Exodus 23:20-24

Conquest of the Land

20 "Behold, I am going to send 1an angel before you to guard you along the way and 2to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
21 "Be on your guard before * him and obey his voice; 3do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since 4My name is in him
22 "But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then 5I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.
23 "6For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them.
24 "7You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; 8but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their 9sacred pillars in pieces.

Exodus 23:20-24 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 9

  • 1. Exodus 3:2; Exodus 14:19; Exodus 23:23; Exodus 32:34; Exodus 33:2
  • 2. Exodus 15:16, 17
  • 3. Deuteronomy 9:7; Psalms 78:40, 56
  • 4. Exodus 3:14; Exodus 6:3; Exodus 34:5-7
  • 5. Genesis 12:3; Numbers 24:9; Deuteronomy 30:7
  • 6. Exodus 23:20; Joshua 24:8, 11
  • 7. Exodus 20:5; Exodus 23:13, 33; Deuteronomy 12:30
  • 8. Numbers 33:52; Deuteronomy 7:5; Deuteronomy 12:3; 2 Kings 18:4
  • 9. Exodus 34:13; Leviticus 26:1; 2 Kings 3:2
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