Comentarios bíblicos

False witness and report forbidden, Exodus 23:1. Right must not be wrested, Exodus 23:2. He commands man to do good to his enemies, Exodus 23:3-5. Bribes are forbidden, Exodus 23:8. The years of sowing appointed, and gathering, Exodus 23:10. Of the seventh year, which is the year of rest; God’s command concerning it, Exodus 23:11. Of the sabbath day, Exodus 23:12. Other gods shall not be mentioned, Exodus 23:13. Of the three.feasts in a year, Exodus 23:14. The manner of keeping the feasts, Exodus 23:15,16. The times appointed for the males appearing before the Lord, Exodus 23:17. No sacrifice to be offered with leavened bread, Exodus 23:18. Command concerning the first-fruits, Exodus 23:19. God promiseth an Angel to prepare a way, Exodus 23:20; who is commanded to be obeyed, Exodus 23:21,22. God promising them the land of the Amorites, .& c., Exodus 23:23; forbiddeth the honouring of strange gods, Exodus 23:24. God promises to bless them that serve him, Exodus 23:25-27. Hornets shall expel the enemies of the Israelites, Exodus 23:28-30. The borders of the land of Israel, Exodus 23:31. A covenant with the heathen is forbidden, Exodus 23:32; or to let them inhabit among them, Exodus 23:33.

Thou shalt not raise, Heb. not take up, to wit, into thy mouth, as Exodus 20:7, either by the first raising, or further spreading of it; or not bear, or endure, as that word oft signifies; not hear it patiently, delightfully, readily, approvingly, as persons are very apt to do; but rather shalt discourage and reprove the spreader of it, according to Proverbs 25:23. Possibly the Holy Ghost might choose a word of such general signification to show that all these things were forbidden. Put not thine hand, i.e. not conspire or agree with them, which is signified by joining hands, Proverbs 11:21, not give them a helping hand in it, not encourage them to it by gifts or promises, not assist them by counsel or interest. Others, not swear with them; but swearing is not noted by putting the hand, but by lifting it up.

Thou shalt not follow a multitude, either their counsel or example. But the Hebrew rabbin both here and in the following clause is by some rendered great men, men in power and authority, whom we are commanded not to follow. And as the word is thus used Job 32:9 Jeremiah 41:1, so this sense may seem most probable,

1. Because in the last clause he speaks of causes or controversies, as the Hebrew rib signifies; and matters of judgment, which were not determined by the multitude, but by great men.

2. Because these are opposed to the poor in the next verse.

3. Because the examples of such men are most prevalent.

To do evil, either in general or particular, to work mischief, to oppress or crush another.

Neither shalt thou speak, Heb. answer, when thou art summoned as a witness in any cause.

To wrest judgment, or to turn aside right, or to pervert

thyself the verb being taken reciprocally, as hiphil is oft put for hithpahel; or, which is all one, to do perverserly, i.e. unrighteously.

Heb. honour, i.e. respect, or prefer his cause when the richer man’s cause is more just: the meaning of this and the former verse is, there shall be no respect of persons, whether rich or poor, but an impartial consideration of the cause. See Leviticus 19:15 Psalm 72:1,2.

So far shalt thou be from revenging his injuries, that thou shalt render good to him for them, whereby if thou dost not reconcile him, thou wilt procure peace to thyself, and honour to religion.

This translation depends upon this supposition, that the Hebrew verb azab, which is thrice used in this verse, signifies not only to leave, but also to help, or erect, or lift up, or strengthen, or restore; which signification of the verb may be proved,

1. From that use of it, Nehemiah 3:8 4:2.

2. From the parallel place, Deu 22:4, where instead of this verb azab is hakim, which is properly to erect or lift up. But if the verb did signify only to leave, it may be thus rendered according to the Hebrew words, then, or therefore, or surely (for all these ways the Hebrew particle vau is used) thou shalt forbear to leave it, to wit, the ass groaning under his burden, or the lifting up of the ass and burden, to him alone; but if thou wilt be leaving, I will appoint thee a better object for it, thou shalt surely leave or lay aside what thou hast against him, i.e. whatsoever controversy thou hast with him, that shall not hinder thee from succouring him or his in any distress.

The Hebrew preposition in, doth oft signify against, as Genesis 26:20 Psalm 85:4 94:16 Hosea 9:8. And it is a concise or short way of speaking, which is very common in the Hebrew language, against him, for what thou hast against him. Or thus, and wouldest forbear to leave, to wit, thy business which thou art going about, for him, i.e. for the sake of him who is thy enemy, as the Hebrew preposition tamed is oft used, as Exodus 14:25 Numbers 25:13 Joshua 10:14, &c.; thou shalt repress those malicious desires, and thou shalt surely leave it to be, or to tarry, or to help with him to lift up the ass. So there is only an ellipsis of the verb, which is most common in the Hebrew tongue.

i.e. Of the poor which is among thee, not of the poor Jews only, as some peradventure may conceive; for common right must be done even to the Gentiles. Compare Deu 27:19.

Keep thee far, i.e. abstain from all occasions, degrees, or appearances of it. Compare Job 22:23 Proverbs 4:14,15.

A false matter, i.e. an unrighteous judgment; for he is speaking to the judges, as appears both by the foregoing and following verses.

Slay thou not; condemn not to death, nor to any other unjust penalty, for the same reason.

I will not justify the wicked, and therefore not condemn the innocent; one contrary being here understood from the other, as is frequent in the book of the Proverbs; and what I do not, thou who actest in my name and stead shouldst not do. Or rather thus, Know, O judge, (for to such he speaks,) if thou dost pronounce such a wicked sentence, I will not justify thee, or hold thee guiltless, i.e. I will severely punish thee, as Exodus 20:7.

Thou shalt take no gift, namely, from such whose causes are depending before thee; because if thou dost not sell justice for it, yet thou wilt both seem to do so, and be tempted to do so. Compare Deu 16:19 1 Samuel 8:3 Proverbs 17:8,23 19:6.

The wise, or, the open-eyed, and quick-sighted, who in this case cannot see, partly because they will not see, and partly because interest and affection do exceedingly corrupt the judgment, and render it very partial.

The words of the righteous, i.e. the judgment of the righteous judges, i.e. of them who before were such, and are inclined to be so, and probably would be so, were they not tempted with bribes; or of them who by their place should be righteous. So they are called righteous, to admonish them of their duty to be so, and to aggravate their sin when they are unrighteous, and consequently to aggravate the mischief of gifts, which make those unrighteous whose office obligeth them to be righteous. Or thus,

the matters or causes of the righteous, which may be understood not of the judges, but of the parties pleading, whose righteous cause is by this means perverted by the judge, and a wrong sentence given.