Exodus 23:20-33

God’s Angel to Lead

20 Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. ¹

21 Pay attention to him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in him.

22 But if you will listen carefully to his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.

23 For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will annihilate them.

24 You must not bow down to their gods or serve them or follow their practices. Instead, you are to demolish them and smash their sacred stones to pieces.

25 So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless ^[a] your bread and your water. And I will take away sickness from among you.

26 No woman in your land will miscarry or be barren; I will fulfill the number of your days.

27 I will send My terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn and run.

28 I will send the hornet before you to drive the Hivites and Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.

29 I will not drive them out before you in a single year; otherwise the land would become desolate and wild animals would multiply against you.

30 Little by little I will drive them out ahead of you, until you become fruitful and possess the land.

31 And I will establish your borders from the Red Sea ^[b] to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the Euphrates. ^[c] For I will deliver the inhabitants into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.

32 You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.

33 They must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

Exodus 23:20-33 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

• 1. (Deuteronomy 7:12–26)

Footnotes

• [a]. LXX and Vulgate I will bless
• [b]. Or the Sea of Reeds
• [c]. Hebrew the River