Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshipping the Lord our God, and until we get there we will not know what we will need to worship the Lord. The phrase not a hoof is to be left behind is one of the most memorable declarations in the Exodus narrative — absolute, uncompromising, total. The animals are not negotiating items. The admission that we will not know what we will need until we get there is a statement of faith: Moses does not know precisely which animals will be needed for which sacrifices, but he knows that all of them need to be available. The uncertainty of the specific does not allow negotiation about the general. Proverbs 3:5–6 says trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; Moses is modeling this trust — not knowing the details of worship in advance but knowing that God's provision requires Israel's completeness.

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