DEU 15

Deuteronomy 15:19

WEB

You shall dedicate all the firstborn males that are born of your herd and of your flock to Yahweh your God. You shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock.

BSB

You must set apart to the LORD your God every firstborn male produced by your herds and flocks. You are not to put the firstborn of your oxen to work, nor are you to shear the firstborn of your flock.

KJV

¶ All 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.

Matthew Henry

Verses 19–23

Deuteronomy 15:19–23

Here is, 1. A repetition of the law concerning the firstlings of their cattle, that, if they were males, they were to be sanctified to the Lord (Deu 15:19), in remembrance of, and in thankfulness for, the sparing of the first-born of Israel, when the first-born of the Egyptians, both of man and beast, were slain by the destroying angel (Exo 13:2, Exo 13:15); on the eighth day it was to be given to God (Exo 22:30), and to be divided between the priest and the altar, Num 18:17, Num 18:18. 2. An addition to that law, for the further explication of it, directing them what to do with the firstlings, (1.) That were females: "Thou shalt do no work with the female firstlings of the cow, nor shear those of the sheep" (Deu 15:19); of them the learned bishop Patrick understands it. Though the female firstlings were not so entirely sanctified to God as the males, nor so early as at eight days old, yet they were not to be converted by the owners to their own use as the other cattle, but must be offered to God as peace-offerings, or used in a religious feast, at the year's end, Deu 15:20. Thou shalt eat it before the Lord thy God, as directed Deu 12:18. (2.) But what must they do with that which was blemished, ill-blemished? Deu 15:21. Were it male or female, it must not be brought near the sanctuary, nor used either for sacrifice or for holy feasting, for it would not be fit to honour God with, nor to typify Christ, who is a Lamb without blemish; yet it must not be reared, but killed and eaten at their own houses as common food (Deu 15:22), only they must be sure not to eat it with the blood, Deu 15:23. The frequent repetition of this caution intimates what need the people had of it, and what stress God laid upon it. What a mercy it is that we are not under this yoke! We are not dieted as they were; we make no difference between a first calf, or lamb, and the rest that follow. Let us therefore realize the gospel meaning of this law, devoting ourselves and the first of our time and strength to God, as a kind of first-fruits of his creatures, 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.

Cross-references: Deut 15:19 · Exod 13:2 · Exod 13:15 · Exod 22:30 · Num 18:17 · Num 18:18 · Deut 15:20 · Deut 12:18 · Deut 15:21 · Deut 15:22 · Deut 15:23

Hebrew interlinear

H3605

כֹּלkôl/kole/

n-m — whole, all, any, every

Derivation: or (Jeremiah 33:8) כּוֹל; from 3634;

properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)

KJV: (in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).

כֹּל

n.m — the whole

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

1. with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

2. Absolutely:

a. without the art., all things, all

b. with the art. הַכֹּל

(a). where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

(b). in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

H1060

בְּכוֹרbᵉkôwr/bek-ore'/

n-m — first-born, chief

Derivation: from 1069;

first-born; hence, chief

KJV: eldest (son), firstborn(-ling).

בְּכוֹר

n.m — first-born

בְּכוֹר 122 n.m. first-born

1. men and women

2. animals

3. figurative

H834

אֲשֶׁרʼăsher/ash-er'/

r — who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

Derivation: a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number);

who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.

KJV: × after, × alike, as (soon as), because, × every, for, + forasmuch, + from whence, + how(-soever), × if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), × though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where (+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, + whither(-soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection.

אֲשֶׁר

part. of relation — who

אֲשֶׁר part. of relation A sign of relation, bringing the clause introduced by it into relation with an antecedent clause.

בַאֲשֶׁר

adv — in which

בַאֲשֶׁר

a. in (that) which

b. adv. in (the place) where

c. conj. in that, inasmuch as

d. on account of whom?

כַּאֲשֶׁר

conj — according as

כַּאֲשֶׁר conj. according as, as, when

1. according to that which, according as, as

2. with a causal force, in so far as, since

3. with a temporal force, when

מֵאֲשֶׁר

adv — who

מֵאֲשֶׁר

a. from (or than) that which

b. adv. from (the place) where

c. conj. from (the fact) that …, since

H3205

יָלַדyâlad/yaw-lad'/

v — bear young, beget, act as midwife, show lineage

Derivation: a primitive root;

to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineage

KJV: bear, beget, birth(-day), born, (make to) bring forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch, labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be the son of, (woman in, woman that) travail(-eth, -ing woman).

יָלַד

vb — bear

יָלַד 497 vb. bear, bring forth, beget

Qal

1. bear, bring forth

2. less often beget

3. of both parents

Niph. be born

Pi. cause (or help) to bring forth, viz., assist or tend as midwife

Pu. be born

Hiph.

1. beget (a father a child)

2. bear

Hoph. day of one's being born = birthday

Hithp. declared their pedigree

H1241

בָּקָרbâqâr/baw-kawr'/

n-m — beeve, plowing, herd

Derivation: from 1239;

a beeve or an animal of the ox family of either gender (as used for plowing); collectively, a herd

KJV: beeve, bull ( -ock), calf, cow, great (cattle), heifer, herd, kine, ox.

בָּקַר

n.m — cattle

בָּקַר 182 n.m. cattle, herd, ox

H6629

צֹאןtsôʼn/tsone/

n-f — flock

Derivation: or צאוֹן; (Psalm 144:13), from an unused root meaning to migrate;

a collective name for a flock (of sheep or goats); also figuratively (of men)

KJV: (small) cattle, flock ( -s), lamb ( -s), sheep(-cote, -fold, -shearer, -herds).

צֹאן

n.coll.f — small cattle

צֹאן 273 n.coll.f. small cattle, sheep and goats, flock, flocks

H2145

זָכָרzâkâr/zaw-kawr'/

n-m — remembered, male

Derivation: from 2142;

properly, remembered, i.e. a male (of man or animals, as being the most noteworthy sex)

KJV: × him, male, man(child, -kind).

זָכָר

n.m — male

זָכָר n.m. & adj. male

I. subst. male, offspring of men and animals

II. adj. sg. male (only human beings)

H6942

קָדַשׁqâdash/kaw-dash'/

v — be, make, pronounce, observe, clean

Derivation: a primitive root;

to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally)

KJV: appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, defile, hallow, (be, keep) holy(-er, place), keep, prepare, proclaim, purify, sanctify(-ied one, self), × wholly.

קָדַשׁ

vb. denom — be set apart

קָדַשׁ vb. denom. be set apart, consecrated

Qal

1. be set apart, consecrated, hallowed

2. be hallowed, by contact with sacred things, and so tabooed from profane use, or forfeited to sancturay

3. consecrated, tabooed (supr.)

Niph.

1. shew oneself sacred, majestic

2. be honored or treated as sacred

3. be consecrated, dedicated

Pi.

1. set apart as sacred, consecrate, dedicate

2. observe as holy, keep sacred

3. honor as sacred, hallow

4. consecrate by purification

Pu. consecrated, dedicated

Hiph.

1. set apart, consecrate

2. regard or treat, as sacred, hallowed

3. consecrate by purification

Hithp.

1. keep oneself apart from unclean things

2. of God, cause himself to be hallowed

3. be observed as holy

4. consecrate oneself by purification, of priests and Levites

H3068

יְהֹוָהYᵉhôvâh/yeh-ho-vaw'/

n-pr — Existent, Jeho-vah

Derivation: from 1961;

(the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jeho-vah, Jewish national name of God

KJV: Jehovah, the Lord. Compare 3050, 3069.

יהוה

n.pr.dei — God

יהוה c. 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—(1. MT יְהֹוָה 6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהֹוִה 305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים) 2. Many recent scholars explain יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of הוה (= היה) the one bringing into being, life-giver)

I. יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given Ex 3:12-15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb

II.

1. יהוה is used with אלהים and suffixes, especially in D

2. the phrase † אֲנִי יהוה is noteworthy

3. יהוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of Yahweh

H430

אֱלֹהִיםʼĕlôhîym/el-o-heem'/

n-m — gods, God, magistrates

Derivation: plural of 433;

gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative

KJV: angels, × exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), × (very) great, judges, × mighty.

אֱלֹהִים

n.m.pl — gods

אֱלֹהִים 2570 n.m.pl.

1. pl. in number.

a. rulers, judges, either as divine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power

b. divine ones, superhuman beings including God and angels

c. angels

d. gods

2. pl. intensive

a. god or goddess

b. godlike one

c. works of God, or things belongng to him

d. God

3. הָאֱלֹהִים the (true) God

4. אֱלֹהִים = God

H3808

לֹאlôʼ/lo/

adv — not, no

Derivation: or לוֹא; or לֹה; (Deuteronomy 3:11), a primitive particle;

not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles

KJV: × before, or else, ere, except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (× as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, surely, as truly as, of a truth, verily, for want, whether, without.

לֹא

adv — not

לֹא or לוֹא adv. not

H5647

עָבַדʻâbad/aw-bad'/

v — work, serve, till, enslave

Derivation: a primitive root;

to work (in any sense); by implication, to serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc.

KJV: × be, keep in bondage, be bondmen, bond-service, compel, do, dress, ear, execute, husbandman, keep, labour(-ing man, bring to pass, (cause to, make to) serve(-ing, self), (be, become) servant(-s), do (use) service, till(-er), transgress (from margin), (set a) work, be wrought, worshipper,

עָבַד

vb — work

עָבַד 290 vb. work, serve

Qal

1. labour, work, do work

2. work for another, serve him by labour

3. serve as subjects

4. serve God

5. serve י׳ with Levitical service

Niph.

1. be tilled, of land

2. dub. cultivated field

Pu. worked

Hiph.

1. compel to labour as slaves

2. make to serve as subjects

3. cause to serve God

Hoph. be led or enticed to serve

H7794

שׁוֹרshôwr/shore/

n-m — bullock, traveller

Derivation: from 7788;

a bullock (as a traveller)

KJV: bull(-ock), cow, ox, wall (by mistake for 7791).

שׁוֹר

n.m — a head of cattle

שׁוֹר 78 n.m. a head of cattle, bullock, ox, etc.

H1494

גָּזַזgazâz/gaw-zaz'/

v — cut off, shear, shave, destroy

Derivation: a primitive root (akin to 1468);

to cut off; specifically to shear a flock or shave the hair; figuratively to destroy an enemy

KJV: cut off (down), poll, shave, (sheep-) shear(-er).

גָּזַז

vb — shear

[גָּזַז] vb. shear

Qal shear sheep

Niph. be cut off (= destroyed) of Assyrians

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