Exodus 23:19 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.
Exodus 23:19 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.
Exodus 23:19 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.
Exodus 23:19 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.
Exodus 23:19 nlt
"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.
Exodus 23 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exo 34:26 | "The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring...You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk." | Repeats the prohibition directly connected to firstfruits. |
| Deut 14:21 | "...You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk." | Repeats the prohibition, emphasizing holiness and distinction. |
| Lev 22:28 | "And whether ox or sheep, you shall not kill it and its young both in one day." | Similar prohibition against undue cruelty or unnatural actions. |
| Deut 22:6 | "If you come across a bird’s nest…you shall not take the mother with the young." | Promotes mercy and preservation of life within species. |
| Lev 19:19 | "You shall keep my statutes...You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed..." | Principle of not mixing distinct categories. |
| Deut 22:9 | "You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed..." | Reinforces the prohibition against mixing disparate kinds. |
| Deut 22:10 | "You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together." | Respect for created boundaries and animal welfare. |
| Deut 22:11 | "You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together." | Symbolizes maintaining clear distinctions. |
| Gen 1:11 | "And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” | Establishes creation "according to its kind," reflecting order. |
| Gen 8:22 | "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease." | Highlights God's established natural order. |
| Gen 9:4 | "But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood." | Prohibits perversion of life, associating blood with life. |
| Lev 17:11 | "For the life of the flesh is in the blood..." | Underscores the sanctity of life in animal and human. |
| Prov 12:10 | "Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel." | General principle of animal care and compassion. |
| Isa 11:6 | "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb..." | Vision of restored harmony in creation, where natural order is perfected. |
| Hos 12:8 | "Ephraim said, ‘Ah, but I am rich; I have found wealth for myself...’" | Context of Israel's ritual perversions and abandonment of God's ways. |
| Jer 10:2 | "Thus says the Lord: ‘Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed by the signs of the heavens...’" | Admonition against adopting pagan practices. |
| Rom 14:21 | "It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble." | New Testament emphasis on applying principles with conscience and consideration. |
| 1 Cor 8:9 | "But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak." | NT application regarding food laws, focus on brotherly love over ritual. |
| Heb 9:10 | "...concerned only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation." | New Covenant perspective on ceremonial laws and their temporary nature. |
| Col 2:16-17 | "Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink...which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." | Emphasizes the shadows of the law pointing to Christ, not mere dietary rules. |
| 1 Tim 4:4-5 | "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer." | God's creation is good; calls into question ceremonial food distinctions in a new covenant context. |
Exodus 23 verses
Exodus 23 19 Meaning
Exodus 23:19 states, "You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk." This concise divine prohibition speaks to God's character of order, purity, and compassion, forbidding an unnatural act that violated the bond between a mother and her offspring and possibly stood as a polemic against common pagan fertility practices of the time. It implies a deeper theological principle of respecting creation, upholding distinction, and maintaining ritual purity in worship and daily life as a people set apart for God.
Exodus 23 19 Context
Exodus 23:19 is part of the "Book of the Covenant" (Exo 20:22–23:33), which elaborates on the Ten Commandments given at Mount Sinai. Specifically, verses 14-19 detail regulations concerning Israel's three annual pilgrimage festivals: the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the Feast of Harvest (Weeks/Pentecost), and the Feast of Ingathering (Tabernacles/Booths). Each of these festivals involved presenting firstfruits and offerings to the Lord. The prohibition against boiling a young goat in its mother's milk immediately follows the command to bring the "first of the firstfruits" of the land to the house of the Lord (Exo 23:19a). This placement suggests that the integrity and purity of Israel's worship, particularly their offerings, should reflect God's holy character and be free from perverse or idolatrous practices. The historical context indicates that such practices might have been prevalent among the surrounding Canaanite nations as fertility rites, which Israel was commanded to utterly eschew.
Exodus 23 19 Word analysis
- You shall not (לֹא- (lō-)): This is an emphatic negative, typical of apodictic law in the Torah, signifying an absolute and unconditional prohibition. It underscores the seriousness and divine authority of the command.
- boil (תְבַשֵּׁל (t'vashshēl)): From the verb בָּשַׁל (bāshal), meaning "to cook," "to boil," or "to ripen." It implies an intentional act of preparation, likely for consumption or ritual. The deliberate nature of this act makes its perversity all the more pronounced.
- a young goat (גְּדִי (g'dî)): Refers specifically to a "kid," a young goat. This detail is crucial because it is a tender, vulnerable, and newly born animal, highlighting the beginning of life.
- in its mother's milk (בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ (baḥălēḇ ʾimmōw)): This phrase is the core of the prohibition.
- milk (חָלָב (ḥālāḇ)): Symbolizes life, nourishment, sustenance, purity, and blessing (as in "a land flowing with milk and honey"). It is the very substance by which the young animal receives life and sustenance.
- mother (אִמּוֹ (ʾimmōw)): Emphasizes the sacred, natural bond of nurturing. The milk is specifically from its own mother.
- Words-group analysis:
- "boil a young goat in its mother's milk": The juxtaposition of life (the young goat, the mother's milk) with an act of death and consumption (boiling) within the same context, particularly the source of the young animal's very life, creates a profoundly unnatural and disturbing image. This fusion represents a violation of distinct categories and natural order established by God. The phrase captures the essence of perversion and disrespect for the cycle of life.
Exodus 23 19 Bonus section
The consistent placement of this unique prohibition immediately after or within regulations regarding firstfruits and holy offerings emphasizes that proper worship to Yahweh demands integrity and a rejection of any perverted or pagan associations. This connection reinforces that Israel's dedication and expressions of gratitude to God should be pure and distinct from the surrounding nations' defiled practices. The threefold repetition in different parts of the Law—Exodus 23 (Book of the Covenant), Exodus 34 (renewed covenant), and Deuteronomy 14 (mosaic recapitulation for the new generation entering Canaan)—highlights its critical importance in shaping Israel's identity, separating them both ethically and cultically from idolatry.
Exodus 23 19 Commentary
The prohibition "You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk" is a remarkably distinctive and significant command, repeated verbatim three times in the Torah (Exo 23:19, Exo 34:26, Deut 14:21). Its prominence underscores deep underlying principles for Israel.
Foremost, it can be understood as a prohibition against pagan practices. Archeological discoveries, particularly in Ugarit, suggest that boiling a young animal in milk might have been a Canaanite fertility ritual aimed at ensuring prosperity and abundant harvest. By forbidding this specific act, God commanded Israel to distance themselves unequivocally from such pagan rites, asserting His exclusive sovereignty as the provider and forbidding reliance on magical or idolatrous means. This ensured Israel's cultic purity and distinction as God's set-apart people.
Second, the command embodies a principle of compassion and respect for the natural order and bonds of life. Milk is given by God as a means of life and nurture for the young. To then use that very substance to cook and consume the offspring represents a profound disrespect for the created order, the sanctity of life, and the mother-child bond. It teaches sensitivity and ethical treatment towards animals, reflecting God's character (similar to not killing a mother animal with its young, Lev 22:28). This instills in Israel a culture of care, preventing a callous attitude towards creation.
Third, it reinforces the divine establishment of distinct categories. God, in creation, separated light from darkness, land from water, and different species. Commingling a life-giving substance (milk) with an act of death (cooking an offspring) blurs essential boundaries. This resonates with other "mixing" prohibitions in the Law (e.g., mixing seeds, types of garments), emphasizing Israel's role in reflecting God's order and holiness.
While later Jewish tradition widely expanded this prohibition to a general separation of all meat and dairy in the laws of Kashrut, the biblical text itself is specifically directed against the explicit act of boiling a young goat in its mother's milk. The deeper message calls for holiness in daily life and worship, rejection of pagan influences, and compassion for God's creation, guiding Israel to be a people who lived by distinct, godly principles.