Exodus 22:20

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

“Whoever sacrifices to a god other than the LORD alone must be utterly destroyed.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וְגֵ֥ר לֹא־תוֹנֶ֖ה וְלֹ֣א תִלְחָצֶ֑נּוּ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃

Transliteration

And gēr not tôneh and not tilḥāṣennû, because gērîm hĕyîtem in ʾereṣ miṣrāyim.

Grammar Details

• *gēr*: masculine singular noun, 'sojourner/foreigner'
• *tôneh*: hiphil imperfect, 2nd masculine singular, 'you shall wrong'
• *tilḥāṣennû*: qal imperfect, 2nd masculine singular with 3rd masculine singular suffix, 'you shall oppress him'
• *gērîm*: masculine plural noun, 'sojourners/foreigners'
• *hĕyîtem*: qal perfect, 2nd masculine plural, 'you were'
• *ʾereṣ*: feminine singular construct, 'land of'
• *miṣrāyim*: proper name, 'Egypt'

Word Meanings

• *gēr*: sojourner/foreigner/resident alien
• *tôneh*: wrong/mistreat/take advantage of
• *tilḥāṣennû*: oppress him/afflict him/put pressure on him

Referenced Verses

• Num 25:7-8 : 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he got up from among the assembly, took a javelin in his hand, 8 and went after the Israelite man into the tent and thrust through the Israelite man and into the woman’s abdomen. So the plague was stopped from the Israelites.
• Deut 17:2-5 : 2 Suppose a man or woman is discovered among you– in one of your villages that the LORD your God is giving you– who sins before the Lord your God and breaks his covenant 3 by serving other gods and worshiping them– the sun, moon, or any other heavenly bodies which I have not permitted you to worship. 4 When it is reported to you and you hear about it, you must investigate carefully. If it is indeed true that such a disgraceful thing is being done in Israel, 5 you must bring to your city gates that man or woman who has done this wicked thing– that very man or woman– and you must stone that person to death.
• Deut 18:20 : 20 “But if any prophet presumes to speak anything in my name that I have not authorized him to speak, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die.
• Deut 13:1-9 : 1 Suppose a prophet or one who foretells by dreams should appear among you and show you a sign or wonder, 2 and the sign or wonder should come to pass concerning what he said to you, namely,“Let us follow other gods”– gods whom you have not previously known–“and let us serve them.” 3 You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer, for the LORD your God will be testing you to see if you love him with all your mind and being. 4 You must follow the LORD your God and revere only him; and you must observe his commandments, obey him, serve him, and remain loyal to him. 5 As for that prophet or dreamer, he must be executed because he encouraged rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, redeeming you from that place of slavery, and because he has tried to entice you from the way the LORD your God has commanded you to go. In this way you must purge out evil from within. 6 False Prophets in the Family Suppose your own full brother, your son, your daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend should seduce you secretly and encourage you to go and serve other gods that neither you nor your ancestors have previously known, 7 the gods of the surrounding people(whether near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other). 8 You must not give in to him or even listen to him; do not feel sympathy for him or spare him or cover up for him. 9 Instead, you must kill him without fail! Your own hand must be the first to strike him, and then the hands of the whole community. 10 You must stone him to death because he tried to entice you away from the LORD your God, who delivered you from the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. 11 Thus all Israel will hear and be afraid; no longer will they continue to do evil like this among you. 12 Punishment of Community Idolatry Suppose you should hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you as a place to live, that 13 some evil people have departed from among you to entice the inhabitants of their cities, saying,“Let’s go and serve other gods”(whom you have not known before). 14 You must investigate thoroughly and inquire carefully. If it is indeed true that such a disgraceful thing is being done among you, 15 you must by all means slaughter the inhabitants of that city with the sword; annihilate with the sword everyone in it, as well as the livestock.
• Num 21:3 : 3 The LORD listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of the place was called Hormah.
• Num 25:2-4 : 2 These women invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods; then the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 When Israel joined themselves to Baal-peor, the anger of the LORD flared up against Israel. 4 God’s Punishment The LORD said to Moses,“Arrest all the leaders of the people, and hang them up before the LORD in broad daylight, so that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.”
• Josh 23:15-16 : 15 But in the same way every faithful promise the LORD your God made to you has been realized, it is just as certain, if you disobey, that the LORD will bring on you every judgment until he destroys you from this good land which the LORD your God gave you. 16 If you violate the covenantal laws of the LORD your God which he commanded you to keep, and follow, worship, and bow down to other gods, the LORD will be very angry with you and you will disappear quickly from the good land which he gave to you.”