Exodus 23:10-19

Laws About the Sabbath and Festivals

10 1"For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield,
11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the field may eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.
12 2"Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.
13 3"Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips.
14 4"Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me
15 5You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of 6Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. 7None shall appear before me empty-handed.
16 You shall keep 8the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the 9Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor.
17 10Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord GOD.
18 11"You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the fat of my feast remain until the morning.
19 "The best of the 12firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. 13"You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

Exodus 23:10-19 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 13

  • 1. Leviticus 25:3, 4
  • 2. See Exodus 20:9
  • 3. Deuteronomy 4:9; Joshua 22:5; Joshua 23:7; Hosea 2:17; Zechariah 13:2
  • 4. ver. 17; Exodus 34:23; Deuteronomy 16:16
  • 5. See Exodus 12:15
  • 6. Exodus 13:4
  • 7. Exodus 34:20; Deuteronomy 16:16
  • 8. Exodus 34:22; See Leviticus 23:9-21
  • 9. Deuteronomy 16:13; See Leviticus 23:34-44
  • 10. [See ver. 14 above]
  • 11. Exodus 12:8; Exodus 34:25; Leviticus 2:11
  • 12. Exodus 34:26; Leviticus 2:12; Leviticus 23:10, 17; Numbers 18:12, 13; Deuteronomy 26:2, 10; Nehemiah 10:35; Ezekiel 44:30
  • 13. Exodus 34:26; Deuteronomy 14:21
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.