New King James Version
Leviticus 22:28
28Whether it is a cow or ewe, do not kill both her and her young on the same day.
Leviticus 22:28 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.
- New International Version (NIV)Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But you shall not kill an ox or a sheep and her young in one day.
- New Living Translation (NLT)But you must not slaughter a mother animal and her offspring on the same day, whether from the herd or the flock.
Context of Leviticus 22:28
26And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 27“When a bull or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall be seven days with its mother; and from the eighth day and thereafter it shall be accepted as an offering made by fire to the Lord. Whether it is a cow or ewe, do not kill both her and her young on the same day. 29And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it of your own free will. 30On the same day it shall be eaten; you shall leave none of it until morning: I am the Lord.
Read all of Leviticus 22Leviticus 22:28 word by word
וְשׁ֖וֹר אוֹ־שֶׂ֑ה אֹת֣וֹ וְאֶת־בְּנ֔וֹ לֹ֥א תִשְׁחֲט֖וּ בְּי֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Leviticus 22:28
- Exodus 23:19The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
- Exodus 34:27Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write these words, for according to the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”
- Deuteronomy 14:21“You shall not eat anything that dies of itself; you may give it to the alien who is within your gates, that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner; for you are a holy people to the Lord your God. “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
- Deuteronomy 22:6“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;
Commentaries on Leviticus 22:28
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 28Ye shall not kill it and her young in one day - This precept was certainly intended to inculcate mercy and tenderness of heart; and so the Jews understood it. When it is necessary to take away the lives of innocent animals for the support of our own, we should do it in such a way as not to blunt our moral feelings; and deplore the necessity, while we feel an express gratitude to God for permission, to do it.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 28A law intended to remind the Israelites of the sacredness of the relation between the parent and its offspring. Compare Exodus 23:19 note.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 28on the same day: There are several possible explanations for this command, although none is certain: Senseless slaughtering would leave nothing of the herd; it would be cruel to slaughter the young and the mother at the same time; or it would resemble pagan worship rites, where people cooked the newborn animal in the milk of its slain mother (see Exodus 23:19).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 27-2827-28. it shall be seven days under the dam--Animals were not considered perfect nor good for food till the eighth day. As sacrifices are called the bread or food of God (Le 22:25), to offer them immediately after birth, when they were unfit to be eaten, would have indicated a contempt of religion; and besides, this prohibition, as well as that contained in Le 22:28, inculcated a lesson of humanity or tenderness to the dam, as well as secured the…Read the comment
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Leviticus 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries