the Lord's firstling, no man shall sanctify it ; it being what he has a claim upon, and ordered to be sanctified to him by a law previous to this, Exodus 13:2 ; wherefore to sanctify such a creature, would be to sanctify what was his before; not merely in a general sense, in which all creatures are his, but in a special sense, having in a peculiar manner required it as his; and therefore to sanctify, or vow to him, what was his before, must be trifling with him, and mocking of him:
whether it be ox, or sheep ; the firstlings of either of them:
it is the Lord's ; which he has claimed as his own special and peculiar property, antecedent to any vow of its owner.
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