Leviticus 22:25

25 And you shall not present your God's food from any of these by the hand of {a foreigner}, because their deformity [is] in them; a physical defect [is] in them; they shall not be accepted for you.'"

Leviticus 22:25 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 22:25

Neither from a stranger's hand shall ye offer the bread of
your God of any of these
That is, from a Gentile, a proselyte of the gate, who had renounced idolatry, and was willing to offer sacrifice to the true God; but what had such defects and blemishes in them as before described the priest might not take of his hands, and offer on the altar of God; and this is the rather observed, because on the one hand the Gentile might think such sacrifices would be acceptable, since he might have been used to offer such to idols; and on the other hand, the priest might think such would do well enough for Gentiles, though not for Israelites: because their corruption [is] in them;
or they are corrupt through being bruised, crushed, broken, or cut: [and] blemishes [be] in them;
which seems to be added to explain the former, and may have respect to all the blemishes before named, and whatsoever is included in them; for though there are but here mentioned, the Jews reckon no less than fifty F3: they shall not be accepted for you;
to make atonement for you; Jarchi says, or "from you", the priests; they shall not be accepted of the Lord from their hands, and so be of no avail to the offerers, nor to those for whom they are offered.


FOOTNOTES:

F3 Maimon. Hilchot Biath Hamikdash, c. 7. sect. 1

Leviticus 22:25 In-Context

23 As for an ox or sheep that is deformed or that is stunted, you may present it [as] a freewill offering, but for a vow it will not be accepted.
24 And you shall not present [anything] for Yahweh [with] bruised or shattered or torn or cut-off [testicles], and you shall not {sacrifice} [such] in your land.
25 And you shall not present your God's food from any of these by the hand of {a foreigner}, because their deformity [is] in them; a physical defect [is] in them; they shall not be accepted for you.'"
26 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
27 "When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born, then it shall be under its mother [for] seven days, and from the eighth day and beyond it is acceptable as an offering made by fire for Yahweh.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Literally "a son of a foreign land"
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