Exodus 23:6

6 "1You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute.

Exodus 23:6 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 23:6

Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
] As the poor man was not to be favoured when his cause was bad through an affected pity for him as a poor man, so his judgment was not to be wrested or perverted, when his cause was good, because of his poverty; which is too often the case, through the power of rich men, and the prevalence of their gifts and bribes, and to curry favour with them: the phrase, "thy poor", is very emphatic, and intended to engage judges to regard them, as being of the same flesh and blood with them, of the same nation and religion; and who were particularly committed to their care and protection under God, who is the Judge and protector of the poor, of the widow and the fatherless.

Exodus 23:6 In-Context

4 "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him
5 "If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall refrain from leaving it to him, you shall surely release it with him.
6 "You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute.
7 "Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty.
8 "You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just.

Cross References 1

  • 1. Exodus 23:2, 3; Leviticus 19:15
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