Leviticus 22:21

22:21 If a man presents a peace offering sacrifice to the Lord for a special votive offering ¹  or for a freewill offering from the herd or the flock, it must be flawless to be acceptable; ²  it must have no flaw. ³ 

Leviticus 22:23

22:23 As for an ox ⁴  or a sheep with a limb too long or stunted, ⁵  you may present it as a freewill offering, but it will not be acceptable for a votive offering. ⁶ 

Deuteronomy 12:6

12:6 And there you must take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared, ⁷  your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.

Deuteronomy 12:17

12:17 You will not be allowed to eat in your villages your tithe of grain, new wine, olive oil, the firstborn of your herd and flock, any votive offerings you have vowed, or your freewill and personal offerings.

Deuteronomy 16:10

16:10 Then you are to celebrate the Festival of Weeks ⁸  before the Lord your God with the voluntary offering ⁹  that you will bring, in proportion to how he ¹⁰  has blessed you.

¹ tn The meaning of the expression לְפַלֵּא־נֶדֶר (lÿfalle’-neder) rendered here “for a special votive offering” is much debated. Some take it as an expression for fulfilling a vow, “to fulfill a vow” (e.g., HALOT 927-28 s.v. פלא piel and NASB; cf. NAB, NRSV “in fulfillment of a vow”) or, alternatively, “to make a vow” or “for making a vow” (HALOT 928 s.v. פלא piel [II פלא]). Perhaps it refers to the making a special vow, from the verb פָלַא (pala’, “to be wonderful, to be remarkable”); cf. J. Milgrom, Numbers (JPSTC), 44. B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 151 and 193, suggests that this is a special term for “setting aside a votive offering” (related to פָלָה [palah, “to set aside”]). In general, the point of the expression seems to be that this sacrifice arises as a special gift to God out of special circumstances in the life of the worshiper.

² tn Heb “for acceptance”; NAB “if it is to find acceptance.”

³ tn Heb “all/any flaw shall not be in it.”

⁴ tn Heb “And an ox.”

⁵ tn Heb “and stunted” (see HALOT 1102 s.v. I קלט).

⁶ sn The freewill offering was voluntary, so the regulations regarding it were more relaxed. Once a vow was made, the paying of it was not voluntary (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 151-52, for very helpful remarks on this verse).

⁷ tn Heb “heave offerings of your hand.”

⁸ tn The Hebrew phrase חַג שָׁבֻעוֹת (khag shavu’ot) is otherwise known in the OT (Exod 23:16) as קָצִיר (qatsir, “harvest”) and in the NT as πεντηχοστή (penthcosth, “Pentecost”).

⁹ tn Heb “the sufficiency of the offering of your hand.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 16:1.