Exodus 23:9
King James Version
11 Jun 2026
“Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
נֶפֶשׁ
Life, soul, living being. Nephesh. The animating breath God places in every living creature. In animals it is the life force. In humanity it is the seat of emotion, will and identity. Every nephesh belongs to God — from the creatures in the sea to the deepest cry of the human heart.
הָיָה
you were
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הָיָה
I AM. Hayah. The self-existent one. When Moses asked God His name God said I AM THAT I AM. Not I was or I will be but I AM. Always present always existing always enough. Jesus used the same words: before Abraham was I AM.
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יָדַע
you have known
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יָדַע
To know, to perceive, to be acquainted with. Yada. The deepest form of knowing. God knows you completely and loves you still.
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לָחַץ
you must oppress
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לָחַץ
properly, to press, i.e. (figuratively) to distress
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גֵּר
sojourners
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גֵּר
properly, a guest; by implication, a foreigner
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מִצְרַיִם
Egypt
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מִצְרַיִם
Mitsrajim, i.e. Upper and Lower Egypt
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