Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD.
No devoted thing ... shall be sold or redeemed. This relates to vows of the most solemn kind-the devotee accompanying his vow with a solemn imprecation on himself not to fail in accomplishing his declared purpose.
Shall surely be put to death. This announcement imported, not that the person was to be sacrificed or doomed to a violent death, but only that he should remain until death unalterably in the devoted condition. Since misconceptions exist as to the precise import of this statute, and it has been supposed to authorize human sacrifices, of which Jephthah's daughter and the surrender of seven of Saul's sons to the Gibeonites are represented as instances in conformity with the law, it may be proper to state that such a view of it is wholly inadmissible.
Parents are expressly interdicted from sacrificing their children (Deuteronomy 12:30-31; Psalms 106:37-38; Jeremiah 7:31; Ezekiel 16:20-21); the priest would have been unclean by touching a dead body, and the offering would have been odious to God (Isaiah 66:3). This passage, then, cannot relate to such a sacrifice, and it is capable of receiving a totally different interpretation.
Dr. Hales ('New Analysis of Chronology,' vol 2:, p. 320) renders it thus-`Notwithstanding no devoted thing, which a man shall devote unto the Lord of all that he hath, (either) of man or of beast, or of land of his own property, shall be sold or redeemed; everything devoted is most holy unto the Lord.' The preceding regulations were evidently designed to prevent rashness in vowing (Ecclesiastes 5:4), and to encourage serious and considerate reflection in all matters between God and the soul (Luke 21:4).