Lev 22:20-25 | NET2full | STEP | You must not present anything that has a flaw , because it will not be acceptable for your benefit.

Leviticus 22:20-25

20 You must not present anything that has a flaw, ^{▼▼tn Heb “all which in it [is] a flaw.” Note that the same term is used for physical flaws of people in Lev 21:17-24. Cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “blemish”; NASB, NIV, TEV “defect”; NLT “with physical defects.”} because it will not be acceptable for your benefit. ^{▼▼tn Heb “not for acceptance shall it be for you”; NIV “it will not be accepted on your behalf” (NRSV and NLT both similar).} 21 If a man presents a peace-offering sacrifice to the Lord for a special votive offering ^{▼▼tn The meaning of the expression לְפַלֵּא־נֶדֶר (lefalleʾ neder) rendered here “for a special votive offering” is much debated. Some take it as an expression for fulfilling a vow, “to fulfill a vow” (e.g., HALOT 927-28 s.v. פלא piel and NASB; cf. NAB, NRSV “in fulfillment of a vow”) or, alternatively, “to make a vow” or “for making a vow” (HALOT 928 s.v. פלא piel [II פלא]). Perhaps it refers to the making a special vow, from the verb פָלַא (palaʾ, “to be wonderful, to be remarkable”); cf. J. Milgrom, Numbers (JPSTC), 44. B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 151 and 193, suggests that this is a special term for “setting aside a votive offering” (related to פָּלָה [palah, “to set aside”]). In general, the point of the expression seems to be that this sacrifice arises as a special gift to God out of special circumstances in the life of the worshiper.} or for a freewill offering from the herd or the flock, it must be flawless to be acceptable; ^{▼▼tn Heb “for acceptance”; NAB “if it is to find acceptance.”} it must have no flaw. ^{▼▼tn Heb “all/any flaw shall not be in it.”}

22 “‘You must not present to the Lord something blind, or with a broken bone, or mutilated, or with a running sore, ^{▼▼tn Or perhaps “a wart” (cf. NIV; HALOT 383 s.v. יַבֶּלֶת, but see the remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 358).} or with a festering eruption, or with a feverish rash. ^{▼▼sn See the note on Lev 21:20 above.} You must not give any of these as a gift ^{▼▼sn This term for offering “gift” is explained in the note on Lev 1:9.} on the altar to the Lord. 23 As for an ox ^{▼▼tn Heb “And an ox.”} or a sheep with a limb too long or stunted, ^{▼▼tn Heb “and stunted” (see HALOT 1102 s.v. I קלט).} you may present it as a freewill offering, but it will not be acceptable for a votive offering. ^{▼▼sn The freewill offering was voluntary, so the regulations regarding it were more relaxed. Once a vow was made, the paying of it was not voluntary (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 151-52, for very helpful remarks on this verse).} 24 You must not present to the Lord something with testicles that are bruised, crushed, torn, or cut off; ^{▼▼sn Cf. Lev 21:20b.} you must not do this in your land. 25 Even from a foreigner ^{▼▼tn Heb “And from the hand of a son of a foreigner.”} you must not present the food of your God from such animals as these, for they are ruined and flawed; ^{▼▼tn Heb “for their being ruined [is] in them, flaw is in them”; NRSV “are mutilated, with a blemish in them”; NIV “are deformed and have defects.” The MT term מָשְׁחָתָם (moshkhatam, “their being ruined”) is a Hophal participle from שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to ruin”). Smr has plural משׁחתים בהם (“deformities in them”; cf. the LXX translation). The Qumran Leviticus scroll (11QpaleoLev) has תימ הם[…], in which case the restored participle would appear to be the same as Smr, but there is no ב (bet) preposition before the pronoun, yielding “they are deformed” (see D. N. Freedman and K. A. Mathews, The Paleo-Hebrew Leviticus Scroll, 41 and the remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 358).} they will not be acceptable for your benefit.’”