Deuteronomy 22:6–7
The law asks to let the mother bird go when taking the young
Study it word by word6If you happen to come upon a bird’s nest before you on the road, in any tree or on the ground, with young or eggs, and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young.
7You shall surely send away the mother, and the young you may take for yourself, so that it may go well with you and you may prolong your days.
In its context
4You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen on the road and ignore them; you shall surely lift them up with him.
5A man’s article shall not be on a woman, and a man shall not put on a woman’s garment, for an abomination to YHWH your Elohim is everyone who does these things.
…
8When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you do not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone falling falls from it.
9You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds, so that the whole yield, the seed that you sow and the produce of the vineyard, does not become holy.
Its words in the original
- יִקָּרֵאyikare· happen, meet
Happen, befall someone; meet with something.
- קַןkan· nest; room
Nest; also the rooms or compartments of the ark.
- צִפּוֹרtsipor· bird
Bird, small bird.
- פָנֶיfane· face, presence
Face. From there "surface" (the face of something) and "presence" (being before someone's face); with a preposition it means "before" or "in front of".
- דֶּרֶךְderech· way
Way, road, journey. Figuratively, the way one lives or acts.
- עֵץets· tree, wood
Tree; also wood and what is made of it (a stick, a pole).
- אָרֶץarets· earth, land
The earth, in two senses: the whole world in contrast with the heavens, or a particular country or region ("the land of Egypt").
- אֶפְרֹחִיםefrochim· young bird
Young bird: the offspring of a bird.
- בֵיצִיםvetsim· egg
Egg.
- אֵםem· mother
Mother; also figuratively, a city as the mother of its people.
- רֹבֶצֶתrovetset· lie down, crouch
Lie down, crouch, like an animal at rest or lying in wait.
- תִקַּחtikach· take
Take: seize, take along, receive. Also "take a wife" (marry).
- בָּנִיםbanim· son
Son. In the plural it can include sons and daughters, and also grandsons and descendants. "Son of..." also says what group someone belongs to ("sons of Israel" = Israelites).
- שַׁלֵּחַshaleach· send, stretch out
Send; stretch out (the hand); let go, send away, set free.
- יִיטַבyitav· do well, be good
Do well, act well; go well for someone; please. Also set something right, prepare it.
- הַאֲרַכְתָּhaarachta· be long, prolong
Be long, last long; prolong.
- יָמִיםyamim· day
Day: the hours of light, or a whole day from one evening to the next. Also an indefinite time or age ("in the day that...", "in those days").