Shemot 23:1-9

1 3 Thou shalt not spread a false report; put not thine hand with the rashah to be an ed chamas (malicious witness).

2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a riv (cause, lawsuit) to turn aside after many to pervert justice;

3 Neither shalt thou favor a poor man in his riv (cause, lawsuit).

4 If thou meet thine enemy’s shor (ox) or his chamor (donkey) going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.

5 If thou see the chamor of him that hateth thee lying under his massa, and wouldest refrain from helping him, thou shalt surely help with him.

6 Thou shalt not pervert the mishpat of thy poor in his riv (cause, lawsuit).

7 Keep thee far from a devar sheker (false matter); and the naki (innocent) and tzaddik slay thou not; for I will not acquit the rashah.

8 And thou shalt take no shochad (bribe, gift); for the shochad blindeth the seeing, and perverteth the words of the tzaddikim.

9 Also thou shalt not oppress a ger; for ye know the nefesh of a ger, seeing ye were gerim in Eretz Mitzrayim.

Shemot 23:1-9 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.