Exodus 22:21

Exodus 22:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
• New International Version (NIV)“Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Context of Exodus 22:21

19— Every one that lieth with a beast shall certainly be put to death. 20— He that sacrificeth to [any] god, save to Jehovah only, shall be devoted to destruction. Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him; for ye have been strangers in the land of Egypt. 22Ye shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 23If thou afflict him in any way, if he cry at all unto me, I will certainly hear his cry;

Exodus 22:21 word by word

וְגֵ֥ר לֹא־תוֹנֶ֖ה וְלֹ֣א תִלְחָצֶ֑נּוּ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃Read the interlinear

Cross-references for Exodus 22:21

• Exodus 23:9And the stranger thou shalt not oppress; for ye know the spirit of the stranger, for ye have been strangers in the land of Egypt.
• Leviticus 19:33And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not molest him.
• Leviticus 25:35And if thy brother grow poor, and he be fallen into decay beside thee, then thou shalt relieve him, [be he] stranger or sojourner, that he may live beside thee.
• Deuteronomy 10:19And ye shall love the stranger; for ye have been strangers in the land of Egypt.
• Jeremiah 7:6[if] ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed no innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt;
• Jeremiah 22:3Thus saith Jehovah: Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor; and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place.
• Zechariah 7:10and oppress not the widow and the fatherless, the stranger and the afflicted; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.
• Malachi 3:5And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hired servant in [his] wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger [from his right], and fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts.
• Exodus 20:2I am Jehovah thy God, who have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
• Deuteronomy 15:15And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and that Jehovah thy God redeemed thee; therefore I command thee this thing to-day.
• Deuteronomy 23:7Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother. Thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a sojourner in his land.

Commentaries on Exodus 22:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him - This was not only a very humane law, but it was also the offspring of a sound policy: "Do not vex a stranger; remember ye were strangers. Do not oppress a stranger; remember ye were oppressed. Therefore do unto all men as ye would they should do to you." It was the produce of a sound policy: "Let strangers be well treated among you, and many will come to take refuge among you, and thus the strength of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21A stranger - See Exodus 20:10 note.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21The Hebrews were to treat foreigners kindly because they, too, had once been foreigners (see also 23:9; Deuteronomy 10:18–19). For more on this principle, see Luke 6:31.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-311-4. If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep--The law respects the theft of cattle which constituted the chief part of their property. The penalty for the theft of a sheep which was slain or sold, was fourfold; for an ox fivefold, because of its greater utility in labor; but, should the stolen animal have been recovered alive, a double compensation was all that was required, because it was presumable he (the thief) was not a practised adept in dishonesty…Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 22:21

• Aliens
• Hospitality
• Injustice
• Oppression

In the dictionaries

• Egypt
• Book
• Cause
• Curse
• Feed
• Foreigner
• God
• Proselyte
• Put
• Restore

Commentaries on Exodus 22

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings