Exodus 23:15-25

15 You will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you will eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you at [the] appointed time, the month of Abib, because in it you came out from Egypt, and {no one will} appear before me empty-handed.

16 And [you will keep] the Feast of Harvest, [with] the firstfruits of your work, what you sow in the field. And [you will keep] the Feast of Harvest Gathering when the year goes out, when you gather your work from the field.

17 Three times in the year all your men will appear before the Lord Yahweh.

18 " 'You will not sacrifice the blood of my sacrifice together with [food with] yeast, and you will not leave the fat of my feast overnight until morning.

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.

Reasons for Loyal Obedience

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.

24 " 'You will not bow to their gods, and you will not serve them, and you will not act according to their actions, because you will utterly demolish them, and you will utterly break their stone pillars.

25 And you will serve Yahweh your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will remove sickness from among you.

Exodus 23:15-25 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "they will not"
• [b]. Hebrew "Amorite"
• [c]. Hebrew "Hittite"
• [d]. Hebrew "Perizzite"
• [e]. Hebrew "Canaanite"
• [f]. Hebrew "Hivite"
• [g]. Hebrew "Jebusite"