Matthew Poole and continuators on Exodus 23:8

8 And thou shalt▪ take no gift : for the gift blindeth the w of , and perverteth the words of the righteous .

Namely from such whose causes are depending before thee, because if thou dost not sell Justice for it, yet thou wilt both seem to do so and be tempted to do so. Compare Deut. 16. 19. 1 Sam. 8. 3▪ Prov. 17. 8, 23. and 19. 6.

Or, the open eyed, the quick-sighted, who in this case cannot see, partly because they will not see, and partly because interest and affection do exceedingly corrupt the judgment, and render it very partial.

(i. e.) The judgment of the righteous Judges, i. e. of them who before were such and are enclined to be so, and probably would be so, were they not tempted with bribes, or, of them who by their place should be righteous. So they are called righteous to admonish them of their duty to be so, and to aggravate their sin when they are unrighteous, and consequently to aggravate the mischief of gifts, which make those unrighteous whose office obligeth them to be righteous. Or thus, the matters or causes of the righteous, which may be understood not of the Judges, but of the parties pleading, whose righteous cause is by this means perverted by the Judge, and a wrong sentence given.

Marginal references: Eccl. 20. 28.; Heb. the seeing.