Exodus23
English Standard Version
1You shall a . You shall not with a man to be a .
2You shall fall in the to do , shall you a , the , so as to ,
3 shall you be a in his .
4 you your or his , bring it to him.
5 you the of one who you its , you shall from him with it; it with him.
6You shall the due to your in his .
7Keep from a , and do the and , I will the .
8And you shall , for a the and the of those who are in the .
9You shall a . You the of a , you were in the of .
10For you shall your and in its ,
11but the year you shall let it and , that the of your may ; and what they the of the may . You shall with your , and with your .
12 you shall your , but on the you shall ; that your and your may have , and the of your servant , and the , may be .
13Pay to that I have to you, and make no of the of , let it be your .
14 in the you shall keep a to me.
15You shall the of . I you, you shall for at the appointed in the of , in it you of . shall me .
16You shall keep the of , of the of your , of you in the . You shall keep the of at the of the , when you in the the fruit of your .
17 in the shall your the God.
18You shall the of my anything , let the of my feast the .
19The of the of your you shall into the of the Lord your . You shall a in its .
20 , I an you to you on the and to you to the that I have .
21Pay and his ; do against him, he will your , for my is .
22But you his and that I , then I will be an to your and an to your .
23When my you and you to the and the and the and the , the and the , and I blot them ,
24you shall to their nor them, as they , but you shall them and their in .
25You shall the Lord your , and he will your and your , and I will from you.
26 shall or be in your ; I will the of your .
27I will my you and will throw into the against you shall , and I will your turn their to you.
28And I will you, which shall the , the , and the from you.
29I will drive them from you in , the and the against you.
30 by I will drive them from you, until you have and the .
31And I will your the the of the , and the the , for I will the of the into your , and you shall drive them you.
32You shall with them and their .
33They shall in your , they make you against me; you their , it will surely be a to you.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Exodus 23.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Laws against falsehood and injustice. (1–9). The year of rest, The sabbath, The three festivals. (10–19). God promises to conduct the Israelites to Canaan. (20–33).
vv1-9
In the law of Moses are very plain marks of sound moral feeling, and of true political wisdom. Every thing in it is suited to the desired and avowed object, the worship of one only God, and the separation of Israel from the pagan world. Neither parties, friends, witnesses, nor common opinions, must move us to lessen great faults, to aggravate small ones, excuse offenders, accuse the innocent, or misrepresent any thing.
vv10-19
Every seventh year the land was to rest. They must not plough or sow it; what the earth produced of itself, should be eaten, and not laid up. This law seems to have been intended to teach dependence on Providence, and God's faithfulness in sending the larger increase while they kept his appointments. It was also typical of the heavenly rest, when all earthly labours, cares, and interests shall cease for ever. All respect to the gods of the heathen is strictly forbidden. Since idolatry was a sin to which the Israelites leaned, they must blot out the remembrance of the gods of the heathen. Solemn religious attendance on God, in the place which he should choose, is strictly required. They must come together before the Lord. What a good Master do we serve, who has made it our duty to rejoice before him! Let us devote with pleasure to the service of God that portion of our time which he requires, and count his sabbaths and ordinances to be a feast unto our souls. They were not to come empty-handed; so now, we must not come to worship God empty-hearted; our souls must be filled with holy desires toward him, and dedications of ourselves to him; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
vv20-33
It is here promised that they should be guided and kept in their way through the wilderness to the land of promise, Behold, I send an angel before thee, mine angel. The precept joined with this promise is, that they be obedient to this angel whom God would send before them. Christ is the Angel of Jehovah; this is plainly taught by St. Paul, 1Co 10:9. They should have a comfortable settlement in the land of Canaan. How reasonable are the conditions of this promise; that they should serve the only true God; not the gods of the nations, which are no gods at all. How rich are the particulars of this promise! The comfort of their food, the continuance of their health, the increase of their wealth, the prolonging their lives to old age. Thus hath godliness the promise of the life that now is. It is promised that they should subdue their enemies. Hosts of hornets made way for the hosts of Israel; such mean creatures can God use for chastising his people's enemies. In real kindness to the church, its enemies are subdued by little and little; thus we are kept on our guard, and in continual dependence on God. Corruptions are driven out of the hearts of God's people, not all at once, but by little and little. The precept with this promise is, that they should not make friendship with idolaters. Those that would keep from bad courses, must keep from bad company. It is dangerous to live in a bad neighbourhood; others' sins will be our snares. Our greatest danger is from those who would make us sin against God.
Key Words
לֹא: not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
נָשָׂא: to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relative
שָׁוְא: evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjective), uselessness (as deceptive, objective; also adverbially, in vain)
שֵׁמַע: something heard, i.e. a sound, rumor, announcement; abstractly, audience
שִׁית: to place (in a very wide application)
יָד: a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etc.),
רָשָׁע: morally wrong; concretely, an (actively) bad person
חָמָס: violence; by implication, wrong; by meton. unjust gain
עֵד: concretely, a witness; abstractly, testimony; specifically, a recorder, i.e. prince
אַחַר: properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses)
Cross References
Exodus 23Paul identifies the guiding Angel in the wilderness as Christ.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Paul identifies the guiding wilderness Angel who they tempted as Christ Himself.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Direct parallel command using 'hakim' (to lift up) instead of 'azab' to assist a fallen animal.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Verbatim parallel reiterating the firstfruits and the prohibition against seething a kid.
Supported by John Calvin
Deuteronomy reiterates the divine strategy of driving enemies out by little and little.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Connects with 'not raising a false report' by describing how to discourage backbiters.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Echoes the prohibition against perverting justice due to the poor and strangers.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Detailed expansion of the Sabbatical year laws introduced in this chapter.
Supported by JFB
Reiterates the command for all males to appear before Yahweh three times a year.
Supported by JFB
Parallel law forbidding boiling a kid in its mother's milk, connected to idolatrous harvest rites.
Supported by JFB
Moses repeats the specific promise that God will send hornets among their enemies.
Supported by JFB
Specifies the identical boundaries promised to Abraham, from the River to the sea.
Repeats the strict prohibition against making covenants with Canaan's inhabitants.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Warns against being snared by inquiring after and serving pagan gods.
Supported by John Calvin
Thematic match for keeping far from unrighteousness to ensure divine blessing.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Identical prescription regarding the blood of sacrifice and unleavened bread.
Supported by John Calvin
Further promise of God's Angel leading Israel after the golden calf incident.
Supported by JFB
Parallels the command to break down images and cut down pagan groves.
Supported by John Calvin
Elaborates on the promise that God will take away all sickness if they obey.
Establishes God as the healer who takes sickness away upon obedience.
Echoes the promise of blessing where none shall be male or female barren.
The historical fulfillment of God sending the hornet to drive out the Canaanites.
Supported by JFB
Records the historic fulfillment of the expansive borders during Solomon's reign.
Verbal link to joining hands ('put not thine hand') to do evil.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Internal cross-reference warning judges to keep far from a false matter.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The fourth commandment is restated here to prevent its neglect during sabbatical years.
Supported by JFB
Warns that remaining nations will become a snare and trap if tolerated.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Tragic fulfillment showing Israel served pagan idols, which became a snare.