Deuteronomy 23:7 BSB

Deuteronomy 23:7

Do not despise an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you lived as a foreigner in his land.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a sojourner in his land.

KJV

Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.

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Commentary

2 voices

Clement of Alexandria

The Stromata Book 2 (215)

At any rate [Scripture] says openly, "You shall not loathe Egyptians, since you lived as strangers in Egypt." By Egyptian it means "Gentile," in fact anyone from anywhere in the world. It is further forbidden to think of enemies as enemies, even if they are presently besieging your walls in the effort to capture your city, until you have sent them an envoy to invite them to peace.

The record, by era

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

The Edomite, as descended from Esau the twin brother of Jacob (compare Deu 2:4), and the Egyptian, as of that nation which had for long shown hospitality to Joseph and his brethren, were not to be objects of abhorrence. The oppression of the Egyptians was perhaps regarded as the act of the Pharaohs rather than the will of the people Exo 11:2-3; and at any rate was not to cancel the memory of preceding hospitality. Deu 23:8 In their third generation - i. e. the great grandchildren of the Edomite or Egyptian alien: compare the similar phrase in Exo 20:5.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

13 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
לֹֽא־	lo'-	not	H3808 →
תְתַעֵ֣ב	te.ta.'Ev	you will abhor	H8581 →
אֲדֹמִ֔י	'a.do.Mi	an Edomite	H130 →
כִּ֥י	ki	for	H3588 →
אָחִ֖יךָ	'a.Chi.kha	[is] relative your	H251 →
ה֑וּא ס	Hu'	he	H1931 →
לֹא־	lo'-	not	H3808 →
תְתַעֵ֣ב	te.ta.'Ev	you will abhor	H8581 →
מִצְרִ֔י	mitz.Ri	an Egyptian	H4713 →
כִּי־	ki-	for	H3588 →
גֵ֖ר	ger	a sojourner	H1616 →
הָיִ֥יתָ	ha.Yi.ta	you were	H1961 →
בְאַרְצֽוֹ׃	ve.'ar.Tzo	in land his	H776 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Deuteronomy 10:19
So you also must love the foreigner, since you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
leads to
- Exodus 22:21
  You must not exploit or oppress a foreign resident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Leviticus 19:33–34
  When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him.
Through
Leviticus 19:34
You must treat the foreigner living among you as native-born and love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
leads to
- Deuteronomy 10:19
  So you also must love the foreigner, since you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Leviticus 19:18
  Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
- Exodus 12:48–49
  If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover, all the males in the household must be circumcised; then he may come near to celebrate it, and he shall be…
- Matthew 5:43
  You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy.’
Through
Exodus 22:21
You must not exploit or oppress a foreign resident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
leads to
- Exodus 23:9
  Do not oppress a foreign resident, since you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
- Leviticus 19:33
  When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him.

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About Deuteronomy

Moses Comes Down from Mount Sinai — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

Deuteronomy: the study guide →Read chapter 23 →The featured study →

Continue: Deuteronomy 23 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Deuteronomy

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Deuteronomy