Leviticus 22:27

_WHEN A BULLOCK, OR A SHEEP, OR A GOAT, IS BROUGHT FORTH, THEN IT SHALL BE SEVEN DAYS UNDER THE DAM; AND FROM THE EIGHTH DAY AND THENCEFORTH IT SHALL BE ACCEPTED FOR AN OFFERING MADE BY FIRE UNTO THE LORD._ It shall be seven days under the dam. Animals were not considered perfect nor good for food until the eighth day. Since sacrifices are called the bread or food of God (Leviticus 22:25), to offer them immediately after birth, when they were unfit to be eaten, would have indicated a contempt of religion; and, besides, this prohibition, as well as that contained in the following verse, inculcated a lesson of humanity or tenderness to the dam, as well as secured the sacrifices from all appearance of unfeeling cruelty....

Leviticus 22:27._When a bullock or a sheep. _God forbids the young to be taken from the womb to the altar, not only because this bad example was likely to be transferred from the sacrifices to the ordinary food, but also because the offering would have been a fraudulent one. We have seen that the sacrifices were called the bread of God, in order that men should be more liberal with respect to them, and not offer meagre victims; but to kill a young animal fresh from the womb would have been a sign of contempt; although regard was also had to humanity, lest, by eating of such sacrifices, they should grow accustomed to cruelty. The eighth day is appointed, on which the lawfulness of the offering should commence. I am afraid that the reason which some assign for this is too subtle, viz., that an animal is made perfect in seven days, because God completed the work of creation in seven day

Verse Leviticus 22:27. _WHEN A BULLOCK - IS BROUGHT FORTH_] This is a most unfortunate as well as absurd translation. The creature called an _ox_ is a bull _castrated_; surely then a _bullock_ was never yet _brought forth_! The original word שור _shor_ signifies a bull, a bullock, or indeed any thing of the _neat_ kind: here, even common sense required that it should be translated _calf_; and did I not hold myself sacredly bound to print the text of the _common_ _version_ with scrupulous exactness, I should translate the former clause of this verse thus, and so enter it into the text: _When a_ CALF, _or a_ LAMB, _or a_ KID _is brought forth_, instead of, _When_ _a bullock, a sheep, or a goat is brought forth_, the absurdity of which is glaring. _SEVEN DAYS UNDER THE DAM_] In

No victim was to be offered in sacrifice until it was a week old. The meaning of this law appears to be that the animal should realise a distinct existence in becoming less dependent on its mother, and able to provide for its own wants....

EXPOSITION This chapter, which is a continuation of Leviticus 21:1, (1) commands that the ceremonially defiled priest shall not officiate or partake of the sacrificial offerings; (2) declares who may and who may not partake of the priests' portions of the sacrifices; (3) orders that every sacrificial victim be unblemished. LEVITICUS 22:1 In the previous chapter, the priests have been commanded to avoid occasions of ceremonial defilement, but there are times in which they must be unclean. At these times they are here instructed that they must abstain from their priestly functions, and not even eat of the priests' portions until they have been cleansed. The command to Aaron and to

WHEN A BULLOCK, OR A SHEEP, OR A GOAT, IS BROUGHT FORTH,.... Those three are only mentioned, because they were only made use of in sacrifice, to which this law refers: THEN IT SHALL BE SEVEN DAYS UNDER THE DAM; whether a calf, or a lamb, or a kid of the goats; it was not to be taken from its dam and killed, either for food or sacrifice, before it was seven days old: Fagius says, the Hebrews give two reasons why a creature might not be offered before the eighth day; one is, that a sabbath might pass over it, nothing being perfect and consistent without it, that giving, as they say d perfection and consistence to all the things of the world; and the other, as the heavens and the earth being perfected in seven days, a creature which lives so long seems to be, as it were, perfect; but he observes, if we inquire after the mystical sense of it, a better reason is to be given, namely, that Chr...

CHAPTER 22 _ 1. Care to be exercised in holy things (Leviticus 22:1)_ 2. Care in the enforcement of the law of offerings (Leviticus 22:17) Uncleanness such as mentioned in the first part of the chapter prohibited the partaking of holy things. Strangers who did not belong to the priestly house and even the married daughter of the priest, not living in the priestly household, were not permitted to eat of the offering of the holy things. Holy things have to be used in a reverent and holy way. The same principle holds good in the New Testament. We may well think here of the Lord's table. Read 1 Corinthians 11:23. Coming to the Lord's table to remember Him requires self-judg

CONCLUDING RULES FOR SACRIFICE, not specially directed to Aaron, as they concern all persons intending to sacrifice. A calf or lamb or kid offered (as firstborn) is to be kept till the eighth day (_cf._ the rule of circumcision, Leviticus 22:12). The law is an ancient one; _cf._ Exodus 22:29 f. (Book of the Covenant), where it is joined with the law of the offering of the first-born which underlies the practice of circumcision. For the prohibition of the sacrifice of cow and calf on the same day, _cf._ Exodus 23:19; perhaps in certain forbidden rites the calf was treated as the kid evidently was. Or the motive may have been similar to that of...

OFFERINGS APPROACH OFFERING. Hebrew. _korban._ App-43....

_Three further directions of a special character with regard to sacrifices_...