Exodus 23:1

CHAPTER XXIII

Laws against evil-speaking, 1.

Against bad company, 2.

Against partiality, 3.

Laws commanding acts of kindness and humanity, 4, 5.

Against oppression, 6.

Against unrighteous decisions, 7.

Against bribery and corruption, 8.

Against unkindness to strangers, 9.

The ordinance concerning the Sabbatical year, 10, 11.

The Sabbath a day of rest, 12.

General directions concerning circumcision, c., 13.

The three annual festivals, 14.

The feast of unleavened bread, 15.

The feast of harvest, and the feast of ingathering, 16.

All the males to appear before God thrice in a year, 17.

Different ordinances-no blood to be offered with leavened

bread-no fat to be left till the next day-the first fruits

to be brought to the house of God-and a kid not to be seethed

in its mother's milk, 18, 19.

Description of the Angel of God, who was to lead the people into

the promised land, and drive out the Amorites, c., 20-23.

Idolatry to be avoided, and the images of idols destroyed, 24.

Different promises to obedience, 25-27.

Hornets shall be sent to drive out the Canaanites, c., 28.

The ancient inhabitants to be driven out by little and little,

and the reason why, 29, 30.

The boundaries of the promised land, 31.

No league or covenant to be made with the ancient inhabitants,

who are all to be utterly expelled, 32, 33.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXIII.

Verse Exodus 23:1. Thou shalt not raise a false report] Acting contrary to this precept is a sin against the ninth commandment. And the inventor and receiver of false and slanderous reports, are almost equally criminal. The word seems to refer to either, and our translators have very properly retained both senses, putting raise in the text, and receive in the margin. The original לא תשא lo tissa has been translated, thou shalt not publish. Were there no publishers of slander and calumny, there would be no receivers and were there none to receive them, there would be none to raise them and were there no raisers, receivers, nor propagators of calumny, lies, c., society would be in peace.