New English Translation
Exodus 23:6
6“You must not turn away justice for your poor people in their lawsuits.
Exodus 23:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
- New International Version (NIV)“Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute.
Context of Exodus 23:6
4“If you encounter your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, you must by all means return it to him. 5If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen under its load, you must not ignore him, but be sure to help him with it. “You must not turn away justice for your poor people in their lawsuits. 7Keep your distance from a false charge – do not kill the innocent and the righteous, for I will not justify the wicked. 8“You must not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and subverts the words of the righteous.
Read all of Exodus 23Exodus 23:6 word by word
לֹ֥א תַטֶּ֛ה מִשְׁפַּ֥ט אֶבְיֹנְךָ֖ בְּרִיבֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Exodus 23:6
- Exodus 23:2“You must not follow a crowd in doing evil things; in a lawsuit you must not offer testimony that agrees with a crowd so as to pervert justice,
- Deuteronomy 16:19You must not pervert justice or show favor. Do not take a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and distort the words of the righteous.
- Deuteronomy 27:19‘Cursed is the one who perverts justice for the resident foreigner, the orphan, and the widow.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
- 2 Chronicles 19:7Respect the Lord and make careful decisions, for the Lord our God disapproves of injustice, partiality, and bribery.”
- Job 31:13“If I have disregarded the right of my male servants or my female servants when they disputed with me,
- Psalms 82:3Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless! Vindicate the oppressed and suffering!
- Ecclesiastes 5:8If you see the extortion of the poor, or the perversion of justice and fairness in the government, do not be astonished by the matter. For the high official is watched by a higher official, and there are higher ones over them!
- Isaiah 10:1Those who enact unjust policies are as good as dead, those who are always instituting unfair regulations,
- Jeremiah 5:28That is how they have grown fat and sleek. There is no limit to the evil things they do. They do not plead the cause of the fatherless in such a way as to win it. They do not defend the rights of the poor.
- Jeremiah 6:28I reported, “All of them are the most stubborn of rebels! They are as hard as bronze or iron. They go about telling lies. They all deal corruptly.
- Jeremiah 7:6Stop oppressing foreigners who live in your land, children who have lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands. Stop killing innocent people in this land. Stop paying allegiance to other gods. That will only bring about your ruin.
- Amos 5:11Therefore, because you make the poor pay taxes on their crops and exact a grain tax from them, you will not live in the houses you built with chiseled stone, nor will you drink the wine from the fine vineyards you planted.
- Micah 3:1I said, “Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the nation of Israel! You ought to know what is just,
- Zephaniah 3:1The filthy, stained city is as good as dead; the city filled with oppressors is finished!
- Malachi 3:5“I will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination, those who commit adultery, those who break promises, and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, who refuse to help the immigrant and in this way show they do not fear me,” says the Lord who rules over all.
- James 2:5Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?
Commentaries on Exodus 23:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor - Thou shalt neither countenance him in his crimes, nor condemn him in his righteousness. See Exodus 23:5, Exodus 23:7.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6-9Verses 6-9 Four precepts evidently addressed to those in authority as judges: (a) To do justice to the poor. Comparing Exodus 23:6 with Exodus 23:3, it was the part of the judge to defend the poor against the oppression of the rich, and the part of the witness to take care lest his feelings of natural pity should tempt him to falsify evidence. (b) To be cautious of inflicting capital punishment on one whose guilt was not clearly proved. A doubtful case…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-9This call for justice includes a mixed list of covenant requirements. Most of these requirements deal with fairness and honesty in daily life. They show how God’s people should treat others with integrity.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-331. put not thine hand--join not hands.Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 23:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Exodus 23
- 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
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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