Bible Strands
Leviticus 22:23
You may present as a freewill offering an ox or sheep that has a deformed or stunted limb, but it is not acceptable in fulfillment of a vow.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Yahweh addresses Moses and Aaron, establishing sacrificial regulations for the priestly community during the wilderness tabernacle period. The directive functions as a boundary marker between discretionary worship and obligatory religious commitments.
The words — The text contrasts neḏāḇâ (freewill offering) with nēḏer (vow) to classify two distinct categories of animal sacrifice. These terms define the legal threshold that determines whether a deformed ox or sheep may be accepted.
The thread — This legal distinction aligns with Leviticus 21:18, which bars physically defective individuals from the altar, and mirrors Leviticus 22:22 and Leviticus 22:24, which prohibit blind, maimed, or bruised animals from being presented as food offerings. The pattern consistently separates voluntary gifts from vow-bound sacrifices.
Why it lands — The verse requires readers to accept that freewill offerings permit animals with stunted or deformed limbs, while vows demand unblemished animals. It establishes a functional rule for worship that separates discretionary generosity from binding obligation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 21:18 No man who has any defect may approach—no man who is blind, lame, disfigured, or deformed;