Deuteronomy 22:7

7 thou dost certainly send away the mother, and the young ones dost take to thyself, so that it is well with thee, and thou hast prolonged days.

Deuteronomy 22:7 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 22:7

But thou shall in any wise let the dam go, and take the young
to thee
Or "in letting go, let go", or "in sending, send away" {a}; that is, willingly, certainly, entirely, frequently, always; so the Jewish canons ^F2,

``if anyone lets her go, and she returns, even four or five times, he is obliged to let her go, as it is said, "in letting go, let go";''

nay, Maimonides says ^F3, even a thousand times; the canon proceeds,

``if anyone says, lo, I take the dam and let go the young, he is obliged to let her go; if he takes the young, and returns them again to the nest, and after that returns the dam to them, he is free from letting her go;''

that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days;
the Targum of Jonathan is,

``that it may be well with thee in this world, and thou mayest prolong thy days in the world to come:''

the same blessing that is promised to observers of the fifth command, which is one of the weightier matters of the law, is made to this; which the Jews say ^F4 is but as the value of a farthing, or of little account in comparison of others; wherefore, as Fagius rightly observes {e}, God, in bestowing such rewards, has regard not to the works of men, but to his own grace and kindness; for what merit can there be in letting go or preserving the life of a little bird?

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 (xlvt xlv) "dimittendo dimittes", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus; so Ainsworth.
F2 Misn. Cholin, c. 12. sect. 3.
F3 In Misn. ib.
F4 Misn. ib. sect. 5.
F5 In loc.

Deuteronomy 22:7 In-Context

5 `The habiliments of a man are not on a woman, nor doth a man put on the garment of a woman, for the abomination of Jehovah thy God [is] any one doing these.

6 `When a bird's nest cometh before thee in the way, in any tree, or on the earth, brood or eggs, and the mother sitting on the brood or on the eggs, thou dost not take the mother with the young ones;

7 thou dost certainly send away the mother, and the young ones dost take to thyself, so that it is well with thee, and thou hast prolonged days.

8 `When thou buildest a new house, then thou hast made a parapet to thy roof, and thou dost not put blood on thy house when one falleth from it.

9 `Thou dost not sow thy vineyard [with] divers things, lest the fulness of the seed which thou dost sow, and the increase of the vineyard, be separated.