Bible Strands
Exodus 23:6
You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Yahweh addresses the Israelite community at Sinai, positioning this judicial directive between commands to assist a hostile neighbor and to reject false testimony.
The words — The verb תַטֶּ֛ה (ta.Teh) literally means "you must turn aside," coupled with מִשְׁפַּ֥ט (mish.Pat) for "justice" and אֶבְיֹנְ/ךָ֖ ('ev.yo.ne./Kha) for the "needy person" in their legal disputes.
The thread — The text's prohibition against twisting legal outcomes for the vulnerable aligns with Exodus 23:2's warning against following crowds to pervert justice, and anticipates Jeremiah 5:28 and Malachi 3:5 where God judges those who neglect fair treatment of the oppressed.
Why it lands — The verse commands impartial adjudication, requiring readers to actively refuse legal bias against the poor rather than merely avoiding overt corruption.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
Cross-references
- 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 rights of the needy.
- 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 laborers of their wages and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says the LORD of Hosts.
- Exodus 23:2 You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.
- Leviticus 19:15 You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
- 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.
- Deuteronomy 27:19 ‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
- Ecclesiastes 5:8 If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is watched by a superior, and others higher still are over them.
- Isaiah 10:1 Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees,
- James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?
- 2 Chronicles 19:7 And now, may the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”