Bible Strands
Exodus 23:8
Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Lord speaks to the assembled Israelites at Sinai, giving judicial and social statutes immediately after the Decalogue. The words — שֹׁחַד (shoḥad) translates as "bribe," and פִּקְחִים (pīqḥîm) means "clear-sighted" or "those who see." The thread — This prohibition repeats in Deuteronomy 16:19, appears in Proverbs 17:23 regarding covert bribes, and surfaces in Isaiah 5:23 where bribes acquit the guilty. Why it lands — The text commands rejecting payments that corrupt judgment, noting that bribes destroy objective sight and invert the verdicts of the righteous.
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
And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
Cross-references
- 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.
- Proverbs 17:23 A wicked man takes a covert bribe to subvert the course of justice.
- Isaiah 5:23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice.
- Proverbs 15:27 He who is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble on his household, but he who hates bribes will live.
- 1 Samuel 8:3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.
- Psalms 26:10 in whose hands are wicked schemes, whose right hands are full of bribes.
- Deuteronomy 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe.
- Ecclesiastes 7:7 Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
- 1 Samuel 12:3 Here I am. Bear witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.”
- Proverbs 17:8 A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds.