Original Douay–Rheims AnnotationsLeviticus 27

The first-born.

God here forbiddeth to vow the first-born, and giveth the reason, for that they are the Lord's, shewing that those things whereto we are already bound, are not properly matter of vow. But ^[1] a vow properly is a religious promise voluntarily made to God, of a good thing, unto which we were not bound. ^[2] And that the same is very grateful to God, appeareth not only in this chapter, and in many other places of Moyses' law ^[3], but also in the law of nature. Gen. 28. Jacob vowed, and God accepted thereof, Gen. 31. v. 13. And the royal Prophet in diverse Psalms ^[4] pertaining to the new Testament commendeth vows. It is certain also and manifest. 1. Tim. 5. that widows did lawfully vow chastity in the primitive Church: and such as did afterward break the same, did violate their promised to God. Innumerable also most learned and most godly fathers, have ever from Christ's time both taught and practised religious vows, of obedience to superiors, who otherwise had no authority over them, and of perpetual chastity, and voluntary poverty. It is likewise, and continually hath been, a most common practice in the Church, to vow other good works of piety, as to visit holy places, to build Churches, Colleges, Hospitals, and the like, being no way bound thereto but of mere devotion. See Annotations 1. Tim. 5.

• 1 Vows are properly of things not commanded.
• 2 And are grateful to God also in the new Testament.
• 3 Num. 6. 20. Deut. 23.
• 4 Psa. 2. 49. 75. 115. 131.