Exodus 23:9

9 And you will not oppress an alien; you yourselves know the feelings of the alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

Exodus 23:9 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 23:9

Also thou shall not oppress a stranger
As these were not to be vexed and oppressed in a private manner and by private men, see ( Exodus 22:21 ) so neither in a public manner, and in a public court of judicature, or by judges on the bench when their cause was before them, by not doing them justice, showing a partiality to those of their own nation against a stranger; whereas a stranger ought to have equal justice done him as a native, and the utmost care should be taken that he has no injury done him, and the rather because he is a stranger:

for ye know the heart of a stranger;
the fears he is possessed of, the inward distress of his soul, the anxiety of his mind, the tenderness of his heart, the workings of his passions, his grief and sorrow, and dejection of spirit: the Targum of Jonathan is,

``"the groaning of the soul of a stranger": this the Israelitish judges knew, having had a very late experience of it:''

seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt;
where they had been vexed and oppressed, brought into hard bondage, and groaned under it; and therefore it might be reasonably thought and expected that they would have a heart sympathizing with strangers, and use them well, and especially see that justice was done them, and no injury or oppression of any kind.

Exodus 23:9 In-Context

7 You will stay far from a {false charge}, and do not kill [the] innocent and [the] righteous, because I will not declare [the] wicked righteous.
8 And you will not take a bribe, because the bribe makes [the] sighted blind and ruins [the] words of [the] righteous.
9 And you will not oppress an alien; you yourselves know the feelings of the alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
10 " 'And six years you will sow your land and gather its yield.
11 But the seventh you will let it rest and leave it fallow, and the poor of your people will eat, and their remainder the animals of the field will eat. You will do likewise for your vineyard and for your olive trees.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Or "inner self" or "soul"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.