Leviticus 19:15
in Leviticus 19You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor.
KJV
Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.
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This verse in Leviticus 19
Commentary
6 notes on this verse"You shall not be partial to the poor," a precept given lest under pretext of showing pity we should judge an unjust judgment. For each individual is to be judged not by his personal importance but by the merits of his case. His wealth need not stand in the way of the rich man, if he makes a good use of it; and poverty of itself can be no recommendation to the poor if in the midst of squalor and want he fails to stay away from wrongdoing.
This site's exposition
Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment
on Leviticus 19:15-16
Partiality is forbidden in both directions, toward the poor man and toward the mighty one, so pity is named as a way of judging wrongly alongside fear. The word talebearer occurs here for the first time in Scripture. Verse 16 sets the man who carries stories beside the man who stands against the blood of his neighbour, which the older commentators read as conspiring against a life or bearing false witness where a life is at stake.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The Jews say, "Judges were obliged by this law to be so impartial as not to let one of the contending parties sit while the other stood, nor permit one to say what he pleased and bid the other be short; see James ii. We are all forbidden to do any thing injurious to our neighbour's good name (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes
Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Ye shall not steal--A variety of social duties are inculcated in this passage, chiefly in reference to common and little-thought-of vices to which mankind are exceedingly prone; such as committing petty frauds, or not scrupling to violate truth in transactions of business, ridiculing bodily infirmities, or circulating stories to the prejudice of others.
Modern Voices1 voice
I was certainly accused of something which was either an offence or was not. I was let off because I proved I was a guest at a big house. The inference seems painfully clear; either it is not a proof of infamy to throw a …
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
“From this verse I know only [that one may not curse] the deaf. Whence do I know that one may not curse anybody? From the words of Scripture: Of thy people thou shalt not curse. 56 Exodus:27. If so, why does it state [here] ‘the deaf’?
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תַעֲשׂ֥וּ | taasu | you will do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| עָ֙וֶל֙ | ʾavel | injustice | H5766 → | |
| בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֔ט | bamishpat | in <the> judgment | H4941 → | 422 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תִשָּׂ֣א | tisa' | you will lift up | H5375 → | 656 times |
| פְנֵי־ | fenei- | [the] face of | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| דָ֔ל | dal | a poor [person] | H1800 → | |
| וְלֹ֥א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תֶהְדַּ֖ר | tehdar | you will honor | H1921 → | |
| פְּנֵ֣י | penei | [the] face of | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| גָד֑וֹל | gadol | a great [person] | H1419 → | |
| בְּצֶ֖דֶק | betzedek | in righteousness | H6664 → | 119 times |
| תִּשְׁפֹּ֥ט | tishpot | you will judge | H8199 → | |
| עֲמִיתֶֽךָ׃ | ʾamitekha | fellow citizen your | H5997 → | 12 times |
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
תַעֲשׂ֥וּyou will do
taasuH6213 →2628 times
עָ֙וֶל֙injustice
ʾavelH5766 →
בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֔טin <the> judgment
bamishpatH4941 →422 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
תִשָּׂ֣אyou will lift up
tisa'H5375 →656 times
פְנֵי־[the] face of
fenei-H6440 →2123 times
דָ֔לa poor [person]
dalH1800 →
וְלֹ֥אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
תֶהְדַּ֖רyou will honor
tehdarH1921 →
פְּנֵ֣י[the] face of
peneiH6440 →2123 times
גָד֑וֹלa great [person]
gadolH1419 →
בְּצֶ֖דֶקin righteousness
betzedekH6664 →119 times
תִּשְׁפֹּ֥טyou will judge
tishpotH8199 →
עֲמִיתֶֽךָ׃fellow citizen your
ʾamitekhaH5997 →12 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 1:17Show 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…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 16:19
Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
- Exodus 18:26
And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would judge themselves.
- James 2:9
But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
- 2 Chronicles 19:6
Then he said to the judges, “Consider carefully what you do, for you are not judging for man, but for the LORD, who is with you when you render judgment.
- Proverbs 24:23
These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
- Deuteronomy 16:19
Through
Proverbs 24:23These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
it leads to
- Proverbs 28:21
To show partiality is not good, yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.
- Proverbs 28:21
Through
Deuteronomy 27:19‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 10:18
He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.
- Deuteronomy 24:17
Do not deny justice to the foreigner or the fatherless, and do not take a widow’s cloak as security.
- Deuteronomy 10:18
Where this verse is studied
By subject
Justice34 verses
On this page
About Leviticus
This page draws on GK Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles, Some Policemen and a Moral (1909); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, LETTER 79.1; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.