Leviticus 22 · Verse 27

Leviticus 22:27

When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
Leviticus 22:27, King James Version

Leviticus 22:27 in other translations

BSB“When an ox, a sheep, or a goat is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as an offering made by fire to the LORD.
WEB“When a bull, a sheep, or a goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother. From the eighth day on it shall be accepted for the offering of an offering made by fire to the LORD.
ASVWhen a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for the oblation of an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.
YLT‘When ox or lamb or goat is born, and it hath been seven days under its dam, then from the eighth day and henceforth, it is pleasing for an offering, a fire-offering to Jehovah;
DARBYAn ox, or a sheep, or a goat, when it is brought forth, shall be seven days under its dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering by fire to Jehovah.
BBEWhen an ox or a sheep or a goat is given birth, let it be with its mother for seven days; and after the eighth day it may be taken as an offering made by fire to the Lord.
WebsterWhen a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire to the LORD.

What does Leviticus 22:27 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Leviticus 22:27-28
27-28. it shall be seven days under the dam--Animals were not considered perfect nor good for food till the eighth day. As sacrifices are called the bread or food of God (Le 22:25), to offer them immediately after birth, when they were unfit to be eaten, would have indicated a contempt of religion; and besides, this prohibition, as well as that contained in Le 22:28, inculcated a lesson of humanity or tenderness to the dam, as well as secured the sacrifices from all appearance of unfeeling cruelty.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 27 When a bullock - is brought forth - This is a most unfortunate as well as absurd translation. The creature called an ox is a bull castrated; surely then a bullock was never yet brought forth! The original word שור shor signifies a bull, a bullock, or indeed any thing of the neat kind: here, even common sense required that it should be translated calf; and did I not hold myself sacredly bound to print the text of the common version with scrupulous exactness, I should translate the former clause of this verse thus, and so enter it into the text: When a Calf, or a Lamb, or a Kid is brought forth, instead of, When a bullock, a sheep, or a goat is brought forth, the absurdity of which is glaring. Seven days under the dam - In vindication of the propriety of this precept it may be justly asserted, that the flesh of very young animals is comparatively innutritive, and that animal food is not sufficiently nourishing and wholesome till the animal has arrived at a certain growth, or acquired the perfection of its nature. There is something brutish in eating the young of beast or fowl before the hair and hoofs are perfect in the one, and the feathers and claws in the other. Before this period their flesh is not good for food. See the note on Lev 9:1.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Leviticus 22:27 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

שׁ֣וֹרShoran oxH7794
אוֹ\־'ov-orH176
כֶ֤שֶׂבKhe.seva young ramH3775
אוֹ\־'ov-orH176
עֵז֙'eza goatH5795
כִּ֣יkiifH3588
יִוָּלֵ֔דyi.va.Ledit will be bornH3205
וְהָיָ֛הve.ha.Yahand it will beH1961
שִׁבְעַ֥תshiv.'AtsevenH7651
יָמִ֖יםya.MimdaysH3117
תַּ֣חַתTa.chatunderH8478
אִמּ֑וֹ'i.Momother itsH517
וּמִיּ֤וֹםu.mi.Yomand from [the] dayH3117
הַשְּׁמִינִי֙ha.she.mi.Ni<the> eighthH8066
וָהָ֔לְאָהva.Hal.'ahand onwardsH1973
יֵרָצֶ֕הye.ra.Tzehit will be acceptedH7521
לְקָרְבַּ֥ןle.kar.Banto a present ofH7133
אִשֶּׁ֖ה'i.Sheha fire offeringH801
לַיהוָֽה\׃la.Yah.wehto YahwehH3068

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Leviticus 22:27

  • Exodus 22:30

    Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me.

  • Leviticus 12:2-3

    Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

  • Leviticus 22:25

    Neither from a stranger’s hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them: they shall not be accepted for you.

  • Leviticus 19:23-24

    And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of. But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the Lord withal.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
seven days.It was necessary for the mother's health that the young one should suck so long; and prior to this time, the process of nutrition in a young animal can scarcely be considered as completely formed. Besides this, it may justly be asserted, that the flesh of very young animals is comparatively innutritive. There is something brutish in eating the young of beast or fowl, before the hair and hoofs are perfect in the one, and feathers and claws in the other; and before this period, their flesh is not good for food, consequently they were not fit for sacrifice, which is termed the bread or food of God, (ver. 25.)
25; 12:2,3; 19:23,24; Ex 22:30

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Leviticus 22:26

    And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

  • Leviticus 22:27

    When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

  • Leviticus 22:28

    And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.

Read all of Leviticus 22

Leviticus 22:27 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		El buey, ó el cordero, ó la cabra, cuando naciere, siete días estará mamando de su madre: mas desde el octavo día en adelante será acepto para ofrenda de sacrificio encendido á Jehová.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Un veau, ou un agneau ou un chevreau, lorsqu’il sera né, sera sept jours sous sa mère; et depuis le huitième jour et après, il sera agréé pour l’offrande du sacrifice fait par feu à l’ Éternel.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Wenn ein Rind oder ein Schaf oder eine Ziege geboren wird, so soll es sieben Tage unter seiner Mutter sein; und vom achten Tage an und weiterhin wird es wohlgefällig sein zur Opfergabe eines Feueropfers dem Jehova. -
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Bos, ovis et capra, cum genita fuerint, septem diebus erunt sub ubere matris suæ: die autem octavo, et deinceps, offerri poterunt Domino.