Exodus 23:19

Exodus 23:19 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)“Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God. “Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. "You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The 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.

Context of Exodus 23:19

17At these three times each year, every man in Israel must appear before the Sovereign, the Lord. 18“You must not offer the blood of my sacrificial offerings together with any baked goods containing yeast. And do not leave the fat from the festival offerings until the next morning. “As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the house of the Lord your God. “You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk. 20“See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. 21Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion.

Exodus 23:19 word by word

רֵאשִׁ֗ית בִּכּוּרֵי֙ אַדְמָ֣תְךָ֔ תָּבִ֕יא בֵּ֖ית יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ לֹֽא־תְבַשֵּׁ֥ל גְּדִ֖י בַּחֲלֵ֥ב אִמּֽוֹ׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The firstרֵאשִׁיתrê'shîyth · first: bestH7225
• of the firstfruitsבִּכּוּרִיםbikkûr · firstfruitH1061
• of thy landאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: soilH127
• thou shalt bringבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
• into the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: templeH1004
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• Thou shalt not seetheבָּשַׁלbâshal · to boilH1310
• a kidגְּדִיgedîy · kidH1423
• in his mother’sאֵם'êm · motherH517
• milkחָלָבchâlâb · milkH2461

Cross-references for Exodus 23:19

• Exodus 22:29“You must not hold anything back when you give me offerings from your crops and your wine. “You must give me your firstborn sons.
• Exodus 34:26“As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the house of the Lord your God. “You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
• Leviticus 23:10“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you enter the land I am giving you and you harvest its first crops, bring the priest a bundle of grain from the first cutting of your grain harvest.
• Numbers 18:12“I also give you the harvest gifts brought by the people as offerings to the Lord—the best of the olive oil, new wine, and grain.
• Deuteronomy 12:5Rather, you must seek the Lord your God at the place of worship he himself will choose from among all the tribes—the place where his name will be honored.
• Deuteronomy 26:10And now, O Lord, I have brought you the first portion of the harvest you have given me from the ground.’ Then place the produce before the Lord your God, and bow to the ground in worship before him.
• Nehemiah 10:35“We promise to bring the first part of every harvest to the Lord’s Temple year after year—whether it be a crop from the soil or from our fruit trees.
• 1 Corinthians 15:20But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.
• Revelation 14:4They have kept themselves as pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special offering to God and to the Lamb.
• Deuteronomy 14:21“You must not eat anything that has died a natural death. You may give it to a foreigner living in your town, or you may sell it to a stranger. But do not eat it yourselves, for you are set apart as holy to the Lord your God. “You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
• Proverbs 12:10The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.
• Jeremiah 10:3Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.

Commentaries on Exodus 23:19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk - This passage has greatly perplexed commentators; but Dr. Cudworth is supposed to have given it its true meaning by quoting a MS. comment of a Karaite Jew, which he met with, on this passage. "It was a custom of the ancient heathens, when they had gathered in all their fruits, to take a kid and boil it in the milk of its dam; and then, in a magical way, to go about and besprinkle with it all their trees…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19The first of the firstfruits of thy land - The “best,” or “chief” of the firstfruits, that is, the two wave loaves described Leviticus 23:17. As the preceding precept appears to refer to the Passover, so it is likely that this refers to Pentecost. They are called in Leviticus, “the firstfruits unto the Load;” and it is reasonable that they should here be designated the “chief” of the firstfruits. If, with some, we suppose the precept to relate to the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-19Verses 10-19 Every seventh year the land was to rest. They must not plough or sow it; what the earth produced of itself, should be eaten, and not laid up. This law seems to have been intended to teach dependence on Providence, and God's faithfulness in sending the larger increase while they kept his appointments. It was also typical of the heavenly rest, when all earthly labours, cares, and interests shall cease for ever. All respect to the gods of the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19The meaning of the command not to cook a young goat in its mother’s milk is not clear. The Bible does not explain the reason for this law. Because it appears among other worship laws, some scholars think it may have been a pagan religious practice. Pagan means related to the worship of other gods. If that is true, the command would warn Israel not to copy the worship practices of other nations.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1919. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk--A prohibition against imitating the superstitious rites of the idolaters in Egypt, who, at the end of their harvest, seethed a kid in its mother's milk and sprinkled the broth as a magical charm on their gardens and fields, to render them more productive the following season. [See on De 14:21].Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 23:19

• Church
• First Fruits
• Goat
• Lamb
• Milk

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Beware
• Book
• Countenance
• Cow
• Firstfruits
• Food
• Ingathering
• Kid

Commentaries on Exodus 23

• 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
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings