Deuteronomy 22:10

Bishop's Bible

Thou shalt not plowe with an oxe and an asse together.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Do not plow with an ox and a donkey together.

Hebrew Names Version
You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.

King James Version
Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.

Lexham English Bible
"You shall not plow with an ox and with a donkey yoked together.

English Standard Version
You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.

New Century Version
Don't plow with an ox and a donkey tied together.

New English Translation
You must not plow with an ox and a donkey harnessed together.

Amplified Bible
"You shall not plow with an ox [a clean animal] and a donkey [an unclean animal] together.

New American Standard Bible
"You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Thou shalt not plow with an oxe and an asse together.

Legacy Standard Bible
"You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.

Contemporary English Version
Don't hitch an ox and a donkey to your plow at the same time.

Complete Jewish Bible
You are not to plow with an ox and a donkey together.

Darby Translation
Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together.

Easy-to-Read Version
"You must not plow with an ox and a donkey together.

George Lamsa Translation
You shall not plow with an ox and an ass together.

Good News Translation
"Do not hitch an ox and a donkey together for plowing.

Literal Translation
You shall not plow with an ox and an ass together.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou shalt not plowe with an oxe and an Asse together at one tyme.

American Standard Version
Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.

Bible in Basic English
Do not do your ploughing with an ox and an ass yoked together.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.

King James Version (1611)
Thou shalt not plow with an oxe and an asse together.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together.

English Revised Version
Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.

Berean Standard Bible
Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thou schalt not ere with an oxe and asse togidere.

Young's Literal Translation
`Thou dost not plow with an ox and with an ass together.

Update Bible Version
You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.

World English Bible
You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.

New King James Version
"You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.

New Living Translation
"You must not plow with an ox and a donkey harnessed together.

New Life Bible
Do not plow with a bull and a donkey together.

New Revised Standard
You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together,

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together.

Revised Standard Version
You shall not plow with an ox and an ass together.

THE MESSAGE
Don't plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.

Contextual Overview

⁵ The woman shall not weare that whiche parteyneth vnto the man, neither shall a man put on womans rayment: For all that do so, are abhomination vnto the Lorde thy God. ⁶ If thou chaunce vpon a birdes nest by the way, in whatsoeuer tree it be, or on the grounde, whether they be young or egges, and the damme sittyng vpon the young, or on the egges: thou shalt not take the damme with the young: ⁷ But shalt in any wyse let the damme go, & take the young to thee, that thou mayest prosper, and prolong thy dayes. ⁸ When thou buyldest a newe house, thou shalt make a battlement on the roofe, that thou lade not blood vpon thyne house if any man fal from thence. ⁹ Thou shalt not sowe thy vineyarde with diuers seedes: lest the fruite of the seede which thou hast sowen, and the fruite of thy vineyarde, be defyled. ¹⁰ Thou shalt not plowe with an oxe and an asse together. ¹¹ Thou shalt not weare a garment made of wool and linnen together. ¹² Thou shalt not make thee gardes vppon the foure quarters of thy vesture wherewith thou couerest thy selfe.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Two different species cannot associate comfortably together, nor pull pleasantly either in cart or plough; and the ass being lower than the ox, when yoked, he must bear the principal part of the weight. 2 Corinthians 6:14-16

Cross-References

Genesis 22:6
And Abraham toke the wood of the burnt offeryng, and layde it vpon Isahac his sonne: but he him selfe toke fire in his hande and a knyfe, and they went both of them together.

Genesis 22:12
And he sayde: lay not thy hande vpon the chylde, neyther do any thyng vnto hym, for nowe I knowe that thou fearest God, & hast for my sake not spared [yea] thine onlye sonne.

Genesis 22:17
That in blessing I wyll blesse thee, and in multiplying I wyll multiplie thy seede as the starres of heauen, and as the sande which is vpon the sea side, and thy seede shall possesse the gates of his enemies.

Genesis 22:19
So turned Abraham againe vnto his young men: and they rose vp, and went together to Beer seba, and Abraham dwelt at Beer seba.

Genesis 22:21
Hus his eldest sonne, and Buz his brother, and Camuel the father of the Syrians,

Genesis 22:23
And Bethuel begat Rebecca. These eyght did Milcha beare to Nachor Abrahams brother.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together,.... They might be used separately, but not together; nor was it uncommon in some countries for asses to be employed in ploughing as well as oxen. Pliny h makes mention of some fruitful land in Africa, which when it was dry weather could not be ploughed by oxen, but after showers of rain might be ploughed by a mean little ass; so Leo Africanus i says, the Africans only use horses and asses in ploughing. The reason why they were not to be put together was either (as some think) lest the law should be broken which forbids the gendering of cattle with a divers kind, Leviticus 19:19 but Aben Ezra thinks the reason is, because the strength of an ass is not equal to the strength of an ox; and therefore he supposes this law is made from the mercy and commiseration of God extended to all his creatures; though perhaps the better reason is, because the one was a clean creature, and the other an unclean, and this instance is put for all others; and with which agree the Jewish canons, which run thus,

"cattle with cattle, wild beasts with wild beasts, unclean with unclean, clean with clean (i.e. these may be put together); but unclean with clean, and clean with unclean, are forbidden to plough with, to draw with, or to be led together k.''

The mystery of this is, that godly and ungodly persons are not to be yoked together in religious fellowship: see 2 Corinthians 6:14.

h Nat. Hist. l. 17. c. 5. i Descriptio Africae, l. 2. p. 104. k Misn. Celaim, c. 8. sect. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Compare the marginal reference. The prohibition of Deuteronomy 22:10 was also dictated by humanity. The ox and the donkey being of such different size and strength, it would be cruel to the latter to yoke them together. These two animals are named as being those ordinarily employed in agriculture; compare Isaiah 32:20.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 22:10. Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass — It is generally supposed that mixtures of different sorts in seed, breed, c., were employed for superstitious purposes, and therefore prohibited in this law. It is more likely, however, that there was a physical reason for this two beasts of a different species cannot associate comfortably together, and on this ground never pull pleasantly either in cart or plough; and every farmer knows that it is of considerable consequence to the comfort of the cattle to put those together that have an affection for each other. This may be very frequently remarked in certain cattle, which, on this account, are termed true yoke-fellows. After all, it is very probable that the general design was to prevent improper alliances in civil and religious life. And to this St. Paul seems evidently to refer, 2 Corinthians 6:14: Be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers; which is simply to be understood as prohibiting all intercourse between Christians and idolaters in social, matrimonial, and religious life. And to teach the Jews the propriety of this, a variety of precepts relative to improper and heterogeneous mixtures were interspersed through their law, so that in civil and domestic life they might have them ever before their eyes.