出埃及記 23
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
公義與憐憫
23 「不可散佈謠言,也不可與惡人一起作偽證陷害別人。 2 不可隨眾行惡。在法庭作證時不可附和多數人,顛倒是非。 3 在訴訟的事上不可偏袒窮人。
4 「倘若看見仇人的牛或驢走迷了路,總要牽回去交給他。 5 倘若遇見仇人的驢被馱的重物壓倒,不可逕自走開,總要幫助仇人抬開重物。
6 「不可在訴訟案中冤枉窮人。 7 不可誣告別人,不可殺害正直無辜的人,因為我必懲罰作惡之人。 8 不可收受賄賂,因為賄賂蒙蔽人的眼目,使人顛倒是非。 9 不可欺凌在你們中間寄居的人,因為你們也曾經在埃及寄居,知道身在異鄉的滋味。
安息年和安息日
10 「六年之內你要耕種收割, 11 第七年要讓土地休息,不耕不種,你們當中的窮人可以吃田中長出來的,剩下的可以留給動物吃。你也要這樣耕作葡萄園和橄欖園。 12 六天之內,你要工作,但第七天要休息。這樣,牛、驢可以歇息,你家裡的奴僕和寄居的也可以休息。 13 你們要謹慎遵從我對你們說的話。不可提其他神明的名字,不可從你口中聽到它們的名字。
三大節期
14 「你每年要向我守三個節期。 15 要守除酵節,照我的吩咐在每年亞筆月所定的日期連續吃七天的無酵餅,因為你是在這個月離開了埃及。誰也不可空手來朝拜我。 16 要在耕種後、收取初熟之物的時候守收割節。要在年終從田間收取勞動成果時守收藏節。 17 以色列所有的男子都要在這三個節期上來朝見主耶和華。
18 「不可把祭牲的血和有酵的餅一起獻給我,也不可把祭牲的脂肪留到第二天早晨。 19 要把田中最好的初熟之物送到你們的上帝耶和華的殿中。不可用母山羊的奶煮牠的小羊羔。
應許賜迦南
20 「看啊,我要差遣天使走在你前面,在路上保護你,帶領你平安地到達我為你預備的地方。 21 他是奉我的名來的,你們要謹遵他的話,不可悖逆,不然他必不赦免你們的過犯。
22 「你若認真聽從他的吩咐,遵行我的話,我就與你的仇敵為敵,與你的對頭作對。 23 我的天使要走在你前面,帶領你去亞摩利人、赫人、比利洗人、迦南人、希未人和耶布斯人所住的地方,我會把他們全部消滅。 24 不可叩拜他們的神明,不可供奉它們,也不可效法他們的行為,要徹底拆毀神像,打碎他們的神柱。 25 你們要事奉你們的上帝耶和華,我必賜給你日用的飲食,使你們身體健康,不受疾病的侵害, 26 在你境內必沒有人流產或不育,我會使你壽終正寢。 27 你所到之處,我必使那裡的人惶恐不安,使你一切的仇敵都在你面前轉身逃跑。 28 我要派黃蜂做你的先鋒,趕走那些希未人、迦南人和赫人。 29 我不會在一年之內把這些人全部趕走,免得土地荒涼,野獸肆虐。 30 我會逐漸地趕走他們,直到你們人丁興旺,可以佔據那片土地。 31 我給你定下國界,從紅海到非利士海岸,從曠野到幼發拉底河。我要把其中所有的人都交在你手中,你要把他們全部趕出去。 32 不可跟這些民族及其神明立約, 33 也不可讓這些民族住在你的土地上,免得他們使你得罪我,你若供奉他們的神明,必因此而陷入網羅。」
出埃及记 23
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
司法公正
23 “不可傳播謠言,也不可與惡人攜手作假見證。 2 不可隨眾行惡,不可在訴訟的事上隨眾說歪曲正義的話; 3 也不可在訴訟的事上偏護窮人。
4 “如果你遇見你仇敵的牛或是驢走迷了路,就應該把牠牽回來給他。 5 如果你看見恨你的人的驢伏在重擔之下,不可走開不理牠,你應該與驢主一同卸下重擔。 6 不可在窮人訴訟的事上歪曲正義。 7 要遠離虛假的事;不可殺無辜和正義的人,因為我決不以惡人為義人。 8 不可受賄賂,因為賄賂能使明眼人變瞎,又能歪曲義人的話。 9 不可壓迫寄居的,因為你們在埃及地也作過寄居的,知道寄居者的心情。
安息年與安息日
10 “六年之內你要耕種田地,收取地的出產; 11 但是第七年,你要讓地歇息,不耕不種,使你民間的窮人可以有吃的;他們吃剩的,田間的野獸可以吃;你的葡萄園和橄欖園,也要這樣作。 12 六日之內,你要作你的工;但第七日你要安息,好使你的牛和驢可以歇息,並且使你婢女的兒子和寄居的也可以有時間喘息一下。 13 我對你們所說的一切,你們都要小心謹守,你們不可提別神的名,也不可讓人從你的口中聽到。
當守的三個節期(A)
14 “每年三次,你要為我守節。 15 你要守無酵節,要照我吩咐的,在亞筆月內所定的日期,吃無酵餅七天,因為你是在這個月從埃及出來的。你們不可空手朝見我。 16 又要守收割節,就是收在田間你勞碌耕種所得初熟之物的節;也要在年底守收藏節,就是在田間收集你勞碌所得之物的時候。 17 一年三次,你所有的男丁都要朝見主耶和華的面。
18 “你不可把我祭牲的血和有酵的餅一同獻上;也不可把我節日祭牲的脂油留過夜到早晨。 19 要把你地上最上好的初熟之物帶到耶和華你 神的殿中。不可用山羊羔母的奶去煮山羊羔。
應許與訓誨
20 “看哪,我在你面前差派使者,好在路上保護你,領你到我預備的地方去。 21 你們在他面前要謹慎,要聽他的話,不可違背他;不然,他必不赦免你們的過犯,因為他是奉我的名來的。 22 如果你實在聽他的話,遵行我吩咐的一切,我就要作你仇敵的仇敵,作你敵人的敵人。 23 我的使者必在你前面走,領你到亞摩利人、赫人、比利洗人、迦南人、希未人、耶布斯人那裡去;我要把他們除掉。 24 你不可跪拜他們的神像,也不可事奉它們,不可作他們所作的,不可模仿他們的行為,卻要把神像完全拆毀,打碎他們的柱像。 25 你們要事奉耶和華你們的 神,他就必賜福你的糧和你的水,我也必從你們中間除去疾病。 26 在你的境內,必沒有流產和不育的婦女;我必使你一生的壽數滿足。 27 我必在你面前展露我的威嚴;凡你所到的地方,我必使那裡的人民慌亂,又使你所有的仇敵都轉背而逃。 28 我必在你面前打發大黃蜂,把希未人、迦南人、赫人,都從你面前驅逐出去。 29 我不在一年之內把他們從你面前驅逐出去,恐怕這地變為荒涼,又恐怕田野間的走獸多起來害你。 30 我要漸漸地把他們從你面前驅逐出去,等到你的人數增多起來,承受那地為止。 31 我要限定你的境界,從紅海直到非利士海,從曠野直到大河。我要把那地的居民交在你手中,你要把他們從你面前驅逐出去。 32 不可與他們和他們的神立約。 33 不可讓他們住在你的境內,恐怕他們使你得罪我;如果你事奉他們的神,這必成為你的網羅。”
Exodus 23
New English Translation
Justice
23 [a] “You must not give[b] a false report.[c] Do not make common cause[d] with the wicked[e] to be a malicious[f] witness.
2 “You must not follow a crowd[g] in doing evil things;[h] in a lawsuit you must not offer testimony that agrees with a crowd so as to pervert justice,[i] 3 and you must not show partiality[j] to a poor man in his lawsuit.
4 “If you encounter[k] your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, you must by all means return[l] it to him. 5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen under its load, you must not ignore him,[m] but be sure to help[n] him with it.[o]
6 “You must not turn away justice for your poor people in their lawsuits. 7 Keep your distance[p] from a false charge[q]—do not kill the innocent and the righteous,[r] for I will not justify the wicked.[s]
8 “You must not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see[t] and subverts the words of the righteous.
9 “You must not oppress[u] a resident foreigner, since you know the life[v] of a foreigner, for you were foreigners[w] in the land of Egypt.
Sabbaths and Feasts
10 [x] “For six years[y] you are to sow your land and gather in its produce. 11 But in the seventh year[z] 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[aa] may eat; you must do likewise with your vineyard and your olive grove. 12 For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, in order that your ox and your donkey may rest and that your female servant’s son and the resident foreigner[ab] may refresh themselves.[ac]
13 “Pay attention to do[ad] everything I have told you, and do not even mention[ae] the names of other gods—do not let them be heard on your lips.[af]
14 “Three times[ag] in the year you must make a pilgrim feast[ah] to me. 15 You are to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days[ai] you must eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of Abib, for at that time[aj] you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before[ak] me empty-handed.
16 “You are also to observe[al] the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors that you have sown in the field, and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year[am] when you have gathered in[an] your harvest[ao] out of the field. 17 At[ap] three times in the year all your males will appear before the Sovereign Lord.[aq]
18 “You must not offer[ar] the blood of my sacrifice with bread containing yeast; the fat of my festal sacrifice must not remain until morning.[as] 19 The first of the firstfruits of your soil you must bring to the house of the Lord your God.
“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.[at]
The Angel of the Presence
20 [au] “I am going to send[av] an angel[aw] before you to protect you as you journey[ax] and to bring you into the place that I have prepared.[ay] 21 Take heed because of him, and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my Name[az] is in him. 22 But if you diligently obey him[ba] and do all that I command, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will be an adversary to your adversaries. 23 For my angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will destroy them completely.[bb]
24 “You must not bow down to their gods; you must not serve them or do according to their practices. Instead you must completely overthrow them and smash their standing stones[bc] to pieces.[bd] 25 You must serve[be] the Lord your God, and he[bf] will bless your bread and your water,[bg] and I will remove sickness from your midst. 26 No woman will miscarry her young[bh] or be barren in your land. I will fulfill[bi] the number of your days.
27 “I will send my terror[bj] before you, and I will alarm[bk] all the people whom you encounter; I will make all your enemies turn their backs[bl] to you. 28 I will send[bm] hornets before you that will drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite before you. 29 I will not drive them out before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals[bn] multiply against you. 30 Little by little[bo] I will drive them out before you, until you become fruitful and inherit the land. 31 I will set[bp] your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River,[bq] for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.
32 “You must make no covenant with them or with their gods. 33 They must not live in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare[br] to you.”
Footnotes
- Exodus 23:1 sn People who claim to worship and serve the righteous judge of the universe must preserve equity and justice in their dealings with others. These verses teach that God’s people must be honest witnesses (1-3); God’s people must be righteous even with enemies (4-5); and God’s people must be fair in dispensing justice (6-9).
- Exodus 23:1 tn Heb “take up, lift, carry” (נָשָׂא, nasaʾ). This verb was also used in the prohibition against taking “the name of Yahweh in vain.” Sometimes the object of this verb is physical, as in Jonah 1:12 and 15. Used in this prohibition involving speech, it covers both originating and repeating a lie.
- Exodus 23:1 tn Or “a groundless report” (see Exod 20:7 for the word שָׁוְא, shavʾ).
- Exodus 23:1 tn Heb “do not put your hand” (cf. KJV, ASV); NASB “join your hand.”
- Exodus 23:1 tn The word “wicked” (רָשָׁע, rashaʿ) refers to the guilty criminal, the person who is doing something wrong. In the religious setting it describes the person who is not a member of the covenant and may be involved in all kinds of sin, even though there is the appearance of moral and spiritual stability.
- Exodus 23:1 tn The word חָמָס (khamas) often means “violence” in the sense of social injustices done to other people, usually the poor and needy. A “malicious” witness would do great harm to others. See J. W. McKay, “Exodus 23:1-3, 6-8: A Decalogue for Administration of Justice in the City Gate,” VT 21 (1971): 311-25.
- Exodus 23:2 tn The word רָבִּים (rabbim), here rendered “crowd,” is also used infrequently to refer to the “mighty,” people of importance in society (Job 35:9; cf. Lev 19:15).
- Exodus 23:2 tn For any individual to join a group that is bent on acting wickedly would be a violation of the Law and would incur personal responsibility.
- Exodus 23:2 tn Heb “you will not answer in a lawsuit to turn after the crowd to turn.” The form translated “agrees with” (Heb “to turn after”) is a Qal infinitive construct from נָטָה (natah); the same root is used at the end of the verse but as a Hiphil infinitive construct, “to pervert [justice].”
- Exodus 23:3 tn The point here is one of false sympathy and honor, the bad sense of the word הָדַר (hadar; see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 237).
- Exodus 23:4 tn Heb “meet” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).
- Exodus 23:4 tn The construction uses the imperfect tense (taken here as an obligatory imperfect) and the infinitive absolute for emphasis.
- Exodus 23:5 tn The line reads “you will cease to forsake him”—refrain from leaving your enemy without help.
- Exodus 23:5 tn The law is emphatic here as well, using the infinitive absolute and the imperfect of instruction (or possibly obligation). There is also a wordplay here: two words עָזַב (ʿazav) are used, one meaning “forsake” and the other possibly meaning “arrange” based on Arabic and Ugaritic evidence (see U. Cassuto, Exodus, 297-98).
- Exodus 23:5 sn See H. B. Huffmon, “Exodus 23:4-5: A Comparative Study,” A Light Unto My Path, 271-78.
- Exodus 23:7 tn Or “stay away from,” or “have nothing to do with.”
- Exodus 23:7 tn Heb “a false matter,” this expression in this context would have to be a case in law that was false or that could only be won by falsehood.
- Exodus 23:7 tn The two clauses probably should be related: the getting involved in the false charge could lead to the death of an innocent person (so, e.g., Naboth in 1 Kgs 21:10-13).
- Exodus 23:7 sn God will not declare right the one who is in the wrong. Society should also be consistent, but it cannot see the intents and motives, as God can.
- Exodus 23:8 tn Heb “blinds the open-eyed.”
- Exodus 23:9 tn The verb means “to crush.” S. R. Driver notes that in this context this would probably mean with an unfair judgment in the courts (Exodus, 239).sn In Mosaic Law the foreign resident, גֵּר (ger), was essentially a naturalized citizen who joined the covenant community (see Exod 12:19, 48; Deut 29:10-13). Besides not oppressing the ger (Exod 22:21), Israel was told to love the ger (Lev 19:33-34). Several passages emphasize equal standing under Mosaic Law (Exod 12:49; 20:10; Lev 24:22; Num 9:14; 15:15, 16, 29).
- Exodus 23:9 tn Heb “soul, life, feelings.” The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) refers here to the soul “as the centre and transmitter of feelings and perceptions” (HALOT 713 s.v.). The Israelites should be motivated by knowing what it feels like to be oppressed.
- Exodus 23:9 sn The same term גֵּר (ger) is used for the resident foreigner living in Israel and of the Israelite who lived in Israel, despite the very different social conditions of each. A foreign resident has differing status in different countries. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, but the resident foreigner in Israel was under the same laws (civil and religious) as the Israelite and could worship the Lord as part of the covenant community. Several passages emphasize equal standing under Mosaic Law (Exod 12:49; Lev 24:22; Num 9:14; 15:15, 16, 26, 29; 19:10; 35:15; Deut 1:16 or similar obligations Exod 20:10; 23:12; Lev 16:29; 17:10, 12, 13; 18:26; 24:16; Num 15:14.
- Exodus 23:10 sn This section concerns religious duties of the people of God as they worship by giving thanks to God for their blessings. The principles here are: God requires his people to allow the poor to share in their bounty (10-11); God requires his people to provide times of rest and refreshment for those who labor for them (12); God requires allegiance to himself (13); God requires his people to come before him in gratitude and share their bounty (14-17); God requires that his people safeguard proper worship forms (18-19).
- Exodus 23:10 tn Heb “and six years”; this is an adverbial accusative telling how long they can work their land. The following references to years and days in vv. 10-12 function similarly.
- Exodus 23:11 tn Heb “and the seventh year”; an adverbial accusative with a disjunctive vav (ו).
- Exodus 23:11 tn Heb “living thing/creature/beast of the field.” A general term for animals, usually wild animals, including predators (cf. v. 29; Gen 2:19-20; Lev 26:22; Deut 7:22; 1 Sam 17:46; Job 5:22-23; Ezek 29:5; 34:5).
- Exodus 23:12 tn Or “alien.” Several passages emphasize equal standing under Mosaic Law (Exod 12:49; 20:10; Lev 24:22; Num 9:14; 15:15, 16, 29) for the resident foreigner (גֵּר; ger) and the native born Israelite. The foreigners (גֵּר; ger, but not other types of non-Israelites) in Mosaic Law have joined the covenant (Deut 29:10-13) and worship the Lord. Israel was not to make these foreigners do the work which they themselves were not permitted to do on the Sabbath.
- Exodus 23:12 tn The verb is וְיִנָּפֵשׁ (veyinnafesh); it is related to the word usually translated “soul” or “life.”
- Exodus 23:13 tn The phrase “to do” is added; in Hebrew word order the line says, “In all that I have said to you you will watch yourselves.” The verb for paying attention is a Niphal imperfect with an imperatival force.
- Exodus 23:13 tn Or “honor,” Hiphil of זָכַר (zakhar). See also Exod 20:25; Josh 23:7; Isa 26:13.
- Exodus 23:13 tn Heb “mouth.”sn See also Ps 16:4, where David affirms his loyalty to God with this expression.
- Exodus 23:14 tn Heb “three feet” or “three foot-beats.” This adverbial accusative expression also occurs in Num 22:28, 32, 33.
- Exodus 23:14 tn This is the word תָּחֹג (takhog) from the root חָגַג (khagag); it describes a feast that was accompanied by a pilgrimage. It was first used by Moses in his appeal that Israel go three days into the desert to hold such a feast.
- Exodus 23:15 tn This is an adverbial accusative of time.
- Exodus 23:15 tn Heb “in it.”
- Exodus 23:15 tn The verb is a Niphal imperfect; the nuance of permission works well here—no one is permitted to appear before God empty (Heb “and they will not appear before me empty”).
- Exodus 23:16 tn The words “you are also to observe” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Exodus 23:16 tn An infinitive construct with a preposition and a pronominal suffix is used to make a temporal clause: “in the going in of the year.” The word “year” is the subjective genitive, the subject of the clause.
- Exodus 23:16 tn An infinitive construct with a preposition and a pronominal suffix is used to make a temporal clause: “in the ingathering of you.”
- Exodus 23:16 tn Heb “gathered in your labors.” This is a metonymy of cause put for the effect. “Labors” are not gathered in, but what the labors produced—the harvest.
- Exodus 23:17 tn Adverbial accusative of time: “three times” becomes “at three times.”
- Exodus 23:17 tn Here the divine Name reads in Hebrew הָאָדֹן יְהוָה (haʾadon yehvah), which if rendered according to the traditional scheme of “Lord” for “Yahweh” would result in “Lord Lord.” A number of English versions therefore render this phrase “Lord God.”
- Exodus 23:18 tn The verb is תִּזְבַּח (tizbakh), an imperfect tense from the same root as the genitive that qualifies the accusative “blood”: “you will not sacrifice the blood of my sacrifice.” The verb means “to slaughter”; since one cannot slaughter blood, a more general translation is required here. But if the genitive is explained as “my blood-sacrifice” (a genitive of specification; like “the evil of your doings” in Isa 1:16), then a translation of sacrifice would work (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 304).
- Exodus 23:18 sn See N. Snaith, “Exodus 23:18 and 34:25, ” JTS 20 (1969): 533-34; see also M. Haran, “The Passover Sacrifice,” Studies in the Religion of Ancient Israel (VTSup), 86-116.
- Exodus 23:19 sn On this verse, see C. M. Carmichael, “On Separating Life and Death: An Explanation of Some Biblical Laws,” HTR 69 (1976): 1-7; J. Milgrom, “You Shall Not Boil a Kid in Its Mother’s Milk,” BRev 1 (1985): 48-55; R. J. Ratner and B. Zuckerman, “In Rereading the ‘Kid in Milk’ Inscriptions,” BRev 1 (1985): 56-58; and M. Haran, “Seething a Kid in Its Mother’s Milk,” JJS 30 (1979): 23-35. Here and at 34:26, where this command is repeated, it ends a series of instructions about procedures for worship.
- Exodus 23:20 sn This passage has some of the most interesting and perplexing expressions and constructions in the book. It is largely promise, but it is part of the Law and so demands compliance by faith. Its points are: God promises to send his angel to prepare the way before his obedient servants (20-23); God promises blessing for his loyal servants (24-33). So in the section one learns that God promises his protection (victory) and blessing (through his angel) for his obedient and loyal worshipers.
- Exodus 23:20 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with the active participle indicates imminent future, something God is about to do.
- Exodus 23:20 sn The word is מַלְאָךְ (malʾakh, “messenger, angel”). This angel is to be treated with the same fear and respect as Yahweh, for Yahweh will be speaking in him. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 305-6) says that the words of the first clause do not imply a being distinct from God, for in the ancient world the line of demarcation between the sender and the sent is liable easily to be blurred. He then shows how the “Angel of Yahweh” in Genesis is Yahweh. He concludes that the words here mean “I will guide you.” Christian commentators tend to identify the Angel of Yahweh as the second person of the Trinity (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:446). However, in addition to being a preincarnate appearance, the word could refer to Yahweh—some manifestation of Yahweh himself.
- Exodus 23:20 tn Heb “protect you in the way.”
- Exodus 23:20 tn The form is the Hiphil perfect of the verb כּוּן (kun, “to establish, prepare”).
- Exodus 23:21 sn This means “the manifestation of my being” is in him (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 247). Driver quotes McNeile as saying, “The ‘angel’ is Jehovah Himself ‘in a temporary descent to visibility for a special purpose.’” Others take the “name” to represent Yahweh’s “power” (NCV) or “authority” (NAB, CEV).
- Exodus 23:22 tn The infinitive absolute here does not add as great an emphasis as normal, but emphasizes the condition that is being set forth (see GKC 342-43 §113.o).
- Exodus 23:23 tn Heb “will cut them off” (so KJV, ASV).
- Exodus 23:24 tn The Hebrew is מַצֵּבֹתֵיהֶם (matsevotehem, “their standing stones”); these long stones were erected to represent the abode of the numen or deity. They were usually set up near the altar or the high place. To destroy these would be to destroy the centers of Canaanite worship in the land.
- Exodus 23:24 tn Both verbs are joined with their infinitive absolutes to provide the strongest sense to these instructions. The images of the false gods in Canaan were to be completely and utterly destroyed. This could not be said any more strongly.
- Exodus 23:25 tn The perfect tense, masculine plural, with vav (ו) consecutive is in sequence with the preceding: do not bow down to them, but serve Yahweh. It is then the equivalent of an imperfect of instruction or injunction.
- Exodus 23:25 tn The LXX reads “and I will bless” to make the verb conform with the speaker, Yahweh.
- Exodus 23:25 sn On this unusual clause B. Jacob says that it is the reversal of the curse in Genesis, because the “bread and water” represent the field work and ground suitability for abundant blessing of provisions (Exodus, 734).
- Exodus 23:26 tn Or “abort”; Heb “cast.”
- Exodus 23:26 sn No one will die prematurely; this applies to the individual or the nation. The plan of God to bless was extensive, if only the people would obey.
- Exodus 23:27 tn The word for “terror” is אֵימָתִי (ʾemati); the word has the thought of “panic” or “dread.” God would make the nations panic as they heard of the exploits and knew the Israelites were drawing near. U. Cassuto thinks the reference to “hornets” in v. 28 may be a reference to this fear, an unreasoning dread, rather than to another insect invasion (Exodus, 308). Others suggest it is symbolic of an invading army or a country like Egypt or literal insects (see E. Neufeld, “Insects as Warfare Agents in the Ancient Near East,” Or 49 [1980]: 30-57).
- Exodus 23:27 tn Heb “discomfit” or “bring into confusion.”
- Exodus 23:27 tn The text has “and I will give all your enemies to you [as] a back.” The verb of making takes two accusatives, the second being the adverbial accusative of product (see GKC 371-72 §117.ii, n. 1).
- Exodus 23:28 tn Heb “and I will send.”
- Exodus 23:29 tn Heb “the beast of the field.”
- Exodus 23:30 tn The repetition expresses an exceptional or super-fine quality (see GKC 396 §123.e).
- Exodus 23:31 tn The form is a perfect tense with vav consecutive.
- Exodus 23:31 tn In the Hebrew Bible “the River” usually refers to the Euphrates (cf. NASB, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT). There is some thought that it refers to a river Nahr el Kebir between Lebanon and Syria. See further W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:447; and G. W. Buchanan, The Consequences of the Covenant (NovTSup), 91-100.
- Exodus 23:33 tn The idea of the “snare” is to lure them to judgment; God is apparently warning about contact with the Canaanites, either in worship or in business. They were very syncretistic, and so it would be dangerous to settle among them.
Exodus 23
King James Version
23 Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:
3 Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.
4 If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
5 If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.
6 Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
7 Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.
8 And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
9 Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
10 And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof:
11 But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.
12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.
13 And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.
14 Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
15 Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)
16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord God.
18 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning.
19 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.
23 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.
24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.
25 And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
27 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.
28 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
30 By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.
31 And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
33 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.
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