And do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall not favor a poor man in his cause.
- KJV Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.
- NKJV You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute.
- NASB nor shall you show favor to a poor person in his dispute.
- NLT And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
You shall not show partiality even to a poor man in his lawsuit. Justice must be impartial, favoring neither rich nor poor.
Overview
While Scripture defends the poor against oppression, justice itself must remain blind, never twisting a verdict out of misplaced sympathy. God's law demands truthful, evenhanded judgment for all. This perfect impartiality reflects God's own righteous character, who judges every person without favoritism (Romans 2:11).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Lev 19:15You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
- Jas 3:17But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
- Ps 82:2–3“How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
- Deut 1:17Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 23:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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