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, Exodus 23:1, concerning... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT NOT RAISE A FALSE REPORT,.... Of a neighbour, or of any man whatever, either secretly by private slanders, whispers, backbiting and tale bearing, by innuendos, detracting from his good name and credit, suggesting things false and wicked concerning him; or publicly in a court of judicature... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT NOT FOLLOW A MULTITUDE TO DO EVIL,.... The Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan add, but to do good. As in private life, the examples of the many, who are generally the most wicked, are not to be followed, though they too often are; examples, and especially of the multitude, having great inf... [ Continue Reading ]
NEITHER SHALT THOU COUNTENANCE A POOR MAN IN HIS CAUSE. Because he is a poor man, and for that reason endeavour to carry his cause for him, right or wrong, from a foolish pity to him as a poor man, and from an affectation of gaining the applause of people on that account; or "thou shalt not honour... [ Continue Reading ]
IF THOU MEET THINE ENEMY'S OX OR HIS ASS GOING ASTRAY,.... Or any other beast, as the Samaritan version adds; for these are only mentioned for instances, as being more common, and creatures subject to go astray; now when such as these are met going astray, so as to be in danger of being lost to the... [ Continue Reading ]
IF THOU SEE THE ASS OF HIM THAT HATETH THEE LYING UNDER HIS BURDEN,.... Fallen down, and such a burden upon him that he cannot rise up again, but lies under it, and the owner of it is not able of himself to raise it up again: AND WOULDST FORBEAR TO HELP HIM; show an inclination to pass on without g... [ Continue Reading ]
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,... [ Continue Reading ]
KEEP 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... [ Continue Reading ]
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 t... [ Continue Reading ]
ALSO THOU SHALL NOT OPPRESS A STRANGER,.... As these were not to be vexed and oppressed in a private manner and by private men, see Exodus 22:21 so neither in a public manner, and in a public court of judicature, or by judges on the bench when their cause was before them, by not doing them justice,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SIX YEARS THOU SHALL SOW THY LAND, The land of Canaan, given to their ancestors and to them, and which they were now going to inherit; and when they came into it they were to plant it with vines and olives; or rather, these being ready planted, they were to prune and dress them; and they were to... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE SEVENTH YEAR THOU SHALL LET IT REST, AND LIE STILL,.... From tillage, and make its fruits common, as the Targum of Jonathan; the note of Jarchi is, "let it rest", from perfect tillage, as ploughing and sowing; "and lie still", from dunging and harrowing, or weeding: this law was intended to... [ Continue Reading ]
SIX DAYS THOU SHALT DO THY WORK,.... That is, they might do what work they would on the six days of the week: AND ON THE SEVENTH DAY THOU SHALL REST; from all the work and labour done on other days, and give up themselves to religious exercises: THAT THINE OX AND THINE ASS MAY REST; and so every o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IN ALL [THINGS] THAT I HAVE SAID UNTO YOU, BE CIRCUMSPECT,.... Or observe them, be careful to keep them punctually and constantly, even all that are delivered in this and the preceding Chapter s: AND MAKE NO MENTION OF THE NAME OF OTHER GODS; neither call upon them, nor swear by them, nor make... [ Continue Reading ]
THREE TIMES THOU SHALL KEEP A FEAST UNTO ME IN THE YEAR. The feast of the passover, on the fourteenth of the month Nisan or March; and the feast of weeks or pentecost fifty days after that; and the feast of tabernacles on the fifteenth day of Tisri or September.... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT KEEP THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD,.... Which began on the fourteenth of the month Abib or Nisan, and lasted seven days, during which time no leavened bread was to be eaten by the Israelites, or to be in their houses, of which see the notes on: Exodus 12:15 Exodus 12:18 Exodus 12:19 Exod... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE FEAST OF HARVEST,.... This is the second feast, the feast of wheat harvest, between which and barley harvest were fifty days; or between the firstfruits of the one and the first fruits of the other were seven weeks, as Aben Ezra observes, and was sometimes called the feast of weeks; at which... [ Continue Reading ]
THREE TIMES IN THE YEAR ALL THY MALES SHALL APPEAR BEFORE THE LORD THY GOD. In the city of Jerusalem, when they were come into the land of Canaan, and the temple was there built: here they were to show themselves before the Lord as being his, and devoted to his service; concerning which the Misnic d... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALL NOT OFFER THE BLOOD OF MY SACRIFICE WITH LEAVENED BREAD,.... This belongs to the feast of the passover; for, as all the Jewish writers agree, this sacrifice is the sacrifice of the passover, as it is sometimes called, see Exodus 12:27 now when the paschal lamb was killed, and its blood sh... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FIRST OF THE FIRST FRUITS OF THY LAND,.... Both of the barley and wheat harvest, and of the wine and oil; yea, Jarchi says, the seventh year was obliged to first fruits; and Josephus d relates, that the Jews were so tenacious of this law, that even in the famine in the time of Claudius Caesar, t... [ Continue Reading ]
BEHOLD, I SEND AN ANGEL BEFORE THEE,.... Not a created angel, but the uncreated one, the Angel of God's presence, that was with the Israelites at Sinai, and in the wilderness; who saved, redeemed, bore, and carried them all the days of old, whom they rebelled against and tempted in the wilderness; a... [ Continue Reading ]
BEWARE OF HIM,.... Of his face or countenance; observe his looks towards you in a providential way, whether frowning or smiling; observe his directions and instructions, laws and commands: AND OBEY HIS VOICE; hearken to what he says, and cheerfully, readily, and punctually do as he orders: PROVOKE... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT, IF THOU SHALL INDEED OBEY HIS VOICE,.... Or "hearkening hearken", n to it attentively, listen to it, and diligently and constantly observe and obey in whatever he shall direct and order: AND DO ALL THAT I SPEAK; by him; or whatsoever he had spoke, or was about to speak; for as yet all the laws... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR MINE ANGEL SHALL GO BEFORE THEE,.... The same as before described: AND BRING THEE IN UNTO THE AMORITE, AND THE HITTITE, AND THE PERIZZITE, AND THE CANAANITE, AND THE HIVITE, AND THE JEBUSITE; six nations are only mentioned, though there were seven; the Girgashites are omitted, though added in t... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT NOT BOW DOWN TO THEIR GODS,.... In a way of honour to them, doing them reverence, expressing thereby an high esteem of them, trust in them, and expectation of good things from them; NOR SERVE THEM: in any kind of service in which they usually are served by their votaries; as by offering... [ Continue Reading ]
AND YE SHALL SERVE THE LORD YOUR GOD,.... And him only, who had brought them out of Egypt, and done so many great and good things for them at the Red sea, and now in the wilderness; by which he appeared to be the true Jehovah, the one and only living God, and to be their God in covenant, who had pro... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE SHALL NOTHING CAST THEIR YOUNG, NOR BE BARREN IN THE LAND,.... There shall be no abortions or miscarriages, nor sterility or barrenness, either among the Israelites, or their cattle of every kind, so that there should be a great increase, both of men and beasts: THE NUMBER OF THY DAYS I WILL... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I WILL SEND MY FEAR BEFORE THEE,.... What should cause fear among the nations of the land of Canaan; either the hornets mentioned in the next verse as the explanative of this; or the fame of his mighty works, which he had done for Israel in Egypt, at the Red sea, and in the wilderness; which str... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I WILL SEND HORNETS BEFORE THEE,.... Which may be interpreted either figuratively, and so may signify the same as fear before which should fall on the Canaanites upon hearing the Israelites were coming; the stings of their consciences for their sins, terrors of mind, dreading the wrath of the Go... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL NOT DRIVE THEM OUT FROM BEFORE THEE IN ONE YEAR,.... This is observed before hand, lest the Israelites should be discouraged, and fear they should never be rid of them; and it was so ordered in Providence for the following reason: LEST THE LAND BECOME DESOLATE; there being not a sufficient n... [ Continue Reading ]
BY LITTLE AND LITTLE I WILL DRIVE THEM OUT FROM BEFORE THEE,.... Not the beasts of the field, but the inhabitants of Canaan, who were left partly to keep up the cities and towns, that they might not fall to ruin, and to till the land, that it might not be desolate; and partly to be trials and exerci... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I WILL SET THY BOUNDS,.... The bounds of the land of Canaan, which in process of time it should reach unto, though not at once, not until the times of David and Solomon, 2 Samuel 8:1 which bounds were as follow: FROM THE RED SEA EVEN UNTO THE SEA OF THE PHILISTINES: the Red sea was the boundary... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT MAKE NO COVENANT WITH THEM,.... A covenant of peace, a league, a confederacy, so as to take them to be their allies and friends; but they were always to consider them as their enemies, until they had made an utter end of them; though the Gibeonites by craft and guile obtained a league of... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY SHALL NOT DWELL IN THY LAND,.... The land of Canaan, given by God for an inheritance, and now would be in the possession of the Israelites; and therefore were not to suffer the old inhabitants to dwell with them in it, at least no longer than they could help it; they were to do all they could t... [ Continue Reading ]