Text: Deuteronomy 15:19-23
OT Text Referred to: Leviticus 22:20
Subject: unblemished firstborn offerings
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Longitudinal Theme
Significance: Leviticus 22:20 prohibits offering any animal with a מוּם (mum, "blemish"), declaring "it will not be acceptable on your behalf." Deuteronomy 15:19-23 applies this principle specifically to firstborn animals: every firstborn male must be consecrated to the LORD, but "if it has any blemish — if it is lame or blind, or has any serious defect — you must not sacrifice it to the LORD." Deuteronomy adds a practical provision absent from Leviticus: a blemished firstborn may be eaten as ordinary food at home, effectively redirecting the animal from sacred to secular use. Both texts preserve the principle that only unblemished animals qualify for the altar.