English Standard Version
Exodus 22:21
21"You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
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.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
- New Living Translation (NLT)“You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.
Context of Exodus 22:21
19"Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death. 20"Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the Lord alone, shall be devoted to destruction. "You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 22You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. 23If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry,
Read all of Exodus 22Exodus 22:21 word by word
וְגֵ֥ר לֹא־תוֹנֶ֖ה וְלֹ֣א תִלְחָצֶ֑נּוּ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Exodus 22:21
- Exodus 23:9"You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
- Leviticus 19:33"When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.
- Leviticus 25:35"If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you.
- Deuteronomy 10:19Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
- Jeremiah 7:6if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm,
- Jeremiah 22:3Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.
- Zechariah 7:10do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart."
- Malachi 3:5"Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
- Exodus 20:2"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
- Deuteronomy 15:15You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today.
- Deuteronomy 23:7"You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were 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
In the dictionaries
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries