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 22:27KJV
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Leviticus 22:27 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 22:27 mean?

Leviticus 22:27 sets a rule that a newborn bull, sheep, or goat must stay with its mother for seven days after birth, and only from the eighth day onward can it be accepted as a burnt offering to the LORD. This means animals offered to God had to reach a minimum age before being used in sacrifice.

In this verse, God is speaking to Moses, giving instructions for the priests and the people of Israel about acceptable animal sacrifices. The context is a set of laws about how to treat offerings with respect and care, showing that even the youngest animals were not to be separated from their mothers or sacrificed too soon.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 22:27

  • דָּם (dam; H517) means "mother" here, emphasizing the animal’s connection to its mother and the importance of allowing time for that bond.
  • שִׁבְעָה (shiv'ah; H7651) means "seven," and שְׁמוֹנִי (shemini; H8066) means "eighth," marking a specific period of waiting that reflects a sense of completeness or readiness before an animal is suitable for offering.
  • יֵרָצֶה (yeratzeh; H7521) means "accepted," showing that only after this waiting period would God receive the offering as proper and pleasing.

Why Leviticus 22:27 matters

  • Leviticus 22:27 clarifies that not every animal, even if technically suitable, could be offered immediately after birth; there was a waiting period out of respect for both the animal and its mother.
  • This verse highlights the careful, humane guidelines in the sacrificial system, which may surprise readers who assume ancient practices were harsh or careless.
  • The rule connects to the broader theme in Leviticus of offering only what is whole, mature, and fitting to God, reinforcing the idea that worship involved thoughtfulness and restraint.

Where else these words appear

“sheep” Hebrew H3775 · used in 13 verses

  • Genesis 30:32 I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.
  • Leviticus 1:10 And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish.
  • Leviticus 17:3 What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp,

“thenceforth” Hebrew H1973 · used in 16 verses

  • Genesis 19:9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
  • 1 Samuel 10:3 Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine:
  • Isaiah 18:7 In that time shall the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion.

“eighth” Hebrew H8066 · used in 27 verses

  • 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 23:39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.
  • 1 Chronicles 12:12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,

“accepted” Hebrew H7521 · used in 55 verses

  • Genesis 33:10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
  • Esther 10:3 For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.
  • Proverbs 3:12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.