Exodus 22:21
in Exodus 22You must not exploit or oppress a foreign resident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And a sojourner shalt thou not wrong, neither shalt thou oppress him: for ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
KJV
Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
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This verse in Exodus 22
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
You must not exploit or oppress a foreign resident
The reason attached is Israel's own memory, “for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.” The law is tied to the story the book has just told, and the same ground returns at Exodus 23:9 and Deuteronomy 10:19.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Thou shall not vex a stranger,....
Those that are strangers to us are known to God, and he preserves them, Ps. cxlvi. (2.) Those that profess religion should study to oblige strangers, that they may thereby recommend religion to their good opinion, and take heed of doing any thing that may tempt them to think ill of it or its professors, 1 Pet. ii.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him - This was not only a very humane law, but it was also the offspring of a sound policy: “Do not vex a stranger; remember ye were strangers. Do not oppress a stranger; remember ye were oppressed. Therefore do unto all men as ye would they should do to you.” It was the produce of a sound policy: “Let strangers be well treated among you, and many will come to take refuge among you, and thus the strength of your country will be increased.
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְגֵ֥ר | veger | and a sojourner | H1616 → | 92 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תוֹנֶ֖ה | toneh | you must maltreat | H3238 → | |
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תִלְחָצֶ֑נּוּ | tilchatzenu | you must oppress him | H3905 → | 19 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| גֵרִ֥ים | gerim | sojourners | H1616 → | 92 times |
| הֱיִיתֶ֖ם | heyitem | you were | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בְּאֶ֥רֶץ | beeretz | in [the] land of | H776 → | 2504 times |
| מִצְרָֽיִם׃ | mitzrayim | Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
וְגֵ֥רand a sojourner
vegerH1616 →92 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
תוֹנֶ֖הyou must maltreat
tonehH3238 →
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
תִלְחָצֶ֑נּוּyou must oppress him
tilchatzenuH3905 →19 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
גֵרִ֥יםsojourners
gerimH1616 →92 times
הֱיִיתֶ֖םyou were
heyitemH1961 →3559 times
בְּאֶ֥רֶץin [the] land of
beeretzH776 →2504 times
מִצְרָֽיִם׃Egypt
mitzrayimH4714 →641 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Deuteronomy 23:7Do not despise an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you lived as a foreigner in his land.
it 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.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 10:19
So you also must love the foreigner, since you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
- 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.
- Genesis 25:24–26
When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb.
- Exodus 23:9
Through
Deuteronomy 10:19So you also must love the foreigner, since you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
it leads to
- Leviticus 19:33–34
When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him.
- Leviticus 19:33–34
Through
Zechariah 7:10Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. And do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.’
it leads to
- Jeremiah 5:28
They have grown fat and sleek, and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have they defended the…
- Psalms 21:11
Though they intend You harm, the schemes they devise will not prevail.
- Jeremiah 5:28
Through
Exodus 23:9Do not oppress a foreign resident, since you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 27:19
‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
- Deuteronomy 27:19
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies8
On this verse
About Exodus
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.