Leviticus 27:26

But no one may consecrate a firstborn of the livestock, because a firstborn belongs to the LORD. Whether it is an ox or a sheep, it is the LORD’s.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Yahweh addresses Moses and the Israelite community while concluding regulations for vows and monetary valuations dedicated to the sanctuary.

The words — The passage hinges on בְּכ֞וֹר (be.Khor), meaning a firstborn, and יַקְדִּ֥ישׁ (yak.Dish), meaning to set apart as holy or consecrate.

The thread — This restriction aligns with the earlier commands that every firstborn male of womb and livestock is already established as the Lord’s possession (Exodus 13:2; Exodus 13:12; Exodus 22:30).

Why it lands — The text explicitly forbids attempting to consecrate firstborn livestock because they are already declared Yahweh’s property, requiring the reader to acknowledge divine prior ownership rather than treating sacred things as voluntary offerings.

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

אַךְ־'akh-nevertheless בְּכ֞וֹרbe.Khora firstborn אֲשֶׁר־'a.Sher-which יְבֻכַּ֤רye.vu.Karit will be born a firstling לַֽיהוָה֙la./Yah.weh[belongs] to/ Yahweh בִּבְהֵמָ֔הbi/v.he.Mahamong/ livestock לֹֽא־lo'-not יַקְדִּ֥ישׁyak.Dishhe will set apart as holy אִ֖ישׁ'ishanyone אֹת֑וֹ'o.T/o<obj.>/ it אִם־'im-whether שׁ֣וֹרShoran ox אִם־'im-or שֶׂ֔הSeha sheep לַֽיהוָ֖הla./Yah.weh[belongs] to/ Yahweh הֽוּא׃Hu'it

King James Version

Only the firstling of the beasts, which should be the Lord’s firstling, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox, or sheep: it is the Lord’s.

Cross-references

Exodus 13:2 “Consecrate to Me every firstborn male. The firstborn from every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me, both of man and beast.”
Exodus 13:12 you are to present to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the LORD.
Exodus 22:30 You shall do likewise with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but on the eighth day you are to give them to Me.
Numbers 18:17 But you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep, or a goat; they are holy. You are to splatter their blood on the altar and burn their fat as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Deuteronomy 15:19 You must set apart to the LORD your God every firstborn male produced by your herds and flocks. You are not to put the firstborn of your oxen to work, nor are you to shear the firstborn of your flock.