Exodus 23:20-33

Reasons for Loyal Obedience

20 " 'Look, I [am about to] send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.

21 Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, because he will not forgive your transgression, for my name is in him

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

23 When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, I will wipe them out.

24 " 'You will not bow to their gods, and you will not serve them, and you will not act according to their actions, because you will utterly demolish them, and you will utterly break their stone pillars.

25 And you will serve Yahweh your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will remove sickness from among you.

26 There will be no one suffering miscarriage or infertile in your land. I will make full the number of your days.

27 " 'I will release my terror before you, and I will throw into confusion all the people against whom you come, and I will {make all your enemies turn their back to you}.

28 And I will send the hornet before you, and it will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you.

29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become a desolation and {the wild animals} multiply against you.

30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you until you are fruitful and take possession of the land.

31 " 'And I will set your boundary from the {Red Sea} and up to the sea of the Philistines and from [the] desert up to the river, because I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out from before you.

32 You will not make a covenant with them and with their gods.

33 They will not live in your land, lest they cause you to sin against me when you serve their gods, for it will 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew "Amorite"
• [b]. Hebrew "Hittite"
• [c]. Hebrew "Perizzite"
• [d]. Hebrew "Canaanite"
• [e]. Hebrew "Hivite"
• [f]. Hebrew "Jebusite"
• [g]. Or "give you a full life span"
• [h]. Literally "give all your enemies to you back"
• [i]. Hebrew "Hivite"
• [j]. Hebrew "Canaanite"
• [k]. Hebrew "Hittite"
• [l]. Literally "the animal of the field"
• [m]. Literally "sea of reed"
• [n]. Or "the Euphrates"