Why shouldn’t you boil a goat in its mother’s milk?

Jewish rabbis and Christian scholars have long struggled to understand this Old Testament law, commanded by the Lord through Moses at Mount Sinai: “You must not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk” (Exodus 23:19, CSB; see also Exodus 34:26; Deuteronomy 14:21).

After God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, He called His people to commit themselves to Him in a covenant relationship. Through a system of laws, the Lord provided guidelines and responsibilities for His people to obey so that they might remain faithful to that covenant. God’s laws concerning morality are outlined in Exodus 20, many civil and social laws are laid out in Exodus 21—23, and various religious and ceremonial laws are found in Exodus 23:10—24:18.

The prohibition not to boil a goat in its mother’s milk in Exodus 23:19 is part of the religious and ceremonial laws. The exact purpose behind this command is obscure, but most scholars conclude that it is tied to God’s call for His people to be holy and set apart from the pagan nations surrounding them (Exodus 19:6; 20:26).

One commentary proposes that God may have been introducing a “pro-life” principle: “The source of life should never become the cause of death. A young goat is supposed to be nourished by its mother’s milk, not boiled in it. And so, in the words of the ancient Jewish scholar Philo, God considered it ‘grossly improper that the substance which fed the living animal should be used to season and flavor the same after its death’” (Ryken, P., and Hughes, R., Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory, Crossway Books, 2005, p. 762).

While this sanctity of life explanation is plausible, most scholars point to another possible reason that boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk was forbidden by God. Historical evidence suggests that the practice was part of an offensive Canaanite ritual, possibly an ancient fertility rite performed during harvest time. Since Moses included the Lord’s command not to boil a goat in its mother’s milk with His laws about the Festival of Harvest (see Exodus 23:16–19), it was probably a precautionary measure to keep His people from committing idolatry. Israel’s harvest celebrations were to look nothing like the ungodly Canaanite religious festivals.

It is interesting to note that the prohibition in Exodus 23:19 has led to a modern kosher food law. This law, which today’s observant Jews practice, is a more general interpretation of the text. As was the rabbinical tradition, the law was expanded to prevent possible violations of the law. Rather than being seen as a religious or ceremonial rule, “You must not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk” has been applied as a dietary law. Kosher rules prohibit the consumption of dairy products with meat of any kind in the same meal. For example, eating a cheeseburger is not kosher, as it combines “milk” (cheese) with meat. However, this goes well beyond what the law states. God only prohibited the cooking of a young goat in the milk of its own mother.

Ultimately, the Bible does not expressly state the fundamental reason behind the prohibition against boiling a goat in its mother’s milk. As students of God’s Word, we should not put too much emphasis on it or be overly dogmatic. God may have been safeguarding Israel from incorporating idolatrous pagan rituals into their worship and lifestyle. Or perhaps He was merely communicating to His people that they should not kill things by the means that gave them life. The best we can do is approach this question with curiosity and humble speculation.