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The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Exodus 23:3

And do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Court;   Injustice;   Justice;   Poor;   Rulers;   The Topic Concordance - Judgment;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Courts of Justice;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ethics;   Judge;   Justice;   Poor;   Punishment;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Amos, Theology of;   Justice;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Poor;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Court Systems;   Exodus, Book of;   Judge (Office);   Poor, Orphan, Widow;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Covenant, Book of the;   Ethics;   Hexateuch;   Law;   Leviticus;   Priests and Levites;   Ten Commandments;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Law of Moses;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Justice;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Other Laws;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Blindness, Judicial;   Countenance;   Covenant, the Book of the;   Criticism (the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis);   Face;   Judge;   Justice;   Poor;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Commandments, the 613;   Ethics;   Repentance;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
neither shall you favor a poor man in his cause.
King James Version
Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.
Lexham English Bible
You will not be partial to a powerless person in his legal dispute.
New Century Version
If a poor person is in court, you must not take his side just because he is poor.
New English Translation
and you must not show partiality to a poor man in his lawsuit.
Amplified Bible
nor shall you favor or be partial to a poor man in his dispute [simply because he is poor].
New American Standard Bible
nor shall you show favor to a poor person in his dispute.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Thou shalt not esteeme a poore man in his cause.
Legacy Standard Bible
nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his case.
Contemporary English Version
And don't favor the poor, simply because they are poor.
Complete Jewish Bible
On the other hand, don't favor a person's lawsuit simply because he is poor.
Darby Translation
Neither shalt thou favour a poor man in his cause.
Easy-to-Read Version
"In court, don't treat a person in a special way simply because that person is poor.
English Standard Version
nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.
George Lamsa Translation
Neither shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.
Good News Translation
Do not show partiality to a poor person at his trial.
Christian Standard Bible®
Do not show favoritism to a poor person in his lawsuit.
Literal Translation
And you shall not favor the lowly in his lawsuit.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou shalt not paynte a poore mas cause.
American Standard Version
neither shalt thou favor a poor man in his cause.
Bible in Basic English
But, on the other hand, do not be turned from what is right in order to give support to a poor man's cause.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Neither shalt thou esteeme a poore man in his cause.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
neither shalt thou favour a poor man in his cause.
King James Version (1611)
Neither shalt thou countenance a poore man in his cause.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And thou shalt not spare a poor man in judgment.
English Revised Version
neither shalt thou favour a poor man in his cause.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Also thou schalt not haue mercy of a pore man in a `cause, ethir doom.
Young's Literal Translation
and a poor man thou dost not honour in his strife.
Update Bible Version
neither shall you favor a poor man in his cause.
Webster's Bible Translation
Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.
World English Bible
neither shall you favor a poor man in his cause.
New King James Version
You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute.
New Living Translation
And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor.
New Life Bible
And do not show favor to a poor man when he has a problem.
New Revised Standard
nor shall you be partial to the poor in a lawsuit.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Even a poor man, shalt thou not prefer in his quarrel.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Neither shalt thou favour a poor man in judgment.
Revised Standard Version
nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his suit.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his dispute.

Contextual Overview

1You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness. 2You shall not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with a crowd. 3And do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.4If you encounter your enemy's stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him. 5If you see the donkey of one who hates you fallen under its load, do not leave it there; you must help him with it. 6You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits. 7Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty. 8Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous. 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.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Psalms 82:2, Psalms 82:3, James 3:17

Reciprocal: Exodus 23:6 - General Leviticus 19:15 - General Deuteronomy 1:16 - Hear Deuteronomy 1:17 - ye shall hear Job 13:8 - General Isaiah 56:11 - all look 1 Corinthians 15:15 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 10:15
Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites,
Genesis 23:5
The Hittites replied to Abraham,
Genesis 23:7
Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites.
Genesis 25:10
This was the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites. Abraham was buried there with his wife Sarah.
Genesis 27:46
Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary of my life because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a Hittite wife from among them, what good is my life?"
Genesis 49:30
The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.
1 Samuel 26:6
And David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, "Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?" "I will go with you," answered Abishai.
2 Samuel 23:39
and Uriah the Hittite. There were thirty-seven in all.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause. Because he is a poor man, and for that reason endeavour to carry his cause for him, right or wrong, from a foolish pity to him as a poor man, and from an affectation of gaining the applause of people on that account; or "thou shalt not honour" or "adorn" a poor man u, by a set speech in favour of his cause, though wrong, dressed up in the best manner, and set off with all the colourings of art, to make it appear in the most plausible manner; the law is against respect of persons, as not the person of the rich, so neither is the person of the poor to be accepted, but the justice of their cause is to be regarded; so the Targum of Jonathan,

"the poor that is guilty in his judgment or cause, his face (or person) thou shalt not accept to have pity on him, for no person is to be accepted in judgment.''

u לא תהדר "non honorabis", Pagninus, Vatablus, Drusius, Cartwright; "non decorabis", Montanus; "ne ornes", Tigurine version; "ne honorato", Junius Tremellius "ne ornato", Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

These four commands, addressed to the conscience, are illustrations of the ninth commandment, mainly in reference to the giving of evidence in legal causes. Compare 1 Kings 21:10; Acts 6:11.

Exodus 23:2

This verse might be more strictly rendered, “Thou shalt not follow the many to evil; neither shalt thou bear witness in a cause so as to incline after the many to pervert justice.”

Exodus 23:3

Countenance - Rather, show partiality to a man’s cause because he is poor (compare Leviticus 19:15).

These four commands, addressed to the conscience, are illustrations of the ninth commandment, mainly in reference to the giving of evidence in legal causes. Compare 1 Kings 21:10; Acts 6:11.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 23:3. Neither 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."


 
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