Exodus 23:6 Kommentar

This chapter continues and concludes the acts that passed in the first session (if I may so call it) upon mount Sinai. Here are, I. Some laws of universal obligation, relating especially to the ninth commandment, against bearing false witness (Exo 23:1), and giving false judgment (Exo 23:2, Exo 23:3, Exo 23:6-8). Also a law of doing good to our enemies (Exo 23:4, Exo 23:5), and not oppressing strangers (Exo 23:9). II. Some laws peculiar to the Jews. The sabbatical year (Exo 23:10, Exo 23:11), the three annual feasts (Exo 23:14-17), with some laws pertaining thereto. III. Gracious promises of the completing of the mercy God had begun for them, upon condition of their obedience. That God would conduct them through the wilderness (Exo 23:20-24), that he would prosper all they had (Exo 23:25, Exo 23:26), that he would put them in possession of Canaan (Exo 23:27-31). But they must not mingle themselves with the nations (Exo 23:32, Exo 23:33).

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, Exo 23:1, concerning doing good to an enemy in case any of his cattle go astray, or fall under their burden, Exo 23:4, and of the oppression of a stranger, Exo 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, Exo 23:10, next are laws concerning the appearance of all their males at the three feasts, Exo 23:14, and concerning the slaying of the sacrifice of the passover, and bringing the first of the firstfruits of the land, Exo 23:18 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, Exo 23:20, 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, Exo 23:27, 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, Exo 23:32.

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. 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 23:7 exo 23:7 exo 23:7 exo 23:7Keep thee far from a false matter,.... Or "word" (z); from receiving a false testimony, or taking the false or wrong side of a cause, or engaging in a bad one; keep aloof off from it, as much at a distance from it as possible: and the innocent and the righteous slay thou not; that is, do not condemn them to death, nor join with the majority in their condemnation, if they appear to be innocent and righteous; nor give orders, or join in giving orders to the executioner to put such to death. The Targum of Jonathan is,"he that goes righteous out of the house of thy judgment (out of the sanhedrim, to which he belonged), and they find out his sin (afterwards), and he that goes out guilty, and they (afterwards) find out his righteousness, do not slay:" for I will not justify the wicked: the wicked judge in pronouncing an unjust sentence on innocent and righteous men, or if they absolve wicked men, at the same time they put to death the innocent and righteous, God will not justify those wicked men cleared by them, but will, in his own time and way, sooner or later, inflict the deserved punishment on them: this is not contrary to Rom 4:5 for though God justifies the ungodly, he does not justify ungodliness in them, or them in ungodliness, but from it, and that by the imputation of the righteousness of his Son. (z) "a verbo mendacii", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Drusius, Junius & Tremellius, Tigurine version, Fagius.

Laws against evil-speaking, Exo 23:1. Against bad company, Exo 23:2. Against partiality, Exo 23:3. Laws commanding acts of kindness and humanity, Exo 23:4, Exo 23:5. Against oppression, Exo 23:6. Against unrighteous decisions, Exo 23:7. Against bribery and corruption, Exo 23:8. Against unkindness to strangers, Exo 23:9. The ordinance concerning the Sabbatical year, Exo 23:10, Exo 23:11. The Sabbath a day of rest, Exo 23:12. General directions concerning circumcision, etc., Exo 23:13. The three annual festivals, Exo 23:14. The feast of unleavened bread, Exo 23:15. The feast of harvest, and the feast of ingathering, Exo 23:16. All the males to appear before God thrice in a year, Exo 23:17. Different ordinances - no blood to be offered with leavened bread - no fat to be left till the next day - the first fruits to be brought to the house of God - and a kid not to be seethed in its mother's milk, Exo 23:18, Exo 23:19. Description of the Angel of God, who was to lead the people into the promised land, and drive out the Amorites, etc., Exo 23:20-23. Idolatry to be avoided, and the images of idols destroyed, Exo 23:24. Different promises to obedience, Exo 23:25-27. Hornets shall be sent to drive out the Canaanites, etc., Exo 23:28. The ancient inhabitants to be driven out by little and little, and the reason why, Exo 23:29, Exo 23:30. The boundaries of the promised land, Exo 23:31. No league or covenant to be made with the ancient inhabitants, who are all to be utterly expelled, Exo 23:32, Exo 23:33.

Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor - Thou shalt neither countenance him in his crimes, nor condemn him in his righteousness. See Exo 23:5, Exo 23:7.

LAWS CONCERNING SLANDER, &c. (Exo. 23:1-33) put not thine hand--join not hands.