Deuteronomy 22:6

Deuteronomy 22:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young:
• New International Version (NIV)If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"If you come across a bird's nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“If a bird’s nest happens to be before you along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, with the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young;

Context of Deuteronomy 22:6

4Perhaps your neighbour's donkey or his cow has fallen on the road. If you see it lying there, do not look the other way. You must help the man to lift the animal so that it can stand. 5A woman must not wear the same clothes that men wear. A man must not wear clothes that make him look like a woman. The Lord your God hates people who do this. You may find a bird's nest beside the road. It may be in a tree or on the ground. If the mother bird is sitting on eggs or on young birds, you must not take the mother away from them. 7You may take the young birds for yourself. But you must let the mother bird go free. If you do that, everything will be well with you. You will have a long life. 8If you build a new house, you must make a wall around the edge of the flat roof. Then if someone falls off the roof and dies, you will not be guilty for his death.

Deuteronomy 22:6 word by word

כִּ֣י יִקָּרֵ֣א קַן־צִפּ֣וֹר׀ לְפָנֶ֡יךָ בַּדֶּ֜רֶךְ בְּכָל־עֵ֣ץ׀ א֣וֹ עַל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֶפְרֹחִים֙ א֣וֹ בֵיצִ֔ים וְהָאֵ֤ם רֹבֶ֙צֶת֙ עַל־הָֽאֶפְרֹחִ֔ים א֖וֹ עַל־הַבֵּיצִ֑ים לֹא־תִקַּ֥ח הָאֵ֖ם עַל־הַבָּנִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• If a bird’sצִפּוֹרtsippôr tsippôr · birdH6833
• nestקֵןqên · nestH7064
• chanceקָרָאqârâ' · to encounter: chancedH7122
• to be beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• thee in the wayדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: journeyH1870
• in any treeעֵץ‛êts · treeH6086
• or on the groundאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: soilH776
• young onesאֶפְרֹחַ'ephrôach · youngH667
• or eggsבֵּיצָהbêytsâh · eggH1000
• and the damאֵם'êm · motherH517
• sittingרָבַץrâbats · to stretchH7257
• thou shalt not takeלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• with the youngבֵּןbên · son: young animalH1121

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 22:6

• Leviticus 12:6When the days to wait are finished, the woman must come to the door of the Tent of Meeting. She must bring to the priest a sheep that is one year old for a burnt offering. And she must bring a bird for a sin offering. The bird must be a pigeon or a dove. These are gifts to God.
• Genesis 8:17Bring every different kind of living animal out of the ship. Bring out the birds, the animals, and the living things that move across the ground. Now they may give birth to young ones again. They can grow in number all over the earth.’
• Genesis 32:11I pray that you will save me from the power of my brother Esau. I am afraid that he will come and attack me. He may also attack my family.
• Leviticus 22:28They must not kill a cow or a sheep and its baby on the same day.
• Proverbs 12:10Righteous people take care of their animals. But wicked people are cruel even when they think they are kind.
• Hosea 10:14So you will soon hear the noise of war. Enemies will destroy all your strong buildings. It will be like the time that King Shalman's army destroyed Beth Arbel. In that battle, cruel soldiers killed mothers together with their children.

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 22:6

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6-8Verses 6-8 These precepts are designed to cultivate a spirit of humanity. Compare Deuteronomy 25:4; Leviticus 22:28; and 1 Corinthians 9:9-10. Deuteronomy 22:8 The roofs of houses in Palestine were flat and used for various purposes. Compare Joshua 2:6; 2 Samuel 11:2; Acts 10:9, etc. A battlement was almost a necessary protection. It was to be, according to the rabbis, at least two cubits high (about 3 ft.).Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-12Verses 5-12 God's providence extends itself to the smallest affairs, and his precepts do so, that even in them we may be in the fear of the Lord, as we are under his eye and care. Yet the tendency of these laws, which seem little, is such, that being found among the things of God's law, they are to be accounted great things. If we would prove ourselves to be God's people, we must have respect to his will and to his glory, and not to the vain fashions of…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 6-76-7. If a bird's nest chance to be before thee--This is a beautiful instance of the humanizing spirit of the Mosaic law, in checking a tendency to wanton destructiveness and encouraging a spirit of kind and compassionate tenderness to the tiniest creatures. But there was wisdom as well as humanity in the precept; for, as birds are well known to serve important uses in the economy of nature, the extirpation of a species, whether of edible or ravenous…Read the comment

Topics related to Deuteronomy 22:6

• Animals
• Birds

In the dictionaries

• Astray
• Chance
• Cow
• Egg
• Fowler
• Husband
• Rise
• Atonement, Day of
• Criticism
• Dam

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 22

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings