Exodus 23:21

21 Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, because he will not forgive your transgression, for my name is in him

Exodus 23:21 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 23:21

Beware of him
Of his face or countenance; observe his looks towards you in a providential way, whether frowning or smiling; observe his directions and instructions, laws and commands:

and obey his voice;
hearken to what he says, and cheerfully, readily, and punctually do as he orders:

provoke him not;
by unbelief, by murmurings and complaints, by unbecoming words and actions, by transgressing his commands, and acting contrary to his will;

for he will not pardon your transgressions:
or suffer them to pass unchastised and uncorrected, but will, as he did, take vengeance on their inventions, and on them because of them, though he forgave their iniquities; for that he was such an Angel as could forgive sin, which none but God can do, is evident; because it would be absurd to say he will not pardon, if he could not pardon their transgressions, see ( Matthew 9:6 ) ,

for my name is in him;
the Father is in the Son, and the Son in the Father; the nature and perfections of God are in the Word and Son of God, and so his name Jehovah, which is peculiar to him; Christ is Jehovah our righteousness: or "though my name is in him" F13; as Abendana and others, his name the Lord God, gracious and merciful, pardoning iniquity, transgression and sin, as afterwards proclaimed in him; and yet, notwithstanding this, he would not clear the guilty, or suffer the Israelites to go unpunished, if they offended him: the Targum of Onkelos is,

``or in my name is his word,''

he is my ambassador and speaks in my name.


FOOTNOTES:

F13 (ymv yk) "quamvis nomen menum", Drusius.

Exodus 23:21 In-Context

19 " 'The best of the firstfruits of your land you will bring to the house of Yahweh your God. " 'You will not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
20 " 'Look, I [am about to] send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.
21 Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, because he will not forgive your transgression, for my name is in him
22 But if you listen attentively to his voice and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.
23 When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, I will wipe them out.
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.