Exodus 23:1-9

Laws of Justice and Mercy

1 “Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.

2 “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd,

3 and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit.

4 “If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it.

5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.

6 “Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.

7 Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty.

8 “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.

9 “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

Exodus 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.

Cross References

• 1. S Genesis 39:17; Matthew 19:18; Luke 3:14; Exodus 20:16; Psalms 101:5
• 2. S Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 5:20; Deuteronomy 19:16-21; Psalms 27:12; Psalms 35:11; Proverbs 19:5; Acts 6:11
• 3. ver 3,6,9; Leviticus 19:15,33; Deuteronomy 1:17; Deuteronomy 16:19; Deuteronomy 24:17; Deuteronomy 27:19; 1 Samuel 8:3
• 4. Job 31:34
• 5. Deuteronomy 1:17
• 6. Romans 12:20
• 7. Leviticus 6:3; Leviticus 19:11; Deuteronomy 22:1-3
• 8. Deuteronomy 22:4
• 9. S ver 2; Deuteronomy 23:16; Proverbs 22:22
• 10. S Exodus 20:16; S Ephesians 4:25
• 11. Matthew 27:4
• 12. S Genesis 18:23
• 13. Exodus 34:7; Deuteronomy 19:18; Deuteronomy 25:1
• 14. S Exodus 18:21; Leviticus 19:15; Deuteronomy 10:17; Deuteronomy 16:19; Deuteronomy 27:25; Job 15:34; Job 36:18; Psalms 26:10; Proverbs 6:35; Proverbs 15:27; Proverbs 17:8; Isaiah 1:23; Isaiah 5:23; Micah 3:11; Micah 7:3
• 15. S ver 2; S Exodus 22:21; Leviticus 19:33-34; Ezekiel 22:7