Leviticus 22:19-20
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The phrase "at your own will" actually carries a deeper meaning, pointing not to the offerer's choice, but to God's acceptance. This is about presenting an offering for your acceptance by God, highlighting that the male, unblemished quality is precisely what makes it worthy for Him to receive.
if it is to be accepted for you it shall be a male without blemish, of the bulls or the sheep or the goats. You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage is part of a larger section in Leviticus detailing the laws and regulations for sacrifices. Immediately preceding this, God instructs Moses about the purity required for offerings, emphasizing that blemished animals are unacceptable. This verse then specifies that for certain offerings, like burnt offerings which were always voluntary and intended for God's complete acceptance, a male animal without any physical defect is mandatory.
Why would God be so picky about the animals offered? It wasn't just about good intentions; it was about a specific standard for approaching the divine.
This verse lays down a non-negotiable requirement for offerings: the animal must be a male and without blemish. This wasn't arbitrary.
More Than Just Animals
This meticulous standard wasn't because God needed a perfect animal for His own sake. It was a profound lesson for the Israelites about the nature of approaching a holy God. It conveyed that worship wasn't casual; it required seriousness, respect, and the very best they could offer.
The wording here isn't just about what you offer, but why and how it's received. It's about God's perspective.
Ask a follow-up
The phrase "that it may be accepted for you" (or similar translations like "for your acceptance") shifts the focus from a mere transaction to the outcome of God's approval.
Seeking God's Favor
This highlights that true worship is a response to God's holiness and a desire for His favor, not just a duty performed. It requires presenting ourselves and our offerings in a way that aligns with His standards, seeking His pleasure above all.
Understand the original words
tamim · Hebrew Adjective
Physical perfection or wholeness. In the sacrificial system, it signifies that the offering must represent the best quality, reflecting the holiness of God to whom the sacrifice is presented.
mum · Hebrew Noun
Any physical defect, injury, or imperfection. In the context of sacrifice, it renders an offering unacceptable because it fails to represent the standard of perfection required for approaching a holy God.
This passage directly challenges Israel for offering blemished animals, echoing Leviticus' command and highlighting that such offerings were unacceptable to God, just as a blemished offering wouldn't be accepted today.
Hebrews 9:14This New Testament passage speaks of Christ's sacrifice being without blemish, directly connecting the Old Testament requirement for unblemished sacrifices to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus.
1 Peter 1:19Peter calls believers to be redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot, reinforcing the symbolic significance of the unblemished sacrifice for redemption.
Romans 12:1Paul urges believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, paralleling the Levitical requirement for physical perfection with the spiritual dedication God desires from us.
pooleLeviticus 22:19: "Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats."
A male for a burnt-offering, which was always of that kind; but the females were accepted in peace-offerings, Leviticus 3:1 , and sin-offerings, Leviticus 4:32 5:6 .
gillLeviticus 22:19: "Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats."
Ye shall offer at your own will,.... For vows and freewill offerings were at their own option, and depended on their own will and pleasure, and when offered should be with a willing mind, and from their whole heart: or "for good will to you"; as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; or for gracious, acceptation, that is, that they might be well pleasing to God, and acceptable…
The phrase "at your own will" actually carries a deeper meaning, pointing not to the offerer's choice, but to God's acceptance. This is about presenting an offering for your acceptance by God, highlighting that the male, unblemished quality is precisely what makes it worthy for Him to receive.
This passage is part of a larger section in Leviticus detailing the laws and regulations for sacrifices. Immediately preceding this, God instructs Moses about the purity required for offerings, emphasizing that blemished animals are unacceptable. This verse then specifies that for certain offerings, like burnt offerings which were always voluntary and intended for God's complete acceptance, a male animal without any physical defect is mandatory.
This passage is part of a larger section in Leviticus detailing the laws and regulations for sacrifices. Immediately preceding this, God instructs Moses about the purity required for offerings, emphasizing that blemished animals are unacceptable. This verse then specifies that for certain offerings, like burnt offerings which were always voluntary and intended for God's complete acceptance, a male animal without any physical defect is mandatory.
"if it is to be accepted for you it shall be a male without blemish, of the bulls or the sheep or the goats. You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you." — The phrase "at your own will" actually carries a deeper meaning, pointing not to the offerer's choice, but to God's acceptance. This is about presenting an offering for your acceptance by God, high…
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Last reviewed October 2026
