Deuteronomy 24:10-15

Deuteronomy 24:10-15

[10] When thou dost lend  thy brother  any  thing,  thou shalt not go  into his house  to fetch  his pledge.  [11] Thou shalt stand  abroad,  and the man  to whom thou dost lend  shall bring out  the pledge  abroad  unto thee. [12] And if the man  be poor,  thou shalt not sleep  with his pledge:  [13] In any case  him the pledge  again  when the sun  goeth down,  that he may sleep  in his own raiment,  and bless  thee: and it shall be righteousness  unto thee before  the LORD  thy God.  [14] Thou shalt not oppress  an hired servant  that is poor  and needy,  whether he be of thy brethren,  or of thy strangers  that are in thy land  within thy gates:  [15] At his day  thou shalt give  him his hire,  neither shall the sun  go down  upon it; for he is poor,  and setteth  his heart  upon it: lest he cry  against thee unto the LORD,  and it be sin  unto thee.

What does Deuteronomy 24:10-15 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Israelites were not to take advantage of their poorer brethren because of their vulnerable condition. God looked out for them. They were not to withhold their clothing and wages from them (cf. James 5:4). Specifically they were not to humiliate a debtor by entering his house and demanding repayment of a debt. They were to allow the debtor to initiate repayment. Perhaps the connection with the ninth commandment is that by taking the initiative the creditor was saying something about the debtor that was not necessarily true, namely, that he was unable and or unwilling to repay the debt.