Exodus 23:3
in Exodus 23And do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
neither shalt thou favor a poor man in his cause.
KJV
Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.
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This verse in Exodus 23
Commentary
6 notes on this verseNeither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause - The word דל dal, which we translate poor man, is probably put here in opposition to רבים rabbim, the great, or noble men, in the preceding verse: if so, the meaning is, Thou shalt neither be influenced by the great to make an unrighteous decision, nor by the poverty or distress of the poor to give thy voice against the dictates of justice and truth. Hence the ancient maxim, Fiat Justitia, Ruat Coelum. “Let justice be done, though the heavens should be dissolved.”
This site's exposition
Thou shalt not raise a false report
on Exodus 23:1-3
The chapter opens inside a courtroom, and the first three rules guard one thing, which is truthful testimony under pressure. Verse 2 forbids following a multitude to do evil, so the pressure named is the weight of numbers rather than the persuasion of a wicked man. Verse 3 refuses partiality toward a poor man and verse 6 refuses it against him, which closes the door from both sides. The Babylonian Talmud takes the clause after many from verse 2 as the ground for a court following its own majority, at tractate Bava Metzia 59b.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
"Thou shalt not pity," It saith, "the poor in judgment." (Ex. xxiii. 3.) What is meant? "Be not broken down, nor bent," It saith, "if he that doth the wrong be a poor man." Now if you may not favor a poor man, much less a rich. And this I say not only to you who are judges, but to all men, that they nowhere pervert justice, but preserve it everywhere pure.
"Thou shalt not pity," It saith, "the poor in judgment." (Ex. xxiii. 3.) What is meant? "Be not broken down, nor bent," It saith, "if he that doth the wrong be a poor man." Now if you may not favor a poor man, much less a rich. And this I say not only to you who are judges, but to all men, that they nowhere pervert justice, but preserve it everywhere pure.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
(3.) Neither must they pervert judgment in prejudice to a poor man, nor suffer him to be wronged because he had not wherewithal to right himself; in such cases the judges themselves must become advocates for the poor, as far as their cause was good and honest (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.
The words behind it
4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְדָ֕ל | vedal | and a poor [person] | H1800 → | |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תֶהְדַּ֖ר | tehdar | you must show partiality | H1921 → | |
| בְּרִיבֽוֹ׃ ס | berivo | in case at law his | H7379 → | 61 times |
וְדָ֕לand a poor [person]
vedalH1800 →
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תֶהְדַּ֖רyou must show partiality
tehdarH1921 →
בְּרִיבֽוֹ׃ סin case at law his
berivoH7379 →61 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
James 3:17But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
it leads to
- Galatians 5:22–23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
- Proverbs 2:6
For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
- 1 Corinthians 13:4–7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
- James 3:15
Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
- Romans 12:9
Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good.
- Galatians 5:22–23
Through
Leviticus 19:15You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
it leads to
- Proverbs 24:23
These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 1:17
Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I…
- Deuteronomy 27:19
‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
- Proverbs 24:23
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Exodus
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 49; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.