Exodus 22:30

30 So shalt thou do with thy calf and thy sheep and thine ass; seven days shall it be under the mother, and the eighth day thou shalt give it to me.

Exodus 22:30 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 22:30

Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep,
&c.] That is, with the firstborn, which were to be set apart to the Lord; and so the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it,

``the firstborn of thine oxen, and of thy sheep;''

for having spoken of the firstborn of men, the Scripture proceeds to speak of the firstborn of cattle, great and small, the separation of which was enjoined in one and the same precept, ( Exodus 13:2 ) ,

seven days it shall be with his dam;
whether it be a calf or a lamb; before it was seven days old it was not to be taken from it, and given to the Lord:

on the eighth day thou shall give it me;
that is, they might do it then, but not before; yet they were not obliged to bring it exactly on that day, but they might do it any time within the month, and at a month's end they were obliged to redeem it, that is, give the priest the sum of five shekels for it, ( Numbers 18:16 ) . The Jewish canon runs thus {n};

``how long are Israelites bound for the bringing of the firstborn, i.e. before they offer it to the priest? in small cattle thirty days, in large cattle fifty days.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F14 Misn. Becorot, c. 4. sect. 1.

Exodus 22:30 In-Context

28 Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor speak ill of the ruler of thy people.

29 Thou shalt not keep back the first-fruits of thy threshing floor and press. The first-born of thy sons thou shalt give to me.

30 So shalt thou do with thy calf and thy sheep and thine ass; seven days shall it be under the mother, and the eighth day thou shalt give it to me.

31 And ye shall be holy men to me; and ye shall not eat flesh taken of beasts, ye shall cast it to the dog.