Exodus 23:6

6 " 'You will not pervert the justice of your poor in his legal dispute.

Exodus 23:6 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 23:6

Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
] As the poor man was not to be favoured when his cause was bad through an affected pity for him as a poor man, so his judgment was not to be wrested or perverted, when his cause was good, because of his poverty; which is too often the case, through the power of rich men, and the prevalence of their gifts and bribes, and to curry favour with them: the phrase, "thy poor", is very emphatic, and intended to engage judges to regard them, as being of the same flesh and blood with them, of the same nation and religion; and who were particularly committed to their care and protection under God, who is the Judge and protector of the poor, of the widow and the fatherless.

Exodus 23:6 In-Context

4 " 'If you come upon the ox of your enemy or his donkey going astray, you will certainly bring it back to him
5 If you see the donkey of your enemy lying down under its burden, you will refrain from abandoning him. You will surely arrange [it] with him.
6 " 'You will not pervert the justice of your poor in his legal dispute.
7 You will stay far from a {false charge}, and do not kill [the] innocent and [the] righteous, because I will not declare [the] wicked righteous.
8 And you will not take a bribe, because the bribe makes [the] sighted blind and ruins [the] words of [the] righteous.
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