Exodus 23:20-33

God’s promise: messenger and land

20 I'm about to send a messenger in front of you to guard you on your way and to bring you to the place that I've made ready.

21 Pay attention to him and do as he says. Don't rebel against him. He won't forgive the things you do wrong because I am with him

22 But if you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, then I'll be an enemy to your enemies and fight those fighting you.

23 When my messenger goes in front of you and brings you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I wipe them out,

24 don't bow down to their gods, worship them, or do what they do. Instead, you should completely destroy them and smash their sacred stone pillars to bits.

25 If you worship the LORD your God, the LORD will bless your bread and your water. I'll take sickness away from you,

26 and no woman will miscarry or be infertile in your land. I'll let you live a full, long life.

27 My terrifying reputation will precede you, and I'll throw all the people that you meet into a panic. I'll make all your enemies turn their backs to you.

28 I'll send insect swarms in front of you and drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you.

29 I won't drive them out before you in a single year so the land won't be abandoned and the wild animals won't multiply around you.

30 I'll drive them out before you little by little, until your numbers grow and you eventually possess the land.

31 I'll set your borders from the Reed Sea to the Philistine Sea and from the desert to the River. I'll hand the inhabitants of the land over to you, and you will drive them out before you.

32 Don't make any covenants with them or their gods.

33 Don't allow them to live in your land, or else they will lead you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, it will become a dangerous trap for 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]. Or my name
• [b]. Or Red Sea