Exodus 22:20

World English Bible (2000)

"He who sacrifices to any god, except to Yahweh only, shall 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, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand; 8 and he went after the man of Israel into the pavilion, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
• Deut 17:2-5 : 2 If there be found in the midst of you, within any of your gates which Yahweh your God gives you, man or woman, who does that which is evil in the sight of Yahweh your God, in transgressing his covenant, 3 and has gone and served other gods, and worshiped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the army of the sky, which I have not commanded; 4 and it be told you, and you have heard of it, then you shall inquire diligently; and behold, if it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is done in Israel, 5 then you shall bring forth that man or that woman, who has done this evil thing, to your gates, even the man or the woman; and you shall stone them to death with stones.
• Deut 18:20 : 20 But the prophet, who shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die."
• Deut 13:1-9 : 1 If there arise in the midst of you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder come to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, "Let us go after other gods" (which you have not known) "and let us serve them;" 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet, or to that dreamer of dreams: for Yahweh your God proves you, to know whether you love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after Yahweh your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and you shall serve him, and cling to him. 5 That prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to draw you aside out of the way which Yahweh your God commanded you to walk in. So you shall put away the evil from the midst of you. 6 If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend, who is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, "Let us go and serve other gods," which you have not known, you, nor your fathers; 7 of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near to you, or far off from you, from the one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth; 8 you shall not consent to him, nor listen to him; neither shall your eye pity him, neither shall you spare, neither shall you conceal him: 9 but you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. 10 You shall stone him to death with stones, because he has sought to draw you away from Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 11 All Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall not do any more such wickedness as this is in the midst of you. 12 If you shall hear tell concerning one of your cities, which Yahweh your God gives you to dwell there, saying, 13 Certain base fellows are gone out from the midst of you, and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, "Let us go and serve other gods," which you have not known; 14 then you shall inquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is done in the midst of you, 15 you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein and its livestock, with the edge of the sword.
• Num 21:3 : 3 Yahweh listened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and the name of the place was called Hormah.
• Num 25:2-4 : 2 for they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods; and the people ate, and bowed down to their gods. 3 Israel joined himself to Baal Peor: and the anger of Yahweh was kindled against Israel. 4 Yahweh said to Moses, "Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up to Yahweh before the sun, that the fierce anger of Yahweh may turn away from Israel."
• Josh 23:15-16 : 15 It shall happen that as all the good things have come on you of which Yahweh your God spoke to you, so Yahweh will bring on you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land which Yahweh your God has given you, 16 when you disobey the covenant of Yahweh your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow down yourselves to them. Then the anger of Yahweh will be kindled against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which he has given to you."