Hebrew Word Study – Two Turtle Doves – Sheti Torim  Shin Taw Yod   Taw Resh Yod Mem 

Leviticus 5:7: And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the LORD; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering.

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“One the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me, two turtledoves and a partridge in a pear tree.” Twelve Days of Christmas – Origin Unknown

Between 1780 – 1966 there have been at least 23 versions of this little Christmas song using different gifts for each day except for the second day, the gift is always the same, two turtle doves. Ancient man observed something unusual about the turtle dove that cause it to be entered into this love song. 

In Scripture, you find people brought one ox or one lamb for sacrifice, depending on your status of wealth. But if they brought birds, it always had to be pigeons or turtle doves. Actually, there is no scientific difference between a dove and a pigeon. They both share the same family Columbidae and live in common habitats.  Doves and pigeons will mate although mixed marriages seem to be frowned upon in the dove and pigeon community and only happens if a dove cannot find another dove and/or falls in love with a pigeon. You know how girls like those bad boys? 

Look, I have raised two doves for the last six years male and female, and believe me, they do fall in love. Even though this was an arranged marriage and they did fight when they first met in the same cage, after a week they were cooing and billing like an old married couple sitting on the sofa watching Jeopardy. Pigeons and doves do seek a mate and once found they remain faithful to that mate for life. In fact, one distinction between the turtle dove and pigeon is that if the mate of a turtle dove dies, it will never mate again and live its life mourning the loss of its mate.  A pigeon mate for life but is ready to go on with its life after a period of mourning and will mate again. If no mate of the opposite sex is found they have been observed to form a relationship with another bird of the same gender. This has been observed when you have two males or two females in the same cage. They will eventually form some sort of bond similar to that of a member of the opposite sex without the male-female coupling which is, of course, impossible. Yet, emotionally they are attached and will mourn the loss of their mate if one dies. 

This brings us back to Leviticus 5:7 which instructs the upper class people of Israel to bring an ox for a sacrifice.  If they are too poor to bring an ox, then they would bring a lamb. This would be what we would call the middle class or the silent majority. If they were too poor to bring a lamb, the lower class, poor class, could bring two turtle doves or two pigeons.  There were some sacrifices where one bird would be sufficient but it had to be a bird of a certain age that has not yet mated.  

Now why did God demand two birds or a bird that has not mated yet only one ox or one lamb? Even the method of dispatching was different from the animals. Yet, the dispatching for both was to be performed only by one trained to follow the strict guidelines of the law. If the creatures were not dispatched properly the creature would become unclean or non-kosher. The reason for this is to ensure that the creatures do not suffer.  

I know sacrificing poor innocent creatures sounds so barbaric and cruel.  But animals like any living thing will die, even plants.  You can be a vegetarian but you will still have to kill something living to just survive. But that is another topic to be discussed at a later time. The point I want to make is that God cares about his creation and how it is treated.  

God created pigeons and doves to have feelings of love for their mates and grieve when their mate dies. This is very particular to the turtle dove which will grieve the rest of its life for its lost mate and never mate again.  Thus, if one mate is to die as a sacrifice God so ordered the other to also be sacrificed so it will not suffer.

God wanted to show that He cared for everything He created.  There is nothing He created that He does not love. If He cares for the grief of a small bird how much more does he care for you in your grief? He has just chosen a different way to comfort you in your grief and you must find that way. 

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