And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.
Parallel translations
- WEB Whether it is a cow or ewe, you shall not kill it and its young both in one day.
- BSB But you must not slaughter an ox or a sheep on the same day as its young.
- NKJV Whether it is a cow or ewe, do not kill both her and her young on the same day.
- NASB But, whether it is an ox or a sheep, you shall not slaughter both it and its young in one day.
- NLT But you must not slaughter a mother animal and her offspring on the same day, whether from the herd or the flock.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
You must not slaughter an animal and its young on the same day.
Overview
This compassionate restraint guarded against needless cruelty even within the sacrificial system. Similar laws, like sparing the mother bird (Deuteronomy 22:6-7), reveal God's care woven into worship. Such mercy reflects the character of the Lord, who delights in mercy and shapes His people to value life.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Deut 22:6–7If 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:
- Deut 14:21Ye shall not eat of anything 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 the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.
- Exod 34:26The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.
- Exod 23:19The 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.
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Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 22:28 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.