John Gill Commentary Exodus 22:30

"Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, [and] with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with its dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me." — Exodus 22:30 (ASV)

Likewise you shall do with your oxen, and with your sheep, &c.] That is, with the firstborn, which were to be set apart to the Lord; and so the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it, ``the firstborn of your oxen, and of your sheep;'' for having spoken of the firstborn of men, the Scripture proceeds to speak of the firstborn of cattle, great and small, the separation of which was enjoined in one and the same precept, (Exodus 13:2) .

seven days it shall be with its dam; Before it was seven days old it was not to be taken from it, and given to the Lord:

on the eighth day you shall give it me; That is, they might do it then, but not before; yet they were not obliged to bring it exactly on that day, but they might do it any time within the month, and at a month's end they were obliged to redeem it, that is, give the priest the sum of five shekels for it, (Numbers 18:16) . The Jewish canon runs thus ^F14; ``how long are Israelites bound for the bringing of the firstborn, i.e. before they offer it to the priest? in small cattle thirty days, in large cattle fifty days.''

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FOOTNOTES:

• F14: Misn. Becorot, c. 4. sect. 1.