Thou shalt not wrest judgment;
Thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift:
For a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise,
And pervert the words of the righteous (Deut 16.19).
Deuteronomy sets forth the ancient covenant between God and Israel. Chapter 5 rehearses the Ten Commandments, and the rest generally and specifically elaborates upon that grand summary. Deuteronomy 16.19 is near the beginning of a section setting forth the responsibility of Israel’s leaders (16.18–18.22). This particular verse requires impartial justice. A familiar icon in our culture is Lady Justice who wears a blindfold. It is an example of “apodictic” or absolute law, where God’s will is pronounced “in unconditional, categorical directives such as commands and prohibitions.”1 Phrases like “thou shalt” and “thou shalt not,” as here, signal laws of this kind.
This also fits the category of “civil” or judicial law (not ceremonial or moral law), since it especially relates to the form of human government in Israel’s theocracy. As such, it “expired together with the state of that people, not obliging any now by virtue of that institution; their general equity only being of moral use” (2LCF 19.4). It furnishes an example of “general equity” which continues to have moral obligation in any nation’s jurisprudence. Besides that, it has obvious personal application in our private dealings.
The whole OT law, and this in particular, also reflects God Himself in His holiness and righteousness, as He is the Lawgiver. God requires impartial justice in magistrates, His representatives on earth, because He Himself exercises impartial justice (2 Chron 19.7). As they more nearly image Him, they reflect His glory on earth, with the consequence of blessing to humanity.
In substance, this verse contains a prohibition in the form of a couplet, followed by a rationale in the form of a couplet. The two lines of each couplet not only explain each other but impress readers with the solemnity of duty. The prohibition is a negative form, but it implies a corresponding and opposite command. Likewise, the evil in the rationale which is the second couplet implies the blessing to be expected when the command is obeyed.
Prohibition
“Wrest” is used in its now archaic sense of “distort” from a root word meaning “twist.” The Hebrew word can mean “subvert.” “Judgment” is “justice,” so the ESV renders, “You shall not pervert justice.” “Respect” means to give special attention. Very interestingly, the Hebrew has the sense of “recognize faces.” An accurate rendering for modern readers is, “You shall not show partiality” (ESV). These two lines are describing the same thing. To show favoritism in court is a miscarriage of justice. The same law must be applied impartially to each case no matter who stands there.
One ancient and still popular technique of manipulating judges is bribery. This law forbids them from taking “a gift.” In this context that clearly means receiving any goods or services, ostensibly from the parties who stand to gain or lose something in court, since they might affect the judge’s decision. Again, the ESV is good here: “You shall not accept a bribe.”
At least in the legal tradition of Western society, our general recognition of the need for impartial justice and the corruption of bribery surely stems from the influence of this ancient law given through Moses for Israel. We can thank God for that. We must sound this eternal principle again today since our judicial system often exhibits a different set of rules for the rich, powerful, or famous, who can buy favors behind the scenes, than it shows for the poor, weak, and oppressed, who are especially vulnerable to legal neglect and abuse. On the other hand, God also prohibits partiality toward the poor from sympathy toward them (Exod 23.3). This is another prevalent sin today.
Rationale
The reason bribes are prohibited is that they are potentially effective for human judges, even good ones, here referred to as “the wise” and “the righteous.” The effect upon them is described in terms of physical activity—what they see and what they say. A bribe “blinds the eyes,” not literally, of course, but figuratively, as eyesight is frequently a metaphor in Scripture for observation and discernment. If a judge thinks great gain is possible by not paying attention to some salient facts, or from pretending he cannot tell the difference between right and wrong, he is liable to fail in his duty. He who would ordinarily pronounce a just sentence is tempted to “pervert” or “distort” (NET) his words as quid pro quo for a bribe.
We can restate this law positively. “You must judge impartially, refusing bribes, so that you will give discerning and just decisions in every case.”
This is the character of the holy God before whom we all must stand on Judgment Day, “the revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his deeds” (Rom 2.5–6), for “God shows no partiality” (Rom 2.11 ESV). Woe to all who think to bribe Him out of exposing and condemning their sins! The only hope we sinners have for justification then is to come in the pure righteousness of Christ, our Savior and Substitute, who satisfied God’s righteous demands for obedience and punishment, and thus gained eternal life for His elect. Amen.
Notes:
1. Klein, W. W., Blomberg, C., & Hubbard, R. L. (2004). Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.