Leviticus 19:15 (ASV)

Passage

Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 19:13 Thou shalt not oppress thy neighbor, nor rob him: the wages of a hired servant shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.

Leviticus 19:14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind; but thou shalt fear thy God: I am Jehovah.

Leviticus 19:15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor.

Leviticus 19:16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor: I am Jehovah.

Leviticus 19:17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart: thou shalt surely rebuke thy neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "unrighteousness", "judgment", "thou", "shalt", "respect", "person", and "poor". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "unrighteousness", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "Thou shalt not curse the deaf nor..." into verse 16's "Thou shalt not go up and down...", so "shall" and "unrighteousness" belong inside that flow. In Leviticus context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "shall" and "unrighteousness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.