Deuteronomy 22:6

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:

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
bird’s	צִפּ֣וֹר tzi.Por	H6833	a little bird (as hopping) · noun, common both genders singular absolute
nest	קַן kan-	H7064	a nest (as fixed) · noun, common masculine singular construct
chance	יִקָּרֵ֣א yi.ka.Re'	H7122	to encounter · verb, niphal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
before	לְפָנֶ֡יךָ le.fa.Nei.kha	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
way	בַּדֶּ֜רֶךְ ba.De.rekh	H1870	a road (as trodden) · preposition with the article + noun, common both genders singular absolute
tree	עֵ֣ץ 'etz	H6086	a tree (from its firmness) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
ground	הָאָ֗רֶץ ha.'A.retz	H776	the earth (at large · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
ones	אֶפְרֹחִים֙ 'ef.ro.Chim	H667	the brood of a bird · noun, common masculine plural absolute
eggs	בֵיצִ֔ים vei.Tzim	H1000	an egg (from its whiteness) · noun, common masculine plural absolute
dam	וְהָאֵ֤ם ve.ha.'Em	H517	a mother (as the bond of the family) · conjunction + definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
sitting	רֹבֶ֙צֶת֙ ro.Ve.tzet	H7257	to crouch (on all four legs folded · verb, qal active participle, feminine singular absolute
young	הָֽאֶפְרֹחִ֔ים ha.'ef.ro.Chim	H667	the brood of a bird · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
eggs	הַבֵּיצִ֑ים ha.bei.Tzim	H1000	an egg (from its whiteness) · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
take	תִקַּ֥ח ti.Kach	H3947	to take (in the widest variety of applications) · verb, qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular
dam	הָאֵ֖ם ha.'Em	H517	a mother (as the bond of the family) · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
young	הַבָּנִֽים ha.ba.Nim	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Leviticus 22:28 And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.
Proverbs 12:10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
Genesis 8:17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that cree…
Luke 12:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
Hosea 10:14 Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battle…
Genesis 32:11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 22:5-12

Here are several laws in these verses which seem to stoop very low, and to take cognizance of things mean and minute. Men's laws commonly do not so: De minimis non curat lex - The law takes no cognizance of little things; but because God's providence extends itself to the smallest affairs, 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. And yet the significancy and tendency of these statutes, which seem little, are such that, notwithstanding their minuteness, being fond among the things of God's law, which he has written to us, they are to be accounted great things. I. The distinction of sexes by the apparel is to be kept up, for the…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 22:6

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 birds, must in any country be productive of serious evils. But Palestine, in particular, was situated in a climate which produced poisonous snakes and scorpions; and the deserts and mountains would have been overrun with them as well as immense swarms…

Read the whole note in the console

John Gill on Deuteronomy 22:6

If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in any tree, or on the ground,.... Which are the usual places in which birds build their nests; and this, as Jarchi observes, excepts such nests that are prepared, that is, that are purposely made for fowls kept at home; and with which agrees the Jewish canon, which says (t)"the letting go (the dam out of) the nest is not used but of a fowl, and it is not used but of what is not prepared; what is that which is not prepared? such as geese and hens, whose nest is in an orchard; but if their nest is in the house, and so doves kept at home, a man is free from letting (the dam) go;''that is, he is not obliged to let it go; and this is to be understood of…

Dictionary and topics

Cow — A cow and her calf were not to be killed on the same day (Lev. 22:28; Ex. 23:19; Deut. 22:6, 7). The reason for this enactment is not given. A state of great poverty is described in the words of Isa.…
Egg — (Heb. beytsah, “whiteness”). Eggs deserted (Isa. 10:14), of a bird (Deut. 22:6), an ostrich (Job 39:14), the cockatrice (Isa. 59:5). In Luke 11:12, an egg is contrasted with a scorpion, which is said…
Fowler — The arts of, referred to Ps. 91:3; 124:7; Prov. 6:5; Jer. 5:26; Hos. 9:8; Ezek. 17:20; Eccl. 9:12. Birds of all kinds abound in Palestine, and the capture of these for the table and for other uses…
Birds · Moses’ law protected the mother from being taken with the young — Moses’ law protected the mother from being taken with the young

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Deuteronomy 22:6

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 22:5-12

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 22:6

John Gill on Deuteronomy 22:6

Dictionary and topics

Deuteronomy 22:6

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 22:5-12

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 22:6

John Gill on Deuteronomy 22:6

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Deuteronomy 22:6-7

Keil & Delitzsch on Deuteronomy 22:1-12

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Deuteronomy 22:5

Rashi on Deuteronomy 22:6