Text: Deuteronomy 15:19
OT Text Referred to: Leviticus 22:22
Subject: firstborn consecration
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Longitudinal Theme
Significance: Leviticus 22:22 lists specific disqualifying blemishes for sacrificial animals — blind (עִוֶּרֶת), broken (שָׁבוּר), maimed, with sores or scabs — declaring "you shall not offer these to the LORD." Deuteronomy 15:19 addresses the same concern within the firstborn consecration law: every firstborn male must be set apart for the LORD, and 15:21 specifies that lameness or blindness disqualifies it from sacrifice. Both texts guard the quality of offerings presented at the altar, insisting that what is given to God must be the best, not the defective. The Deuteronomic text integrates the blemish prohibition into the practical economics of agricultural life by permitting non-sacrificial consumption of disqualified animals.