Deuteronomy 15:22, commentary and pictures

The verse belongs to the laws Moses recalled to Israel before crossing the Jordan into the promised land, reminding them of what God had taught during the wilderness years and of their duty to keep His law. It concerns a young firstling with a blemish such as lameness or blindness that disqualified it from sacrifice to God, since animals offered had to be young and without blemish.

Within thy gates means the animal could be eaten at home within the eater's own towns. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean person may eat it alike, in the same way as wild clean meats such as the roebuck and hart, that is game like a gazelle or deer.

Every sacrifice had to be physically perfect because it typified Jesus Christ, and as He was a perfect moral sacrifice the animal had to be physically perfect to typify His perfect offering. The permission to eat does not allow eating everything rejected for sacrifice or grant license to eat fatty or diseased meat, but only allows what is good and clean meat even when physically imperfect, for an animal may be lame and still be healthy. The meat eaten under these instructions was lean, since the fat was offered to God and the people were forbidden to eat it.