Why is the promised removal of the land’s inhabitants gradual, and what commands accompany the journey?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The Lord says removal in one year would leave a wilderness where beasts multiply against Israel. He will drive them out little by little until Israel increases and possesses the land. The chapter also commands truthful judgment, aid to enemies’ animals, rest, feasts, obedience to the angel and rejection of other gods.

Chapter breakdown

Why is the promised removal of the land’s inhabitants gradual, and what commands accompany the journey? The Lord says removal in one year would leave a wilderness where beasts multiply against Israel. He will drive them out little by little until Israel increases and possesses the land. The chapter also commands truthful judgment, aid to enemies’ animals, rest, feasts, obedience to the angel and rejection of other gods.

They must not receive a lying report or join in false witness for a wicked person. They must not follow the multitude to do evil or yield in judgment to the majority’s opinion and stray from truth. They must not favour a poor man in judgment.

An enemy’s ox or ass found straying must be brought back. If the ass of someone who hates them lies under its burden, they must not pass by but help lift it with him. They must not turn aside in a poor man’s judgment. They must flee lying and not put an innocent and just person to death, because the Lord abhors the wicked. They must not take bribes, which blind even the wise and pervert the words of the just. They must not mistreat a stranger: they know strangers’ hearts because they too were strangers in Egypt.

They are to sow and gather grain for six years. In the seventh they must leave the ground alone to rest, so their poor may eat and field beasts eat what remains. The same applies to vineyard and oliveyard. They are to work six days and cease on the seventh so the ox and ass may rest, and the handmaid’s son and stranger may be refreshed. They must keep everything the Lord has said and not swear by strange gods’ names or let such a name be heard from their mouths.

Three times each year they must celebrate feasts to the Lord. The feast of unleavened bread requires seven days of eating it, as commanded, in the month of new corn when they left Egypt. They must not appear empty before him. They must also keep the harvest feast of the firstfruits of their work sown in the field, and the feast at year’s end when all field grain has been gathered. All their males must appear before the Lord their God three times a year.

They must not sacrifice the blood of the Lord’s victim upon leaven or keep the fat of his solemnity until morning. The firstfruits of their ground’s grain must be brought to the Lord their God’s house. They must not boil a kid in its dam’s milk.

The Lord will send his angel to go before them, keep them on the journey and bring them to the place he has prepared. They must take notice of him, hear his voice and not treat him with contempt: he will not forgive when they have sinned, and the Lord’s name is in him. If they hear his voice and do all the Lord speaks, the Lord will be an enemy to their enemies and afflict those who afflict them. The angel will bring them to the Amorrhite, Hethite, Pherezite, Chanaanite, Hevite and Jebusite, whom the Lord will destroy.

They must not adore or serve those peoples’ gods or do their works, but destroy them and break their statues. They must serve the Lord their God, so he may bless their bread and waters and remove sickness from among them. There will not be one fruitless or barren in their land, and he will fill the number of their days.

The Lord will send his fear ahead, destroy all the people to whom they come, and turn their enemies’ backs before them. He will send hornets ahead to drive away the Hevite, Chanaanite and Hethite before they enter. He will not cast them out in one year, lest the land become a wilderness and beasts multiply against Israel. Little by little he will drive them out until Israel increases and possesses the land.

The Lord will set their bounds from the Red Sea to the sea of the Palestines, and from the desert to the river. He will deliver the land’s inhabitants into their hands and drive them out. They must not enter a league with them or their gods. The inhabitants must not dwell in their land, lest perhaps they cause Israel to sin against the Lord by serving their gods, which will undoubtedly be a scandal to them.

The story inside

The chapter ties commands to the reasons it gives. Judgment must not follow a lie, majority pressure or favour for a poor person; it also must not deny the poor their judgment. An enemy’s stray animal must be returned and his burdened ass helped. Lying and killing the innocent are banned, bribes blind the wise, and the stranger rule recalls Egypt. Seventh-year land rest lets poor people and beasts eat; seventh-day rest names ox, ass, handmaid’s son and stranger. Keeping all commands includes the rule about strange gods’ names. Three yearly feasts and appearances are followed by blood, fat, firstfruits and kid-in-milk rules. The angel’s voice must be heard, with the Lord’s name in him and a warning about forgiveness. Obedience and service accompany the promises against enemies and for bread, water, health, fruitfulness and length of days. The Lord promises fear, destruction and turned backs, plus hornets, but gives a reason for gradual removal: avoiding wilderness and multiplying beasts until Israel increases. Bounds, delivery and expulsion are promised; leagues and continued dwelling are barred because of the stated danger of serving other gods. (Exodus 23:1–33.)

Lessons worth keeping

1
The commands cover both judgment and aid to an enemy. Majority opinion must not draw judgment from truth, and poor status must neither bring favour nor loss of judgment. The enemy’s stray ox or ass is returned, and his burdened ass helped. No motive for that aid is supplied. (23:1–6.)
2
The rest rules name their beneficiaries. The seventh year lets the poor eat and field beasts eat what remains, including vineyard and oliveyard. The seventh day gives rest to ox and ass and refreshment to the handmaid’s son and stranger. (23:10–12.)
3
Gradual removal has an explicit reason. Removal in one year would risk wilderness and beasts multiplying against Israel. The promise proceeds little by little until Israel increases and possesses the land. (23:29–30.)

Test your recall

Why must the ground rest in the seventh year? So the poor may eat and beasts eat what remains. Why does God not cast the inhabitants out in one year? The land could become wilderness and beasts multiply against Israel. What condition accompanies the promise to oppose Israel’s enemies? Hearing the angel’s voice and doing all the Lord speaks. Why must the inhabitants not remain?

Show answer

Perhaps they will cause Israel to sin by serving their gods, which will be a scandal. (23:11, 22, 29–30, 33.)

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 8399–8404
Exodus Chapter 23 Laws for judges; the rest of the seventh year, and day: three principal feasts to be solemnized every year; the promise of an angel, to conduct and protect them: idols are to be destroyed.
Lines 8405–8413
23:1. Thou shalt not receive the voice of a lie: neither shalt thou join thy hand to bear false witness for a wicked person. 23:2. Thou shalt not follow the multitude to do evil: neither shalt thou yield in judgment, to the opinion of the most part, to stray from the truth. 23:3. Neither shalt thou favour a poor man in judgment.
Lines 8414–8430
23:4. If thou meet thy enemy’s ox or ass going astray, bring it back to him. 23:5. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lie underneath his burden, thou shalt not pass by, but shalt lift him up with him. 23:6. Thou shalt not go aside in the poor man’s judgment. 23:7. Thou shalt fly lying. The innocent and just person thou shalt not put to death: because I abhor the wicked. 23:8. Neither shalt thou take bribes, which even blind the wise, and pervert the words of the just. 23:9. Thou shalt not molest a stranger, for you know the hearts of strangers: for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Lines 8431–8446
23:10. Six years thou shalt sow thy ground, and shalt gather the corn thereof. 23:11. But the seventh year thou shalt let it alone, and suffer it to rest, that the poor of thy people may eat, and whatsoever shall be left, let the beasts of the field eat it: so shalt thou do with thy vineyard and thy oliveyard. 23:12. Six days thou shalt work: the seventh day thou shalt cease, that thy ox and thy ass may rest: and the son of thy handmaid and the stranger may be refreshed. 23:13. Keep all things that I have said to you. And by the name of strange gods you shall not swear, neither shall it be heard out of your mouth.
Lines 8447–8460
23:14. Three times every year you shall celebrate feasts to me. 23:15. Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month of new corn, when thou didst come forth out of Egypt: thou shalt not appear empty before me. 23:16. And the feast of the harvest of the firstfruits of thy work, whatsoever thou hast sown in the field. The feast also in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in all thy corn out of the field. 23:17. Thrice a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God.
Lines 8461–8467
23:18. Thou shalt not sacrifice the blood of my victim upon leaven, neither shall the fat of my solemnity remain until the morning. 23:19. Thou shalt carry the first-fruits of the corn of thy ground to the house of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in the milk of his dam.
Lines 8468–8482
23:20. Behold I will send my angel, who shall go before thee, and keep thee in thy journey, and bring thee into the place that I have prepared. 23:21. Take notice of him, and hear his voice, and do not think him one to be contemned: for he will not forgive when thou hast sinned, and my name is in him. 23:22. But if thou wilt hear his voice, and do all that I speak, I will be an enemy to thy enemies, and will afflict them that afflict thee. 23:23. And my angel shall go before thee, and shall bring thee in unto the Amorrhite, and the Hethite, and the Pherezite, and the Chanaanite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite, whom I will destroy.
Lines 8483–8492
23:24. Thou shalt not adore their gods, nor serve them. Thou shalt not do their works, but shalt destroy them, and break their statues. 23:25. And you shall serve the Lord your God, that I may bless your bread and your waters, and may take away sickness from the midst of thee. 23:26. There shall not be one fruitless nor barren in thy land: I will fill the number of thy days.
Lines 8493–8506
23:27. I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come: and will turn the backs of all thy enemies before thee: 23:28. Sending out hornets before, that shall drive away the Hevite, and the Chanaanite, and the Hethite, before thou come in. 23:29. I will not cast them out from thy face in one year; lest the land be brought into a wilderness, and the beasts multiply against thee. 23:30. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, till thou be increased, and dost possess the land.
Lines 8507–8518
23:31. And I will set thy bounds from the Red Sea to the sea of the Palestines, and from the desert to the river: I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hands, and will drive them out from before you. 23:32. Thou shalt not enter into league with them, nor with their gods. 23:33. Let them not dwell in thy land, lest perhaps they make thee sin against me, if thou serve their gods; which, undoubtedly, will be a scandal to thee.