| Deuteronomy 15:19
| Of the firstlings, that come of thy herds, and thy sheep, thou shalt sanctify to the Lord thy God whatsoever is of the male sex. Thou shalt not work with the firstling of a bullock, and thou shalt not shear the firstlings of thy sheep.
| Firstlings. Some belonged to the priests. Others, of which Moses speaks here, might be disposed of by the owners, chap. 12:17. (Calmet) --- Thus females, which came first, belonged to them, but they could not work with them; (Menochius) with such at least as were the best, and fattened for a religious feast. Sheep designed for this purpose were not to be shorn; or, as the original term means, their wool was not to be "torn away." Bellon observes, that this is still the custom in some parts of the East, as it was formerly in Italy, according to Varro. Pliny ([Natural History?] 8:48,) also remarks, that fleece was torn off in some places, (Calmet) and the same method is said to prevail still in Shetland. (Haydock)
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