Exodus 23:19

“The first of the first fruits of thy land, etc.] Both of the barley and wheat harvest, and of the wine and oil; yea, Jarchi says, the seventh year was obliged to first fruits; and Josephus f728 relates, that the Jews were so tenacious of this law, that even in the famine in the time of Claudius Caesar, the first fruits were brought to the temple, and were not meddled with: thou shall bring into the house of the Lord thy God; to the tabernacle, during the standing of that, and the temple when that was built; which were the perquisites of the priests who officiated in the house and service of God: so Pliny says f729 of the ancient Romans, that they tasted not of the new fruits or wines before…”

“Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk--A prohibition against imitating the superstitious rites of the idolaters in Egypt, who, at the end of their harvest, seethed a kid in its mother's milk and sprinkled the broth as a magical charm on their gardens and fields, to render them more productive the following season. [See on Deu 14:21].”

“The first of the firstfruits of thy land - The “best,” or “chief” of the firstfruits, that is, the two wave loaves described Leviticus 23:17. As the preceding precept appears to refer to the Passover, so it is likely that this refers to Pentecost. They are called in Leviticus, “the firstfruits unto the Load;” and it is reasonable that they should here be designated the “chief” of the firstfruits. If, with some, we suppose the precept to relate to the offerings of firstfruits in general, the command is a repetition of Exodus 22:29. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk - This precept is repeated. See the marginal references. If we connect the first of the two preceding precepts…”

“Some of the Gentiles, at the end of their harvest, seethed a kid in it's dam's milk, and sprinkled that milk - pottage in a magical way upon their gardens and fields, to make them fruitful. But Israel must abhor such foolish customs. Is not this rather forbidden, as having some appearance of cruelty? Exodus 23:20”

“23:19 The significance of the command not to cook a young goat in its mother’s milk is unknown. Its inclusion at this point suggests that it may have been a pagan religious practice.”

“first of the: Exo 22:29, Exo 34:26; Lev 23:10-17; Num 18:12, Num 18:13; Deu 12:5-7, Deu 26:10; Neh 10:35; Co1 15:20; Rev 14:4 Thou shalt not seethe a kid: The true sense of this passage seems to be that assigned by Dr. Cudworth, from a manuscript comment of a Karaite Jew. "It was a custom with the ancient heathens, when they had gathered in all their fruits, to take a kid, and boil it in the dam's milk; and then in a magical way, to go about and sprinkle all their trees, and fields, and gardens, and orchards with it, thinking by these means, that they should make them fruitful, and bring forth more abundantly in the following year. Wherefore, God forbad his people, the Jews, at the time of…”