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Tim Maas
Supporter
If the Israelite owner of a first-born donkey (or ass) was unable to redeem the animal through the sacrifice of a lamb or kid, then the ass itself was to be killed as a sacrifice by the breaking of its neck (rather then through the shedding of its blood) because, despite the donkey's extensive use by the Israelites as a beast of burden, it was a ceremonially unclean animal (because it did not chew the cud, as noted in Leviticus 11:26), and therefore was not acceptable as a blood sacrifice.
Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
"The firstborn of an ass, being an unclean animal, could not be sacrificed to God, so it was redeemed by a lamb. Being a valuable work animal, the ass was spared only in this way, but if the animal was not redeemed, then it had to be killed." --Warren Wiersbe The act of breaking the neck of an unredeemed donkey represented the consequence of not acknowledging God's ownership over the firstborn and the need to dedicate oneself fully to Him. I.e. in Exodus 13:13, God commanded the necks of firstborn donkeys to be broken if their owners refused to redeem them with a lamb, essentially acting as a punishment--for not dedicating the firstborn animal to God, signifying the importance of recognizing God's ownership over all creation and the need to set aside the firstborn as a sacred offering.
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