Exodus 23:8

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

Exodus 23:8 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
8 And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
English Standard Version (ESV)
8 And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.
New Living Translation (NLT)
8 “Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth.
The Message Bible (MSG)
8 "Don't take bribes. Bribes blind perfectly good eyes and twist the speech of good people.
American Standard Version (ASV)
8 And thou shalt take no bribe: for a bribe blindeth them that have sight, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
8 Never take a bribe, because bribes blind those who can see and deny justice to those who are in the right.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
8 You must not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and corrupts the words of the righteous.
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
8 "Do not take money from people who want special favors. It makes you blind to the truth. It twists the words of godly people.

Exodus 23:8 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 23:8

And thou shalt take no gift
Of the persons whose cause is to be tried in a court of judicature before judges; neither of those on the one side nor on the other, neither before the trial nor after, neither by words, by a promise, nor by facts, by actually receiving money; and not even to judge truly, as Jarchi observes, neither to clear the innocent nor to condemn the guilty: a gift was not to be taken on any consideration whatever:

for the gift blindeth the wise;
or the "seeing" F1; the open ones, who used to have both their eyes and their ears open, and attentive to the cause before them; and yet a gift so blinds them, by casting such a mist before them, that they are inattentive to the true merits of the cause, and their affections and judgments are to be carried away in favour of those that have bribed them, as to pass a wrong sentence:

and perverteth the words of the righteous;
either the sentences of righteous judges, as they ought to be, but a gift perverts their judgment, and they give a wrong decree; or the causes of the righteous that are brought before those are perverted by giving the cause to their adversaries, who are wicked men.


FOOTNOTES:

F1 (Myxqp) "videntes", Pagninus, Vatablus, Cartwright; "apertos", Montanus, Drusius.

Exodus 23:8 In-Context

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.
10 “For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops,

Cross References 1

  • 1. 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
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