He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.
He must not inspect whether the animal is good or bad, and he must not replace it with another one. If he does try to replace it, then both the original animal and the replacement will be considered holy and cannot be bought back.
This verse teaches that when someone dedicates an animal to God, they cannot pick and choose or make substitutions - God deserves our first commitment, not our leftovers.
📚 Historical Context
This verse comes at the end of Leviticus, which contains laws given to the Israelites after they left Egypt. It specifically deals with vows and dedications people made to God, including animals for sacrifice. In ancient Israel, people would sometimes try to keep their best animals and offer inferior ones instead, so God established clear rules about the integrity of religious commitments.
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