Exodus 23:24-26

24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces.

25 Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you,

26 and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.

Exodus 23:24-26 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 23

This chapter contains several laws, chiefly judicial, relating to the civil polity of Israel, as concerning witness borne and judgment made of cases in courts of judicature, without any respect to poor or rich, and without the influence of a bribe, Ex 23:1-3,6-8, concerning doing good to an enemy in case any of his cattle go astray, or fall under their burden, Ex 23:4,5, and of the oppression of a stranger, Ex 23:9, and then follow others concerning the sabbath of the seventh year, and of the seventh day, with a caution against the use of the names of idols, Ex 23:10-13, next are laws concerning the appearance of all their males at the three feasts, Ex 23:14-17, and concerning the slaying of the sacrifice of the passover, and bringing the first of the firstfruits of the land, Ex 23:18,19 and then a promise is made of sending an angel to them to bring them into the land of Canaan, where they should carefully avoid all idolatry, and show a just indignation against it, and serve the Lord, and then it would be well with them, Ex 23:20-26, and particularly it is promised, that the Lord would send his fear, and his hornets, before them, to destroy the inhabitants of the land, and drive out the rest by little and little, until they should possess the utmost borders of it, which are fixed, Ex 23:27-31, and the chapter is concluded with a direction not to make a covenant with these people, or their gods, nor suffer them to dwell among them, lest they should be a snare unto them, Ex 23:32,33.

Cross References

• 1. S Exodus 20:5
• 2. Leviticus 18:3; Leviticus 20:23; Deuteronomy 9:4; Deuteronomy 12:30-31; Jeremiah 10:2
• 3. Exodus 34:13; Numbers 33:52; Deuteronomy 7:5; Deuteronomy 12:3; Judges 2:2; 2 Kings 18:4; 2 Kings 23:14
• 4. Leviticus 26:1; Deuteronomy 16:22; 1 Kings 14:23; 2 Kings 3:2; 2 Kings 10:26; 2 Kings 17:10; 2 Chronicles 14:3; Isaiah 27:9
• 5. Deuteronomy 6:13; Matthew 4:10
• 6. Leviticus 26:3-13; Deuteronomy 7:12-15; Deuteronomy 28:1-14
• 7. S Exodus 15:26
• 8. Leviticus 26:3-4; Deuteronomy 7:14; Deuteronomy 28:4; Malachi 3:11
• 9. S Genesis 15:15; Deuteronomy 4:1,40; Deuteronomy 32:47; Psalms 90:10; Job 5:26