Exodus 23:3-13

3 1nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.
4 2"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him
5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.
6 3"You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit.
7 4Keep far from a false charge, and 5do not kill the innocent and righteous, for 6I will not acquit the wicked.
8 7And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.
9 8"You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

Laws About the Sabbath and Festivals

10 9"For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield,
11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the field may eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.
12 10"Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.
13 11"Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips.

Exodus 23:3-13 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 23

This chapter contains several laws, chiefly judicial, relating to the civil polity of Israel, as concerning witness borne and judgment made of cases in courts of judicature, without any respect to poor or rich, and without the influence of a bribe, Ex 23:1-3,6-8, concerning doing good to an enemy in case any of his cattle go astray, or fall under their burden, Ex 23:4,5, and of the oppression of a stranger, Ex 23:9, and then follow others concerning the sabbath of the seventh year, and of the seventh day, with a caution against the use of the names of idols, Ex 23:10-13, next are laws concerning the appearance of all their males at the three feasts, Ex 23:14-17, and concerning the slaying of the sacrifice of the passover, and bringing the first of the firstfruits of the land, Ex 23:18,19 and then a promise is made of sending an angel to them to bring them into the land of Canaan, where they should carefully avoid all idolatry, and show a just indignation against it, and serve the Lord, and then it would be well with them, Ex 23:20-26, and particularly it is promised, that the Lord would send his fear, and his hornets, before them, to destroy the inhabitants of the land, and drive out the rest by little and little, until they should possess the utmost borders of it, which are fixed, Ex 23:27-31, and the chapter is concluded with a direction not to make a covenant with these people, or their gods, nor suffer them to dwell among them, lest they should be a snare unto them, Ex 23:32,33.

Cross References 11

  • 1. Leviticus 19:15; [Deuteronomy 1:17]
  • 2. [Deuteronomy 22:1, 4; Proverbs 25:21; Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:15]
  • 3. Deuteronomy 27:19; Ecclesiastes 5:8; Isaiah 10:1, 2; Jeremiah 5:28, 29; Malachi 3:5
  • 4. [See ver. 1 above]
  • 5. Deuteronomy 27:25; [Proverbs 17:26]
  • 6. Exodus 34:7
  • 7. Deuteronomy 16:19; [1 Samuel 8:3; 2 Chronicles 19:7; Psalms 26:10; Proverbs 17:23; Isaiah 1:23; Isaiah 5:23; Isaiah 33:15]
  • 8. See Exodus 22:21
  • 9. Leviticus 25:3, 4
  • 10. See Exodus 20:9
  • 11. Deuteronomy 4:9; Joshua 22:5; Joshua 23:7; Hosea 2:17; Zechariah 13:2
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.