New English Translation
Exodus 23:9
9“You must not oppress a foreigner, since you know the life of a foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
Exodus 23:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
- New International Version (NIV)“Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Context of Exodus 23:9
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. “You must not oppress a foreigner, since you know the life of a foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 10“For six years you are to sow your land and gather in its produce. 11But in the seventh year you must let it lie fallow and leave it alone so that the poor of your people may eat, and what they leave any animal in the field may eat; you must do likewise with your vineyard and your olive grove.
Read all of Exodus 23Exodus 23:9 word by word
וְגֵ֖ר לֹ֣א תִלְחָ֑ץ וְאַתֶּ֗ם יְדַעְתֶּם֙ אֶת־נֶ֣פֶשׁ הַגֵּ֔ר כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Exodus 23:9
- Exodus 21:21However, if the injured servant survives one or two days, the owner will not be punished, for he has suffered the loss.
- Deuteronomy 10:19So you must love the resident foreigner because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
- Deuteronomy 24:14You must not oppress a lowly and poor servant, whether one from among your fellow Israelites or from the resident foreigners who are living in your land and villages.
- 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!’
- Psalms 94:6They kill the widow and the one residing outside his native land, and they murder the fatherless.
- Ezekiel 22:7They have treated father and mother with contempt within you; they have oppressed the foreigner among you; they have wronged the orphan and the widow within you.
- Matthew 18:33Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow slave, just as I showed it to you?’
- Hebrews 2:17Therefore he had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people.
Commentaries on Exodus 23:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9Ye know the heart of a stranger - Having been strangers yourselves, under severe, long continued, and cruel oppression, ye know the fears, cares, anxieties, and dismal forebodings which the heart of a stranger feels. What a forcible appeal to humanity and compassion!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 23:9
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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