Exodus23
New Living Translation
1“You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand.
2“You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice.
3And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor.
4“If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner.
5If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help.
6“In a lawsuit, you must not deny justice to the poor.
7“Be sure never to charge anyone falsely with evil. Never sentence an innocent or blameless person to death, for I never declare a guilty person to be innocent.
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.
9“You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.
10“Plant and harvest your crops for six years,
11but let the land be renewed and lie uncultivated during the seventh year. Then let the poor among you harvest whatever grows on its own. Leave the rest for wild animals to eat. The same applies to your vineyards and olive groves.
12“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed.
13“Pay close attention to all my instructions. You must not call on the name of any other gods. Do not even speak their names.
14“Each year you must celebrate three festivals in my honor.
15First, celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, just as I commanded you. Celebrate this festival annually at the appointed time in early spring, in the month of Abib, for that is the anniversary of your departure from Egypt. No one may appear before me without an offering.
16“Second, celebrate the Festival of Harvest, when you bring me the first crops of your harvest. “Finally, celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the harvest season, when you have harvested all the crops from your fields.
17At these three times each year, every man in Israel must appear before the Sovereign, the Lord.
18“You must not offer the blood of my sacrificial offerings together with any baked goods containing yeast. And do not leave the fat from the festival offerings until the next morning.
19“As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the house of the Lord your God. “You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
20“See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you.
21Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion.
22But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you.
23For my angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, so you may live there. And I will destroy them completely.
24You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars.
25“You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness.
26There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.
27“I will send my terror ahead of you and create panic among all the people whose lands you invade. I will make all your enemies turn and run.
28I will send terror ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites.
29But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you.
30I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land.
31And I will fix your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the eastern wilderness to the Euphrates River. I will hand over to you the people now living in the land, and you will drive them out ahead of you.
32“Make no treaties with them or their gods.
33They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry.”
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.