Bible Strands
Exodus 23:7
Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God addresses the Israelite assembly while codifying judicial conduct, immediately following statutes on impartiality for the poor and the danger of bribes.
The words — שֶׁקֶר (Sheker) means falsehood, combined with תִּרְחָק (tirChak), meaning you will be distant, to form the command to avoid false accusations.
The thread — This judicial warning recurs in Exodus 23:1, Deuteronomy 27:25, and Ephesians 4:25.
Why it lands — The text instructs judges to reject false charges and spare the innocent, warning that God will not acquit the guilty, demanding strict integrity in legal proceedings.
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
Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.
Cross-references
- Ephesians 4:25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one another.
- Exodus 23:1 “You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.
- Deuteronomy 27:25 ‘Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
- Exodus 34:7 maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”
- Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from every form of evil.
- Leviticus 19:11 You must not steal. You must not lie or deceive one another.
- Deuteronomy 19:16 If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime,
- Exodus 20:13 You shall not murder.
- Job 22:23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored. If you remove injustice from your tents