Original Word: בֵּיצָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: beytsah
Pronunciation: bay-tsaw'
Phonetic Spelling: (bay-tsaw')
KJV: egg
NASB: eggs
Word Origin: [from the same as H948 (בּוּץ - fine linen)]

1. an egg (from its whiteness)

egg

From the same as buwts; an egg (from its whiteness) -- egg.

see HEBREW buwts

Word Origin
from the same as buts
Definition
an egg
NASB Translation
eggs (6).

[בֵּיצָה] noun feminine^{Isaiah 10:14} egg (Late Hebrew id., Arabic , Aramaic בִּיעֲתָא, ) — only Plural בֵּיצִים Deuteronomy 22:6 (twice in verse); Isaiah 10:14; construct בֵּיצֵי Isaiah 59:5; suffix בֵּיצֶיהָ Job 39:14, בֵּיצֵיהֶם Isaiah 59:5; — eggs Isaiah 10:14 (of small bird צפור) Deuteronomy 22:6 (twice in verse), compare Isaiah 10:14 (in simil.); (of ostrich רננים) Job 39:14; (of great viper צפעוני) Isaiah 59:5 (twice in verse) (metaphor)

Definition and Image

בֵּיצָה (beytsah) is the ordinary Hebrew term for an “egg,” the frail yet life-bearing vessel produced by birds, reptiles, and insects. Scripture employs the word both literally—as a tangible object one might eat or protect—and figuratively, as a poetic image of vulnerability, latent life, greed, or concealed danger.

Occurrences and Immediate Contexts

1. Deuteronomy 22:6 – The Torah regulates the taking of a mother bird and “the young or the eggs,” commanding mercy even toward animals and thereby fostering a culture of compassion.
2. Job 39:14 – In YHWH’s speech to Job the ostrich “leaves her eggs on the ground,” illustrating the limits of animal instinct when contrasted with divine wisdom.
3. Isaiah 10:14 – Boastful Assyria likens its plunder to a handful of abandoned eggs, underscoring both the ease of its conquests and the defenselessness of the nations it ravaged.
4. Isaiah 59:5 (twice) – The wicked “hatch viper’s eggs,” a vivid metaphor for iniquity that conceives only death.

Themes and Theological Significance

1. Divine Compassion Legislated

Deuteronomy 22:6–7 stands within a collection of laws upholding the sanctity of life. By forbidding Israel to seize both mother and eggs, the Lord trains His people to restrain appetite and imitate His own tenderness. The promise, “so that it may go well with you” (Deuteronomy 22:7), links everyday kindness to covenant blessing. Christ later affirms the same ethic: “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God” (Luke 12:6).

2. Wisdom and Creaturely Limits

Job 39:13–18 contrasts the ostrich’s careless treatment of her eggs with God’s meticulous design, exposing human presumption before infinite wisdom. The egg here highlights the gap between instinctive behavior and the Creator’s intentional governance of life.

3. Vulnerability Exploited by Empire

In Isaiah 10:14 Assyria brags, “as one gathers abandoned eggs, so I gathered all the earth.” Nations are pictured as helpless nests, plundered without resistance. The image intensifies the prophet’s indictment: ruthless conquest is as morally callous as a child stealing live eggs. Yet the very frailty Assyria exploits becomes the ground for God’s judgment (Isaiah 10:16–19).

4. Concealed Sin and Deadly Consequences

Isaiah 59:5 employs the egg as a metaphor for latent evil: “whoever eats their eggs will die, and from one broken an adder is hatched”. Sin promises nourishment but delivers poison. The double use of בֵּיצָה accentuates the inevitability of moral cause and effect—corrupt seeds yield fatal fruit.

Historical and Cultural Background

Eggs were common food in the ancient Near East, gathered from wild birds or domesticated fowl. Because they represented sustenance and future life, destroying a nest threatened both present nutrition and tomorrow’s population. Ancient legal codes outside Israel rarely show concern for such minutiae. The Mosaic instruction therefore stands apart, revealing the covenant’s unique moral texture.

Prophetic and Poetic Function

Hebrew poetry favors vivid, concrete imagery. The egg’s delicacy provides a ready symbol of:

• Helplessness (Isaiah 10:14).
• Unperceived peril (Isaiah 59:5).
• Nascent potential (implicit in Job 39:14).

By invoking universal experience—everyone knows an egg shatters easily—prophets communicate doctrinal truths in memorable fashion.

Implications for Ministry and Discipleship

1. Stewardship of Creation

The nest law instructs believers to practice ecological and ethical responsibility, honoring the Creator by treating even small creatures with care (Proverbs 12:10).

2. Guarding the Vulnerable

Eggs symbolize the unborn and the defenseless. Churches are called to protect life at every stage, echoing the shepherd-heart of God (Psalm 82:3–4).

3. Discernment of Hidden Sin

Isaiah 59 warns that what appears harmless may conceal lethal effects. Pastoral vigilance must expose and address sin before it “hatches” into destructive patterns (James 1:14–15).

4. Humility before Divine Wisdom

Job’s ostrich reminds believers that only God comprehends fully the mysteries of life. Awe, rather than arrogance, should mark theological inquiry and daily decision-making (Romans 11:33).

Messianic Echoes

While בֵּיצָה itself is not overtly messianic, the motifs of vulnerable life preserved and merciless pride judged converge in the Gospel. Jesus, “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29), refuses to crush the fragile (Isaiah 42:3) even as He condemns predatory leaders (Matthew 23). The broken yet resurrected body of Christ transforms the image: from an egg’s shell cracked in death emerges new life for many (John 12:24).

Practical Application

• Teach children empathy through simple acts—leave fledglings undisturbed, rescue a nest, promote respect for God’s handiwork.
• In counseling, expose “adder’s eggs”: habits or ideologies that promise fulfillment but breed death.
• Use Isaiah 10:14 in missions training to illustrate how unchecked power exploits weakness, motivating just and compassionate outreach.
• Incorporate Deuteronomy 22:6–7 into sermons on Sabbath rest, drawing parallels between restraining harvest greed and trusting divine provision.

Summary

The biblical egg, though mentioned only a handful of times, serves as a multifaceted theological emblem: creation’s delicacy protected by divine law, folly unmasked by divine wisdom, and sin’s latent danger unveiled by divine prophecy. Attending to בֵּיצָה deepens appreciation for the Bible’s coherence and for the Creator who watches over both sparrows and souls.

בֵּיצִ֣ים בֵּיצֵ֤י בֵּצֶ֑יהָ בֵיצִ֔ים ביצי ביצים בציה הַבֵּיצִ֑ים הביצים מִבֵּֽיצֵיהֶם֙ מביציהם bê·ṣê bê·ṣe·hā bê·ṣîm ḇê·ṣîm beiTzei beiTzim bêṣê bêṣehā bêṣîm ḇêṣîm beTzeiha hab·bê·ṣîm habbeiTzim habbêṣîm mib·bê·ṣê·hem mibbeitzeiHem mibbêṣêhem veiTzimInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts