Leviticus 27:33

33 You may not pick and choose between good and bad animals, and you may not substitute one for another. But if you do exchange one animal for another, then both the original animal and its substitute will be considered holy and cannot be bought back.”

Leviticus 27:33 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 27:33

He shall not search whether it be good or bad
In a good or bad state of health, fat or lean, perfect or blemished, but take it as it is, be it what it will:

neither shall he change it;
neither for the better nor the worse, no alteration was to be made, but the beast was to be taken as it came:

and if he change it at all, then both it and the change shall be holy;
be sacred to the Lord, and for his use and service; this was done to restrain men from making any alteration, since if they did, both the one and the other were taken from them; yea, were to be beaten with forty stripes, save one ^F2; whether this change was of the herd with the flock, or of the flock with the herd; or of lambs with goats, or goats with lambs; or of males with females, or of females with males; or of perfect with blemished ones, or of blemished ones with perfect ones:

it shall not be redeemed;
from whence the Jews ^F3 gather, that a tithe beast was not to be bought and sold, whether blemished or unblemished.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F2 Misnah Temurah, c. 1. sect. 1, 2.
F3 Maimon. Hilchot Becorot, c. 6. sect. 5, 6.

Leviticus 27:33 In-Context

31 If you want to buy back the LORD ’s tenth of the grain or fruit, you must pay its value, plus 20 percent.

32 Count off every tenth animal from your herds and flocks and set them apart for the LORD as holy.

33 You may not pick and choose between good and bad animals, and you may not substitute one for another. But if you do exchange one animal for another, then both the original animal and its substitute will be considered holy and cannot be bought back.”

34 These are the commands that the LORD gave through Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.