Deuteronomy 22:10-11
You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Beyond the practical difficulty of uneven strength, this prohibition highlights a divine concern for the well-being of all creatures, gently guiding Israel to show compassion even to their working animals. It also serves as a profound metaphor, cautioning against yoking together those who are fundamentally different in kind or spirit, a principle later echoed in spiritual relationships.
This command appears within a section of laws regulating daily life, immediately following instructions on returning lost property and a prohibition against wearing mixed fabrics. The surrounding verses focus on maintaining distinctiveness and purity, extending even to how people dress. This particular law, forbidding an ox and donkey from plowing together, is one of several seemingly practical regulations meant to teach deeper principles about avoiding improper associations.
Why would God care about how an ox and a donkey work together?
This commandment reveals God's heart for all His creation.
A Gentle Strength
Oxen are known for their immense strength, while donkeys are smaller and less powerful. Yoking them together wouldn't just be inefficient; it would be cruel. The weaker animal would be constantly strained, unable to keep pace, and likely injured.
God's Compassion
God, the Creator of all, is deeply concerned with the well-being of His creatures. This law isn't just about agricultural practice; it's a reflection of divine compassion, showing us that even in the mundane details of life, we are to act with kindness and consideration for those weaker than ourselves.
What does mixing farm animals have to do with spiritual purity?
This prohibition extends beyond the physical realm, teaching a vital spiritual principle.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Deuteronomy 22:10-11 is available in the Sola app.
Clean and Unclean
In ancient Israel, animals were designated as either 'clean' or 'unclean.' Yoking an ox (clean) with a donkey (unclean) represented a mixing of categories that God had deliberately separated. This served as a constant, visible reminder to the Israelites about the importance of maintaining holiness.
Reflecting God's Order
God established distinctions to preserve purity and order in both the physical and spiritual worlds. This law, like others in Deuteronomy, called the people to live distinctly from the surrounding nations, reflecting God's own holiness in every aspect of their lives, even in their farming practices.
Understand the original words
shor · Hebrew Noun
A beast of burden commonly used in the ancient Near East for labor. The prohibition against yoking an ox and a donkey together highlights the principle of stewardship and consideration for the differences in strength and nature of animals, mirroring the command against unequal yoking in human relationships.
chamor · Hebrew Noun
A domesticated animal used for transport and labor, known for being smaller and having a different temperament than an ox. Its coupling with the ox is forbidden to prevent undue hardship on the weaker animal and to uphold order in agricultural practice.
tsemer · Hebrew Noun
A type of fabric made from the fiber of the sheep, frequently used in the Bible for clothing and offerings. In the law, mixing it with linen was forbidden to illustrate the concept of distinction and holiness.
pishtim · Hebrew Noun
A fabric made from the flax plant, often associated with purity, priestly garments, and fine status. Combining it with wool was prohibited, symbolizing the importance of separation and integrity in Israel's identity.
This passage, mentioned in scholarly context, also prohibits mixing unlike things, specifically mentioning not mating animals of different kinds, which provides a related legal and symbolic framework for Deuteronomy 22:10.
2 Corinthians 6:14This New Testament passage draws a direct parallel, using the 'unequally yoked' metaphor, to apply the principle of separation from Deuteronomy 22:10 to the spiritual relationship between believers and non-believers.
Matthew 11:29Jesus' invitation to take His 'yoke' teaches about the nature of true discipleship as a shared, harmonious burden, contrasting with the discordant and oppressive 'yoke' of mixed pairings forbidden in the Old Testament.
1 Corinthians 15:33This verse warns against bad company corrupting good character, reinforcing the principle seen in Deuteronomy 22:10 that mixing with the wrong influences (or creatures) has detrimental effects.
cambridgeDeuteronomy 22:10: "Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together."
10 . an ox and an ass together ] This is frequently seen in Palestine, as also a camel with one or other of these two. Note that the ox was ‘clean,’ the ass ‘unclean.’ D does not, like H, prohibit cross-breeding. Mules were common in Israel from David’s time, see Jerus. i. 326 f. On cross-breeding at the present day in Palestine see Musil, Ethn. Ber. 291.
gillDeuteronomy 22:10: "Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together."
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 on…
Beyond the practical difficulty of uneven strength, this prohibition highlights a divine concern for the well-being of all creatures, gently guiding Israel to show compassion even to their working animals. It also serves as a profound metaphor, cautioning against yoking together those who are fundamentally different in kind or spirit, a principle later echoed in spiritual relationships.
This command appears within a section of laws regulating daily life, immediately following instructions on returning lost property and a prohibition against wearing mixed fabrics. The surrounding verses focus on maintaining distinctiveness and purity, extending even to how people dress. This particular law, forbidding an ox and donkey from plowing together, is one of several seemingly practical regulations meant to teach deeper principles about avoiding improper associations.
This command appears within a section of laws regulating daily life, immediately following instructions on returning lost property and a prohibition against wearing mixed fabrics. The surrounding verses focus on maintaining distinctiveness and purity, extending even to how people dress. This particular law, forbidding an ox and donkey from plowing together, is one of several seemingly practical regulations meant to teach deeper principles about avoiding improper associations.
"You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together." — Beyond the practical difficulty of uneven strength, this prohibition highlights a divine concern for the well-being of all creatures, gently guiding Israel to show compassion even to their working an…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
