Deuteronomy 1:17 - Exposition

Ye shall not respect persons ; literally, look at or regard aces , i . e . ye shall not deal partially, favoring the one party rather than the other (comp. Exodus 23:2 , Exodus 23:3 ; Le Exodus 19:15 ); the small as well as the great were to be heard, and neither for favor nor from fear were they to pervert justice. The judgment is God's ; i . e . appointed by God and administered in his name, the judge acting for God and by his authority, and being answerable to him. Hence the phrases, "to inquire of God," "to bring before God" ( Exodus 18:15 , Exodus 18:19 ; Exodus 21:6 ; Exodus 22:8 , etc.) phrases still in use among the Arabs for a summoning to judicial trial. In the case of a matter coming before the judges which they found it beyond their power to decide, they were to bring it before Moses as a superior authority (see Exodus 18:26 ) "Some think there were certain causes reserved to the cognizance of Moses; but the contrary appears by these words, that all manner of causes were brought before the judges; and they, not the people, brought such causes before Moses as they found too hard for them to determine. So that they, not the person whose cause it was, judged of the difficulty of the cause. See Selden, lib. 1. "De Synedriis, cap. 16." (Bishop Patrick).

HOMILETICS