Exodus 23:7-17

7 Do not make false accusations, and do not put an innocent person to death, for I will condemn anyone who does such an evil thing.
8 Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe makes people blind to what is right and ruins the cause of those who are innocent.
9 "Do not mistreat a foreigner; you know how it feels to be a foreigner, because you were foreigners in Egypt. 1
10 "For six years plant your land and gather in what it produces. 2
11 But in the seventh year let it rest, and do not harvest anything that grows on it. The poor may eat what grows there, and the wild animals can have what is left. Do the same with your vineyards and your olive trees.
12 "Work six days a week, but do no work on the seventh day, so that your slaves and the foreigners who work for you and even your animals can rest. 3
13 "Listen to everything that I, the Lord, have said to you. Do not pray to other gods; do not even mention their names.
14 "Celebrate three festivals a year to honor me
15 In the month of Abib, the month in which you left Egypt, celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the way that I commanded you. Do not eat any bread made with yeast during the seven days of this festival. Never come to worship me without bringing an offering. 4
16 "Celebrate the Harvest Festival when you begin to harvest your crops. 5 "Celebrate the Festival of Shelters in the autumn, when you gather the fruit from your vineyards and orchards.
17 Every year at these three festivals all your men must come to worship me, the Lord your God.

Exodus 23:7-17 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 5

  • 1. 23.9Exodus 22.21;Leviticus 19.33, 34;Deuteronomy 24.17, 18; 27.19.
  • 2. 23.10, 11Leviticus 25.1-7.
  • 3. 23.12Exodus 20.9-11; 31.15; 34.21; 35.2;Leviticus 23.3;Deuteronomy 5.13, 14.
  • 4. 23.15Exodus 12.14-20;Leviticus 23.6-8;Numbers 28.17-25.
  • 5. 23.16 aLeviticus 23.15-21;Numbers 28.26-31; bLeviticus 23.39-43.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.