Deuteronomy Chapter 24 — Laws on Justice and Compassion
Deuteronomy 24 establishes various laws regarding marriage, lending, and social welfare to ensure the fair treatment of all community members.
1When a man takes a wife and marries her, then it shall be, if she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a certificate of divorce, put it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
2When she has departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife.
3If the latter husband hates her, and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; or if the latter husband dies, who took her to be his wife;
4her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife after she is defiled; for that would be an abomination to the LORD. You shall not cause the land to sin, which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance.
5When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out in the army, neither shall he be assigned any business. He shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he has taken.
6No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone as a pledge, for he takes a life in pledge.
7If a man is found stealing any of his brothers of the children of Israel, and he deals with him as a slave, or sells him, then that thief shall die. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
8Be careful in the plague of leprosy, that you observe diligently and do according to all that the Levitical priests teach you. As I commanded them, so you shall observe to do.
9Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam, by the way as you came out of Egypt.
10When you lend your neighbor any kind of loan, you shall not go into his house to get his pledge.
11You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you lend shall bring the pledge outside to you.
12If he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge.
13You shall surely restore to him the pledge when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his garment and bless you. It shall be righteousness to you before the LORD your God.
14You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the foreigners who are in your land within your gates.
15In his day you shall give him his wages, neither shall the sun go down on it, for he is poor and sets his heart on it, lest he cry against you to the LORD, and it be sin to you.
16The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers. Every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
17You shall not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, nor take a widow’s clothing in pledge;
18but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you there. Therefore I command you to do this thing.
19When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to get it. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
20When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
21When you harvest your vineyard, you shall not glean it after yourselves. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
22You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. Therefore I command you to do this thing.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Deuteronomy 24:15
“In his day you shall give him his wages, neither shall the sun go down on it, for he is poor and sets his heart on it, lest he cry against you to the LORD, and it be sin to you.”
This verse highlights the importance of fair labor practices and the immediate economic needs of the poor.
Deuteronomy 24:16
“The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers. Every man shall be put to death for his own sin.”
This establishes a key legal principle of individual moral and legal responsibility rather than collective punishment.
Deuteronomy 24:19
“When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to get it. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow...”
This introduces the concept of gleaning as a social safety net for the marginalized in society.
Chapter Summary
Deuteronomy 24 contains a diverse set of laws designed to promote justice and compassion within the Israelite community. The chapter begins with regulations on divorce and a provision allowing newly married men to stay home from war for one year to focus on their family. It prohibits taking essential livelihood items, such as millstones, as collateral for loans and mandates the death penalty for kidnapping and enslaving fellow citizens. Regulations for leprosy emphasize following priestly instructions, citing the example of Miriam. Lending laws protect the dignity and survival of the poor by restricting how collateral is collected and returned. The text explicitly forbids withholding wages from hired servants and establishes that individuals are responsible for their own sins, rather than those of their family members. The chapter concludes with commands to leave behind portions of the harvest—grain, olives, and grapes—for foreigners, orphans, and widows, grounding these acts of charity in the memory of Israel's own redemption from slavery in Egypt.
Frequently Asked Questions
The chapter outlines that if a man divorces his wife and she marries another, her first husband cannot marry her again if she becomes single once more. It emphasizes the use of a formal certificate of divorce to provide legal clarity and protection.
Lenders were forbidden from entering a debtor's house to take collateral; they had to wait outside for the person to bring it out. If a poor person gave their cloak as a pledge, it had to be returned by sunset so they could stay warm at night.
The law requires that hired servants, whether Israelites or foreigners, be paid their wages on the same day they work. This prevents those who live day-to-day from suffering due to delayed payment.
Farmers were instructed to leave behind any forgotten sheaves or leftover fruit for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow. This practice, known as gleaning, ensured that the landless and vulnerable had a reliable source of food.
Study Note
The reference to Miriam in verse 9 alludes to the events of Numbers 12, serving as a historical reminder of the importance of following priestly instructions regarding health and ritual purity.
Related Chapters
Leviticus 13
Provides more detailed instructions on the laws and inspections regarding leprosy mentioned in this chapter.
Ruth 2
Shows a narrative example of the gleaning laws being put into practice for a widow and a foreigner.
Ezekiel 18
Offers an expanded prophetic teaching on the principle of individual responsibility for sin.
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