Texts in Conversation
The ban on bribes in Exodus addresses the judicial misconduct punished in Hammurabi's laws. Refusing private rewards protects people who depend on the courts, making a judge's conduct a public responsibility rather than a private choice.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Code of Hammurabi 1:28
Babylonian Legal Text
Ancient Near East
4 If he convinces the elders to impose a fine of grain or money, he shall receive the fine that the case produces. 5 If a judge tries a case, reaches a decision, and presents his judgment in writing, and an error later appears in his decision through his own fault, he shall pay twelve times the fine he set in the case, he shall be publicly removed from the judge's bench, and he shall never sit there again to render judgment. 6 If anyone steals the property of a temple or of the court, he shall be put to death, and the one who receives the stolen goods from him shall also be put to death.
Exodus 23:8
Hebrew Bible
7 Keep your distance from a false charge—do not kill the innocent and the righteous, for I will not justify the wicked. 8 “You must not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and subverts the words of the righteous. 9 “You must not oppress a resident foreigner, since you know the life of a foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 10 “For six years you are to sow your land and gather in its produce. 11 But in the seventh year you must let it lie fallow and leave it alone so that the poor of your people may eat, and what they leave any animal in the field may eat; you must do likewise with your vineyard and your olive grove.
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Notes and References
“... 16:19. bribes in the ancient world. The temptation for judges and government officials to accept bribes is found in every time and place (see Prov 6:35; Mic 7:3). Taking bribes becomes almost institutionally accepted in bureaucratic situations as competing parties attempt to outmaneuver each other (see Mic 3:11; Ezra 4:4-5). However, at least on the ideal level, arguments and penalties are imposed to eliminate or at least lessen this problem. Thus *Hammurabi’s code places harsh penalties on any judge who alters one of his decisions (presumably because of a bribe), including stiff fines and permanent removal from the bench. Exodus 23:8 forbids the taking of bribes and the perversion of justice as an offense against God, the weak and innocent, and the entire community (see Is 5:23; Amos 5:12). ...”
Walton, John H.
The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament
(p. 186–187) InterVarsity Press, 2000
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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