Bible/Deuteronomy/15

Deuteronomy 15:21

15:20 Thou shalt eat it before the LORD thy God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, thou and thy household.
And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God.

KJV

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If it has any defect, is lame or blind, or has any defect whatever, you shall not sacrifice it to Yahweh your God.

And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the Lord thy God.

And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, you shall not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.

15:22 Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the roebuck, and as the hart.

What does Deuteronomy 15:21 mean?

Deuteronomy 15:21 is a verse in the book of Deuteronomy, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include מאוּם (mʼûwm), פִּסֵּחַ (piççêach), עִוֵּר (ʻivvêr). It connects to 12 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

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And
if
there
be
any
blemishמאוּםmʼûwm/moom/H3971to stain; a blemish (physically or morally)
therein,
as
if
it
be
lame,פִּסֵּחַpiççêach/pis-say'-akh/H6455lame
or
blind,עִוֵּרʻivvêr/iv-vare'/H5787blind (literally or figuratively)
or
have
any
illרַעraʻ/rah/H7451bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)
blemish,מאוּםmʼûwm/moom/H3971to stain; a blemish (physically or morally)
thou
shalt
not
sacrificeזָבַחzâbach/zaw-bakh'/H2076to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice)
it
unto
the
LORDיְהֹוָהYᵉhôvâh/yeh-ho-vaw'/H3068Jehovah, Jewish national name of God
thy
God.אֱלֹהִיםʼĕlôhîym/el-o-heem'/H430gods 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

Commentary on Deuteronomy 15:21

CLARKE · whole chapter
Deu 15:6-11 . Of the Hebrew servant who has served six years, and who shall be dismissed well furnished, Deu 15:12-15 . The ceremony of boring the ear, when the servant wishes to continue with his master, Deu 15:16-18 . Of the firstlings of the flock and herd, Deu 15:19 , Deu 15:20 . Nothing shall be offered that has any blemish, Deu 15:21 . The sacrifice to be eaten both by the clean and unclean, except the blood, which is never to be eaten, but poured out upon the ground, Deu 15:22 , Deu 15:23 . Verse 1 At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release - For an explanation of many things in this chapter, see the notes on Exodus 21 (note), Exodus 23 (note), and Leviticus 25 (note). Verse 4 There shall be no poor - That is, comparatively; see Deu 15:11 . Verse 8 Thou shalt open thine hand wide - Thy benevolence shall be in proportion to his distress and poverty, and thy ability. Thou shalt have no other rule to regulate thy charity by. Verse 9 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart - לבבך בליעל lebabecha beliyaal, thy belial heart, that is, thy good-for-nothing or unprofitable heart; See on Deu 13:13 (note). And thine eye be evil - An evil eye signifies a covetous disposition. See the same form of expression used by our Lord in the same sense, Mat 6:23 . If thine eye be evil - If thou be a covetous person. Evil eye is by our Lord opposed to single eye, i. e., a person of a liberal, benevolent mind. Covetousness darkens the soul; liberality and benevolence enlighten it. And he cry unto the Lord against thee - What a consolation to the poor and the oppressed, that they have a sure friend in God, who will hear their cry and redress their grievances! Verse 11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land - To this passage our Lord appears to allude Mar 14:7 : For ye have the poor with you always. God leaves these in mercy among men to exercise the feelings of compassion, tenderness, mercy, etc. And without occasions afforded to exercise these, man would soon become a Stoic or a brute. Verse 13 Thou shalt not let him go away empty - Because during the time he served thee, he made no property for himself, having been always honest towards thee; and now when he leaves thee, he has nothing to begin the world with. Verse 14 Thou shalt furnish him - out of thy flock - Thou shalt give him some cattle to breed with; out of thy floor - some corn for seed and for bread; and out of thy wine press - an adequate provision of wine for present necessity. Verse 17 Thou shalt take an awl - See the note on Exo 21:6 . Verse 20 Thou shalt eat it - in the place which the Lord shall choose - Thus God in his mercy made their duty and interest go hand in hand. And in every case God acts thus with his creatures; well, therefore, might Satan ask, Doth Job serve God for naught? No! nor does God design that any man should. Verse 21 If there be any blemish - See the notes on Lev 22:20 . God will have both a perfect priest and a perfect offering. Introduction The month of Abib to be observed, Deu 16:1 . The feast of the passover and of unleavened bread, Deu 16:2-8 . The feast of weeks,
HENRY_FULL · Deuteronomy 15:19–23
19 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. 20 Thou shalt eat it before the Lord thy God year by year in the place which the Lord shall choose, thou and thy household. 21 And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the Lord thy God. 22 Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the roebuck, and as the hart. 23 Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water. 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 ( v. 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 ( Exod. xiii. 2 , 15 ); on the eighth day it was to be given to God ( Exod. xxii. 30 ), and to be divided between the priest and the altar, Num. xviii. 17, 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" ( v. 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, v. 20 . Thou shalt eat it before the Lord thy God, as directed ch. xii. 18 . (2.) But what must they do with that which was blemished, ill-blemished? v. 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 ( v. 22 ), only they must be sure not to eat it with the blood, v. 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

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Genesis 6:11

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

Genesis 6:12

And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

Exodus 32:7

And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

Exodus 32:8

They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 4:16

Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,

Deuteronomy 15:16

And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee;

Deuteronomy 31:29

For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.

Deuteronomy 32:5

They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation. They have: Heb. He hath corrupted to himself their: or, that they are not his children, that is their blot

Judges 2:17

And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so.

Hosea 6:4

O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. goodness: or, mercy, or, kindness

Galatians 1:6

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

Jude 1:10

But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

Topics

FirstbornSacrifices

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Deuteronomy 15:21.

Genesis 2:9

And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Leviticus 21:18

For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous,

2 Samuel 5:6

And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither. thinking: or, saying David shall not, etc

2 Samuel 5:8

And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David's soul, he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house. Wherefore: or, Because they had said, even the blind and the lame, He shall not come into the house

Deuteronomy 17:1

Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God. sheep: or, goat

Genesis 2:15

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. the man: or, Adam

Genesis 2:16

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: thou: Heb. eating thou shalt eat

Genesis 2:18

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. meet: Heb. as before him

Frequently asked questions

What does Deuteronomy 15:21 say?

Deuteronomy 15:21 (King James Version) reads: "And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God."

Is Deuteronomy 15:21 in the Old or New Testament?

Deuteronomy 15:21 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Deuteronomy.

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As you read Deuteronomy 15:21, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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15:20Read all of Deuteronomy 1515:22