Revised Literal Translation
Exodus 23:19
19The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of Yhwh thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.
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
17Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord Yhwh. 18Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning. The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of Yhwh thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk. 20Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 21Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
Read all of Exodus 23Exodus 23:19 word by word
רֵאשִׁ֗ית בִּכּוּרֵי֙ אַדְמָ֣תְךָ֔ תָּבִ֕יא בֵּ֖ית יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ לֹֽא־תְבַשֵּׁ֥ל גְּדִ֖י בַּחֲלֵ֥ב אִמּֽוֹ׃ סRead the interlinear
- 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 Yhwhיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · 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 22:29Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me.
- Exodus 34:26The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of Yhwh thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.
- Leviticus 23:10Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
- Numbers 18:12All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto Yhwh, them have I given thee.
- Deuteronomy 12:5But unto the place which Yhwh your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:
- Deuteronomy 26:10And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O Yhwh, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before Yhwh thy God, and worship before Yhwh thy God:
- Nehemiah 10:35And to bring the firstfruits of our ground, and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the house of Yhwh:
- 1 Corinthians 15:20But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
- Revelation 14:4These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
- Deuteronomy 14:21Ye 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 Yhwh thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.
- Proverbs 12:10A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
- Jeremiah 10:3For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
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
In the dictionaries
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
Revised Literal Translation — © 2018 Michael W. Jones, Sr. — GPL
Commentaries