TRV
Translation
King James Version
And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
Complete Jewish Bible
"You are to serve ADONAI your God; and he will bless your food and water. I will take sickness away from among you.
Berean Standard Bible
So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take away sickness from among you.
American Standard Version
And ye shall serve Jehovah your God, and he will bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
World English Bible Messianic
You shall serve the LORD your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from your midst.
Geneva Bible (1599)
For ye shall serue the Lord your God, and he shall blesse thy bread and thy water, and I will take all sickenes away from the middes of thee.
Young's Literal Translation
`And ye have served Jehovah your God, and He hath blessed thy bread and thy water, and I have turned aside sickness from thine heart;
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In the KJVVerse 2,170 of 31,102
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Commentary on Exodus 23 verses 20–33
20 ¶ Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.
23 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.
24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.
25 And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
27 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.
28 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
30 By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.
31 And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
33 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.
Three gracious promises are here made to Israel, to engage them to their duty and encourage them in it; and each of the promises has some needful precepts and cautions joined to it.
I. It is here promised that they should be guided and kept in their way through the wilderness to the land of promise: Behold, I send an angel before thee (Exo 23:20), my angel (Exo 23:23), a created angel, say some, a minister of God's providence, employed in conducting and protecting the camp of Israel; that it might appear that God took a particular care of them, he appointed one of his chief servants to make it his business to attend them, and see that they wanted for nothing. Others suppose it to be the Son of God, the angel of the covenant; for the Israelites in the wilderness are said to tempt Christ; and we may as well suppose him God's messenger, and the church's Redeemer, before his incarnation, as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And we may the rather think he was pleased to undertake the deliverance and guidance of Israel because they were typical of his great undertaking. It is promised that this blessed angel should keep them in the way, though it lay through a wilderness first, and afterwards through their enemies' country; thus God's spiritual Israel shall be kept through the wilderness of this earth, and from the insults of the gates of hell. It is also promised that he should bring them into the place which God had not only designed but prepared for them: and thus Christ has prepared a place for his followers, and will preserve them to it, for he is faithful to him that appointed him. The precept joined with this promise is that they be observant of, and obedient to, this angel whom God would send before them (Exo 23:21): "Beware of him, and obey his voice in every thing; provoke him not in any thing, for it is at your peril if you do, he will visit your iniquity." Note, 1. Christ is the author of salvation to those only that obey him. The word of command is Hear you him, Mat 17:5. Observe what he hath commanded, Mat 28:20. 2. Our necessary dependence upon the divine power and goodness should awe us into obedience. We do well to take heed of provoking our protector and benefactor, because if our defence depart from us, and the streams of his goodness be cut off, we are undone. Therefore, "Beware of him, and carry it towards him with all possible reverence and caution. Fear the Lord, and his goodness." 3. Christ will be faithful to those who are faithful to him, and will espouse their cause who adhere to his: I will be an adversary to thine adversaries, Exo 23:22. The league shall be offensive and defensive, like that with Abraham, I will bless him that blesseth thee, and curse him that curseth thee. Thus is God pleased to twist his interests and friendships with his people's.
II. It is promised that they should have a comfortable settlement in the land of Canaan, which they hoped now (though it proved otherwise) within a few months to be in the possession of, Exo 23:24-26. Observe, 1. How reasonable the conditions of this promise are - only that they should serve their own God, who was indeed the only true God, and not the gods of the nations, which were no gods at all, and which they had no reason at all to have any respect for. They must not only not worship their gods, but they must utterly overthrow them, in token of their great abhorrence of idolatry, their resolution never to worship idols themselves, and their care to prevent any other from worshipping them; as the converted conjurors burnt their books, Act 19:19. 2. How rich the particulars of this promise are. (1.) The comfort of their food. He shall bless thy bread and thy water; and God's blessing will make bread and water more refreshing and nourishing than a feast of fat things and wines on the lees without that blessing. (2.) The continuance of their health: "I will take sickness away, either prevent it or remove it. Thy land shall not be visited with epidemical diseases, which are very dreadful, and sometimes have laid countries waste." (3.) The increase of their wealth. Their cattle should not be barren, nor cast their young, which is mentioned as an instance of prosperity, Job 21:10. (4.) The prolonging of their lives to old age: "The number of thy days I will fulfil, and they shall not be cut off in the midst by untimely deaths." Thus hath godliness the promise of the life that now is.
III. It is promised that they should conquer and subdue their enemies, the present occupants of the land of Canaan, who must be driven out to make room for them. This God would do, 1. Effectually by his power (Exo 23:17, Exo 23:18); not so much by the sword and bow of Israel as by the terrors which he would strike into the Canaanites. Though they were so obstinate as not to be willing to submit to Israel, resign their country, and retire elsewhere, which they might have done, yet they were so dispirited that they were not able to stand before them. This completed their ruin; such power had the devil in them that they would resist, but such power had God over them that they could not. I will send my fear before thee; and those that fear will soon flee. Hosts of hornets made way for the hosts of Israel; such mean creatures can God make use of for the chastising of his people's enemies, as in the plagues of Egypt. When God pleases, hornets can drive out Canaanites, as well as lions could, Jos 24:12. 2. He would do it gradually, in wisdom (Exo 23:29, Exo 23:30), not all at once, but by little and little. As the Canaanites had kept possession till Israel had grown into a people, so there should still be some remains of them till Israel should grow so numerous as to replenish the whole. Note, The wisdom of God is to be observed in the gradual advances of the church's interests. It is in real kindness to the church that its enemies are subdued by little and little; for thus we are kept upon our guard, and in a continual dependence upon God. Corruptions are thus driven out of the hearts of God's people; not all at once, but by little and little; the old man is crucified, and therefore dies slowly. God, in his providence, often delays mercies, because we are not ready for them. Canaan has room enough to receive Israel, but Israel is not numerous enough to occupy Canaan. We are not straitened in God; if we are straitened, it is in ourselves. The land of Canaan is promised them (Exo 23:31) in its utmost extent, which yet they were not possessed of till the days of David; and by their sins they soon lost possession. The precept annexed to this promise is that they should not make any friendship, nor have any familiarity, with idolaters, Exo 23:32, Exo 23:33. Idolaters must not so much as sojourn in their land, unless they renounced their idolatry. Thus they must avoid the reproach of intimacy with the worshippers of false gods and the danger of being drawn to worship with them. By familiar converse with idolaters, their dread and detestation of the sin would wear off; they would think it no harm, in compliment to their friends, to pay some respect to their gods, and so by degrees would be drawn into the fatal snare. Note, Those that would be kept from bad courses must keep from bad company; it is dangerous living in a bad neighbourhood; others' sins will be our snares, if we look not well to ourselves. We must always look upon our greatest danger to be from those that would cause us to sin against God. Whatever friendship is pretended, that is really our worst enemy that draws us from our duty.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 20–33. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Exodus 23:25 presents a foundational covenantal promise, articulating that divine blessing and protection are contingent upon Israel's faithful service to the Lord. This verse assures comprehensive provision of essential sustenance (symbolized by "bread" and "water") and immunity from disease, thereby underscoring God's profound desire for the holistic well-being and flourishing of His people as they prepared to inhabit the Promised Land and live in accordance with His divine statutes.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Exodus 23:25 is strategically placed within the "Covenant Code" (found in Exodus 20:22-23:33), which constitutes a detailed elaboration of the Ten Commandments delivered at Mount Sinai. This section meticulously outlines specific civil, social, and religious laws intended to govern the nascent nation of Israel. The verses immediately preceding this passage (e.g., Exodus 23:1-19) delineate regulations concerning justice, compassion for the vulnerable, Sabbath observance, and the three annual pilgrimage festivals. Verse 25, along with the subsequent verses (Exodus 23:26-33), marks a pivotal shift from specific commands to a series of conditional promises and warnings. It emphasizes the tangible blessings of obedience (provision, health, victory over enemies) and the severe consequences of disobedience (God's withdrawal of favor). Thus, Exodus 23:25 functions as a climactic summary of the benefits of covenant fidelity, directly linking the people's practical obedience to the Lord with manifest divine favor.
Historical & Cultural Context: At the time of this divine pronouncement, the Israelites were a newly liberated people, having recently escaped Egyptian bondage, and were encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai. They stood on the precipice of a transformative journey through the wilderness toward the Promised Land. In the broader ancient Near East, health and prosperity were almost universally perceived as direct indicators of divine favor, while sickness, famine, and defeat were interpreted as clear signs of divine displeasure or curses from the gods. For a nomadic people, reliable access to food and water was not merely convenient but absolutely critical for survival, and the unchecked spread of disease could easily decimate an entire population. Therefore, God's promise in Exodus 23:25 was profoundly significant, offering them an unparalleled assurance of divine provision and protection in a harsh and often unforgiving environment. This promise directly countered the pervasive fears and existential realities of their ancient world, setting the God of Israel apart from the capricious and often malevolent deities of surrounding nations by demonstrating His unique power, unwavering faithfulness, and benevolent care for His covenant people.
Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching theological and narrative themes found throughout the book of Exodus and the Pentateuch. Firstly, it highlights the theme of Covenant Faithfulness and Reciprocity, emphasizing that God's blessings are intimately tied to Israel's obedience and service to Him. This foundational principle is reiterated throughout the Law, particularly in Deuteronomy 28. Secondly, it underscores God's character as a Benevolent Provider and Protector, demonstrating His active involvement in the daily lives and physical well-being of His people, not just their spiritual or national destiny. This theme of divine provision is central to the wilderness narratives, from manna and water (Exodus 16 and Exodus 17) to the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8). Finally, it speaks to the theme of Holistic Well-being, revealing God's concern for both the physical and spiritual health of His people, a concept that transcends mere ritualistic worship and encompasses every aspect of life.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Exodus 23:25 masterfully employs several potent literary devices to convey its message. It functions primarily as a Conditional Promise, clearly articulating that the promised blessings are directly contingent upon the people's faithful service to the Lord. This "If X, then Y" structure is a foundational characteristic of the Mosaic Covenant, establishing a clear cause-and-effect relationship. The phrase "bread, and thy water" is a classic example of Merism, a rhetorical device where two contrasting or complementary parts are used to represent a complete whole, here signifying all forms of sustenance and comprehensive provision. The verse also showcases Divine Fiat, as God directly declares His intention ("I will take sickness away"), underscoring His sovereign power, authority, and unwavering ability to fulfill His promises. Furthermore, there is an inherent Parallelism between the people's acts of service and the resulting divine blessings, which powerfully reinforces the direct, reciprocal relationship central to the covenant.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Exodus 23:25 profoundly illuminates God's character as a faithful covenant-keeper, a benevolent provider, and a powerful healer. It firmly establishes the biblical principle that obedience to God often results in tangible blessings, not as a means to earn salvation or favor, but as a gracious demonstration of God's favor and a testament to the inherent benefits of living within His divine order. The promise of provision and health points to God's holistic concern for humanity, encompassing both physical and spiritual well-being. While the specific, conditional terms of the Mosaic Covenant were uniquely applied to ancient Israel, the underlying theological truth—that God desires to bless and care for those who sincerely seek and serve Him—remains a timeless and enduring principle for all generations.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Exodus 23:25 offers a profound insight into God's enduring desire for the flourishing and well-being of His people. For believers living under the New Covenant, while the specific legalistic conditions of the Mosaic Law do not apply in the same way, the underlying principle of God's holistic care remains profoundly relevant. This verse challenges us to deeply examine the nature and depth of our "service" to the Lord. Is our devotion merely a set of ritualistic observances, or does it genuinely encompass every facet of our lives – our work ethic, our relational integrity, our financial stewardship, and our physical self-care? It serves as a powerful reminder that God is intimately concerned with our daily needs, promising to provide for us as we sincerely prioritize His kingdom and His righteousness. While we acknowledge that physical health is not guaranteed under the New Covenant in the same direct, conditional manner as it was for ancient Israel, we can still place our unwavering trust in God's sovereign care, knowing that He desires our ultimate health and provision according to His perfect, wise, and loving will. This verse ultimately encourages a life of profound, trusting dependence on God, recognizing Him as the ultimate and benevolent source of all good things, even as we navigate the complex realities of a fallen world where sickness and lack are still present.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does Exodus 23:25 mean that if I serve God faithfully, I will never get sick or lack anything?
Answer: While Exodus 23:25 indeed presents a clear promise of physical blessings and protection from sickness to ancient Israel under the Mosaic Covenant, its application to New Covenant believers requires careful theological nuance. Under the Old Covenant, there was often a direct and immediate correlation between national obedience and physical blessing, and conversely, between disobedience and curses, as extensively detailed in Deuteronomy 28. However, for New Covenant believers, salvation and righteousness are received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by perfect adherence to the Law. While God still deeply cares for our physical well-being and frequently blesses His faithful people with provision and health, we live in a fallen world where sickness, hardship, and suffering are realities for all, including the most devout believers (consider the example of Paul's thorn in the flesh in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). The ultimate "taking away of sickness" is fully realized in the eschatological hope of a new heavens and new earth, where there will be no more pain, sorrow, or death (Revelation 21:4). Nevertheless, this verse powerfully reminds us that God is our ultimate provider and healer, and we are encouraged to trust Him for our daily needs and to pray for healing, always acknowledging His sovereign will.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Exodus 23:25 finds its most profound and ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While the Old Covenant promised conditional physical blessings for national obedience, Jesus embodies the perfect Servant of the Lord, who flawlessly fulfilled all righteousness and perfectly served God in every aspect of His life (Philippians 2:5-8). Through His perfect service, sacrificial death on the cross, and glorious resurrection, Christ inaugurated the New Covenant, offering spiritual blessings that infinitely surpass the physical provisions of the Old. He is the true "bread of life" (John 6:35), providing ultimate spiritual sustenance for eternal life, and the source of "living water" (John 4:10-14), quenching the deepest spiritual thirst. Furthermore, during His earthly ministry, Jesus powerfully demonstrated His authority over sickness and disease, healing countless individuals who came to Him, illustrating His compassion and divine power (Matthew 4:23-24). His atoning work on the cross not only dealt decisively with the spiritual sickness of sin but also secured the promise of future physical redemption and complete healing in the resurrection (Isaiah 53:4-5; 1 Peter 2:24). Thus, in Christ, the promise of provision and the removal of sickness are transformed from conditional physical blessings for a specific nation into spiritual realities for all who believe, with the full, glorious physical manifestation awaiting His triumphant return and the establishment of the new creation.