Leviticus 22:28
New International Version
Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.

New Living Translation
But you must not slaughter a mother animal and her offspring on the same day, whether from the herd or the flock.

English Standard Version
But you shall not kill an ox or a sheep and her young in one day.

Berean Standard Bible
But you must not slaughter an ox or a sheep on the same day as its young.

King James Bible
And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.

New King James Version
Whether it is a cow or ewe, do not kill both her and her young on the same day.

New American Standard Bible
But, whether it is an ox or a sheep, you shall not slaughter both it and its young in one day.

NASB 1995
“But, whether it is an ox or a sheep, you shall not kill both it and its young in one day.

NASB 1977
“But, whether it is an ox or a sheep, you shall not kill both it and its young in one day.

Legacy Standard Bible
But, whether it is an ox or a sheep, you shall not slaughter both it and its young in one day.

Amplified Bible
And whether [the mother] is a cow or a sheep, you shall not kill both it and its young in one day.

Christian Standard Bible
But you are not to slaughter an animal from the herd or flock on the same day as its young.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But you are not to slaughter an animal from the herd or flock on the same day as its young.

American Standard Version
And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and its young both in one day.

Contemporary English Version
Don't sacrifice a newborn animal and its mother on the same day.

English Revised Version
And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Never slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young the same day.

Good News Translation
Do not sacrifice a cow and its calf or a sheep and its lamb or a goat and its kid on the same day.

International Standard Version
However, you are not to slaughter a bull or a ewe along with its offspring on the same day.

Majority Standard Bible
But you must not slaughter an ox or a sheep on the same day as its young.

NET Bible
You must not slaughter an ox or a sheep and its young on the same day.

New Heart English Bible
Whether it is an ox or a sheep, you shall not kill it and its young both in one day.

Webster's Bible Translation
And whether it is cow, or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.

World English Bible
Whether it is a cow or ewe, you shall not kill it and its young both in one day.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
but an ox or sheep—you do not slaughter it and its young one in one day.

Young's Literal Translation
but an ox or sheep -- it and its young one, ye do not slaughter in one day.

Smith's Literal Translation
And an ox or a sheep, it and its son, thou shalt not slaughter in one day.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Whether it be a cow, or a sheep, they shall not be sacrificed the same day with their young ones.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Whether it is an ox, or a sheep, they shall not be immolated on the same day with their newborns.

New American Bible
You shall not slaughter an ox or a sheep on one and the same day with its young.

New Revised Standard Version
But you shall not slaughter, from the herd or the flock, an animal with its young on the same day.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And whether it be a cow or a sheep, you shall not slaughter it and its young both in one day.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And a bullock or a sheep itself and its son you shall not slaughter on one day.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and its young both in one day.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And a bullock and a ewe, it and its young, thou shalt not kill in one day.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Worthy Offerings
27“When an ox, a sheep, or a goat is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as an offering made by fire to the LORD. 28But you must not slaughter an ox or a sheep on the same day as its young. 29When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, offer it so that it may be acceptable on your behalf.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 22:6-7
If you come across a bird’s nest with chicks or eggs, either in a tree or on the ground along the road, and the mother is sitting on the chicks or eggs, you must not take the mother along with the young. / You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days.

Exodus 23:19
Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

Exodus 34:26
Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

Deuteronomy 14:21
You are not to eat any carcass; you may give it to the foreigner residing within your gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

Deuteronomy 15:19-23
You must set apart to the LORD your God every firstborn male produced by your herds and flocks. You are not to put the firstborn of your oxen to work, nor are you to shear the firstborn of your flock. / Each year you and your household are to eat it before the LORD your God in the place the LORD will choose. / But if an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God. ...

Genesis 9:4
But you must not eat meat with its lifeblood still in it.

Genesis 32:13-15
Jacob spent the night there, and from what he had brought with him, he selected a gift for his brother Esau: / 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, / 30 milk camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys.

1 Samuel 6:7
Now, therefore, prepare one new cart with two milk cows that have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.

Isaiah 66:3
Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who slays a man; whoever sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever presents a grain offering is like one who offers pig’s blood; whoever offers frankincense is like one who blesses an idol. Indeed, they have chosen their own ways and delighted in their abominations.

Hosea 10:14
the roar of battle will rise against your people, so that all your fortresses will be demolished as Shalman devastated Beth-arbel in the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to pieces along with their children.

Matthew 12:11-12
He replied, “If one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? / How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

Luke 14:5
And He asked them, “Which of you whose son or ox falls into a pit on the Sabbath day will not immediately pull him out?”

Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

Mark 2:27
Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

Luke 6:9
Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”


Treasury of Scripture

And whether it be cow, or ewe, you shall not kill it and her young both in one day.

ewe.

Exodus 23:19
The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

Exodus 34:27
And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.

Deuteronomy 14:21
Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

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Leviticus 22
1. The priests in their uncleanness must abstain from the holy things
6. How they shall be cleansed
10. Who of the priest's house may eat of the holy things
17. The sacrifices must be without blemish
26. The age of the sacrifice
29. The law of eating the sacrifice of thanksgiving














But you must not
This phrase sets a clear prohibition, indicating a command from God that is not open to negotiation or personal interpretation. The Hebrew root for "must not" is "לֹא" (lo), which is a strong negative particle used to express absolute prohibition. This reflects the seriousness with which God views His commandments, emphasizing obedience and reverence for His laws.

slaughter
The Hebrew word used here is "שָׁחַט" (shachat), which means to kill or slaughter, particularly in a ritualistic or sacrificial context. This term is significant in the Levitical laws, as it pertains to the proper way of offering sacrifices to God. The act of slaughtering is not merely a physical act but a spiritual one, symbolizing the offering of life to God and the acknowledgment of His sovereignty over creation.

an ox or a sheep
These animals were commonly used in sacrificial offerings in ancient Israel. The ox (Hebrew: "שׁוֹר" - shor) and the sheep (Hebrew: "שֶׂה" - seh) were valuable assets in an agrarian society, representing wealth and sustenance. Their use in sacrifices underscores the principle of giving God the best of what one has, a theme that runs throughout the Old Testament. The choice of these animals also reflects the pastoral lifestyle of the Israelites and their dependence on livestock for survival.

on the same day
This phrase highlights the importance of timing in the sacrificial system. The Hebrew word for "day" is "יוֹם" (yom), which can refer to a literal day or a period of time. The specific prohibition against slaughtering an animal and its young on the same day suggests a sensitivity to the natural order and the bond between parent and offspring. It reflects God's compassion and His desire for His people to act with mercy and consideration.

as its young
The Hebrew term for "young" is "בֵּן" (ben), which generally means son or offspring. In this context, it refers to the offspring of the animal being sacrificed. This commandment can be seen as an expression of God's care for His creation, ensuring that even in the act of sacrifice, there is a respect for the familial bonds and the continuity of life. It serves as a reminder that God's laws are not only about ritual purity but also about ethical treatment of animals and the preservation of life.

(28) Not kill it and her young both in one day.--According to the ancient canons, this prohibition to slaughter the dam and its youngling the same day was not only designed to remind the Israelites of the sacred relations which exist between parent and offspring, but was especially intended to keep up feelings of humanity. Hence the ancient Chaldee version begins this injunction with the words, "My people the children of Israel, as our Father is merciful in heaven, so be ye merciful on earth."

Verse 28. - A lesson of charity is added. A young animal and its mother are not to be killed (though reference is specially made to sacrifice, the general word, not the sacrificial term, for slaying is used) on the same day, just as the kid is not to be seethed in its mother's milk (Exodus 23:19; Deuteronomy 14:21), nor the mother bird be taken from the nest with the young (Deuteronomy 22:6). Thus we see that the feelings of the human heart arc not to be rudely shocked by an act of apparent cruelty, even when no harm is thereby done to the object of that act. Mercy is to be taught by forbidding anything which may blunt the sentiment of mercy in the human heart.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But you must not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

slaughter
תִשְׁחֲט֖וּ (ṯiš·ḥă·ṭū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 7819: To slaughter, beat

an ox
וְשׁ֖וֹר (wə·šō·wr)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7794: A head of cattle (bullock, ox, etcetera)

or
אוֹ־ (’ōw-)
Conjunction
Strong's 176: Desire, if

sheep
שֶׂ֑ה (śeh)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7716: A member of a, flock, a sheep, goat

on the same
אֶחָֽד׃ (’e·ḥāḏ)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

day
בְּי֥וֹם (bə·yō·wm)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

as its young.
בְּנ֔וֹ (bə·nōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son


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OT Law: Leviticus 22:28 Whether it is a cow or ewe (Le Lv Lev.)
Leviticus 22:27
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