God’s Word Translation
Deuteronomy 22:6
6Whenever you’re traveling and find a nest containing chicks or eggs, this is what you must do. If the mother bird is sitting on the nest, never take her with the chicks.
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
4If you see another Israelite’s donkey or ox lying on the road, don’t pretend that you don’t see it. Make sure you help him get it back on its feet. 5A woman must never wear anything men would wear, and a man must never wear women’s clothes. Whoever does this is disgusting to the Lord your God. Whenever you’re traveling and find a nest containing chicks or eggs, this is what you must do. If the mother bird is sitting on the nest, never take her with the chicks. 7You may take the chicks, but make sure you let the mother go. Then things will go well for you, and you will live for a long time. 8Whenever you build a new house, put a railing around the edge of the roof. Then you won’t be responsible for a death at your home if someone falls off the roof.
Read all of Deuteronomy 22Deuteronomy 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 12:6“When the days needed to make her clean are over, she must bring a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a mourning dove as an offering for sin. She must bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
- Genesis 8:17Bring out every animal that’s with you: birds, domestic animals, and every creature that crawls on the earth. Be fertile, increase in number, and spread over the earth.”
- Genesis 32:11Please save me from my brother Esau, because I’m afraid of him. I’m afraid that he’ll come and attack me and the mothers and children too.
- Leviticus 22:28Never slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young the same day.
- Proverbs 12:10A righteous person cares ⌞even⌟ about the life of his animals, but the compassion of wicked people is ⌞nothing but⌟ cruelty.
- Hosea 10:14So your army will hear the noise of battle. All your fortresses will be destroyed like the time Shalman destroyed Beth Arbel in battle. Mothers and their children were smashed to death.
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
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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