Exodus 23:6
in Exodus 23You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thou shalt not wrest the justice due to thy poor in his cause.
KJV
Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
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This verse in Exodus 23
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor
on Exodus 23:6-8
These three verses govern the men who sit in judgment, forbidding them to bend a poor man's case, to take any part in a false matter, and to receive a gift. The reason given for the last is that the gift blindeth the wise and perverteth the words of the righteous, so the warning is aimed at the honest judge as much as at the corrupt one. Deuteronomy 16:19 repeats the sentence almost word for word, and 1 Samuel 8:3 records Samuel's own sons taking bribes and perverting judgment.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): " Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of the poor; remember they are thy poor, bone of thy bone, thy poor neighbours, thy poor brethren; let them not therefore fare the worse for being poor." (4.) They must dread the thoughts of assisting or abetting a bad cause (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor - Thou shalt neither countenance him in his crimes, nor condemn him in his righteousness. See Exo 23:5, Exo 23:7.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Four precepts evidently addressed to those in authority as judges: (a) To do justice to the poor. Comparing Exo 23:6 with Exo 23:3, it was the part of the judge to defend the poor against the oppression of the rich, and the part of the witness to take care lest his feelings of natural pity should tempt him to falsify evidence. (b) To be cautious of inflicting capital punishment on one whose guilt was not clearly proved. A doubtful case was rather to be left to God Himself, who would “not justify the wicked,” nor suffer him to go unpunished though he might be acquitted by an earthly tribunal. Exo 23:7. (c) To take no bribe or present which might in any way pervert judgment Exo 23:8; compare Num 16:15; 1Sa 12:3; Act 26:26. (d) To vindicate the rights of the stranger Exo 23:9 - rather, the foreigner. (Exo 20:10 note.) This verse is a repetition of Exo 22:21, but the precept is there addressed to the people at large, while it is here addressed to the judges in reference to their official duties. The caution was perpetually necessary. Compare Eze 22:7; Mal 3:5. The word rendered “heart” is more strictly “soul,” and would be better represented here by feelings.
The words behind it
5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תַטֶּ֛ה | tateh | you must turn aside | H5186 → | 214 times |
| מִשְׁפַּ֥ט | mishpat | [the] justice of | H4941 → | 422 times |
| אֶבְיֹנְךָ֖ | ʾevyonekha | needy [person] your | H34 → | |
| בְּרִיבֽוֹ׃ | berivo | in case at law his | H7379 → | 61 times |
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תַטֶּ֛הyou must turn aside
tatehH5186 →214 times
מִשְׁפַּ֥ט[the] justice of
mishpatH4941 →422 times
אֶבְיֹנְךָ֖needy [person] your
ʾevyonekhaH34 →
בְּרִיבֽוֹ׃in 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
Malachi 3:5“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud…
it leads to
- James 5:8–9
You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.
- Hebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
- Deuteronomy 5:11
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.
- James 5:4
Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
- James 5:8–9
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
- Deuteronomy 27:19
‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
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…
- Proverbs 24:23
These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
- Exodus 23:2–3
You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.
- Deuteronomy 27:19
Where this verse is studied
About Exodus
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.