Leviticus 19:15 tells God’s people to judge fairly, without bending the case toward the poor out of pity or toward the powerful out of fear of them. The judge is to weigh each person by what is right, not by who they are or what they can offer. The words come from God, spoken through Moses to the whole community of Israel, and they carry the authority of the law given at Sinai.
“‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor show favoritism to the great; but you shall judge your neighbor in righteousness.
Leviticus 19:15 (WEB)
What Leviticus 19:15 Means
The verse opens with a plain command: “do no injustice in judgment.” Judgment here means the public act of settling a dispute, whether in a town gate or a local court. The people are forbidden to twist that process in any direction. A verdict that favors one side for reasons outside the facts is a wrong done to the other side, even if no one ever hears about it.
The verse then names two opposite temptations. One is to be partial to the poor, which means leaning toward someone because they are needy and deserve sympathy. The other is to show favoritism to the great, which means bowing to someone’s wealth, status, or influence. Both are forms of partiality, and God forbids both equally. Mercy and generosity remain good things elsewhere in the law, but a judge is not free to hand them out at the expense of truth.
The verse ends with the positive standard: judge your neighbor in righteousness. The word points to what is right in God’s sight, a fair measure applied the same way to everyone. The verse does not promise that every case will turn out the way you hope, or that the courts will always be honest. It sets out the duty of the one who judges and trusts that God sees how that duty is carried out.
The Context of Leviticus 19:15
Leviticus is the third book of the Torah, traditionally attributed to Moses and written for the people of Israel as they were being formed into a holy nation under God’s covenant. Chapter 19 is part of a collection of laws that shows what holiness looks like in ordinary daily life, in business, speech, family, and community. The Lord repeats the phrase “I am the LORD” throughout the passage, which reminds the people that these commands rest on his character rather than on social custom.
The verses just before and after set the verse in a wider frame. Verses 12 through 14 forbid false oaths, oppression, and cruelty toward the vulnerable, including the deaf and the blind. Verses 16 through 18 forbid slander, endangering a neighbor’s life, secret hatred, and grudge-keeping, and close with the command to love your neighbor as yourself. Read in that setting, the call to fair judgment is one part of a single picture: a community where justice, honesty, and love for others are bound together. Fair judging is an expression of love, not a cold legal rule set apart from it.
Key Phrases in Leviticus 19:15
Deuteronomy 16:19
You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality. You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, and perverts the words of the righteous.
(WEB)
This verse tells the judge not to pervert justice or show partiality, and not to accept a bribe. It echoes the concern of Leviticus 19:15 and adds the warning that gifts blind the eyes of the wise, showing how influence can distort a verdict.
Proverbs 24:23
These also are sayings of the wise. To show partiality in judgment is not good.
(WEB)
This proverb warns that showing partiality in judgment is not good. It sits within a collection of wisdom sayings, and it reminds readers that favoritism in courts is a failure of wisdom as well as of law.
A Short Prayer From Leviticus 19:15
Lord, you see every case clearly, and nothing is hidden from your eyes. Teach me to weigh people by what is right and not by their wealth, their needs, or their standing. When I am tempted to lean toward someone I admire or to excuse someone I pity, remind me of your fairness. Give me courage to speak the truth and patience to hear every side. Keep my heart honest so that the way I judge others reflects the justice of your own character. Amen.
