What Does Leviticus 22:23 Mean in the King James?
Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The same imperfect animal may be given freely but cannot fulfill a vow, because willingness and pledged completion carry different standards.
THE MEANING
The verse allows an animal with an extra or deficient part as a freewill offering, but it cannot be accepted for a vow. A freely chosen gift and a pledged offering are different kinds of giving.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The verse undoes the assumption that a willing gift and a vowed commitment are interchangeable.
THE ROOT
נְדָבָה
nedavah
GROWS FROM
נדב
To volunteer or give willingly.
The freewill offering is named from the root of willing, generous giving. That root makes the distinction in this verse vivid: a freely offered gift is not the same thing as fulfilling a vow.
ALSO GROWS
nādav: To volunteer or give willingly.
נָדַב
This verb carries the willing choice named by the freewill offering.
nādiv: Willing, generous, or noble.
נָדִיב
This related word shows the root’s reach from voluntary giving to a generous disposition.
nedivim: Nobles or generous ones.
נְדִיבִים
The same consonants connect willing generosity with the person characterized by it.
נֶדֶר
neder
GROWS FROM
נדר
To vow; a vow or pledged commitment.
The Hebrew uses a distinct root for the vow, alongside the root of willing giving. The verse’s contrast is built into the words: one offering arises from willingness, while the other is measured against a pledge.
ALSO GROWS
nādār: To vow.
נָדַר
This verb names the act that gives the offering its pledged character.
nedarim: Vows.
נְדָרִים
The plural keeps the same root and makes clear that each vow is a distinct commitment to fulfill.
THE PATTERN
A vow binds its giver to fulfillment, while a free gift is defined by willingness rather than compulsion.
When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.THE THREAD
And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’s offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.The Hebrew phrase rendered “made willing” includes נָדְבָה (nadvah), from the same root נדב as the freewill offering here. The shared root traces the offering to willingness, clarifying why it stands apart from an offering bound to a vow.
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