And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God.
Parallel translations
- WEB If it has any defect, is lame or blind, or has any defect whatever, you shall not sacrifice it to Yahweh your God.
- BSB But if an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.
- NKJV But if there is a defect in it, if it is lame or blind or has any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.
- NASB But if it has any impairment, such as a limp, or blindness, or any serious impairment, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.
- NLT But if this firstborn animal has any defect, such as lameness or blindness, or if anything else is wrong with it, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A firstborn animal with any defect, such as lameness or blindness, was not to be sacrificed to God. The Lord deserves what is unblemished, not what is flawed.
Overview
Sacrifices had to be without defect, reflecting the holiness and worthiness of God. Offering damaged animals would dishonor him and was later condemned by Malachi. This requirement points to Christ, the lamb without blemish or spot, the only perfect sacrifice acceptable to God on our behalf.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Mal 1:7–8Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.
- Deut 17:1Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God.
- Lev 22:19–25Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 15:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.