Keluaran 22:21-22

22:21 “You must not wrong ¹  a foreigner ²  nor oppress him, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

22:22 “You must not afflict ³  any widow or orphan.

[22:21]  ¹ tn Or “oppress.”

[22:21]  ² tn Or “alien,” both here and in 23:9. This individual is a resident foreigner; he lives in the land but, aside from provisions such as this, might easily be without legal rights.

[22:22]  ³ tn The verb “afflict” is a Piel imperfect from עָנָה (’anah); it has a wide range of meanings: “afflict, oppress, humiliate, rape.” These victims are at the mercy of the judges, businessmen, or villains. The righteous king and the righteous people will not mistreat them (see Isa 1:17; Job 31:16, 17, 21).