Deuteronomy24
New King James Version
1“When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house,
2when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife,
3if the latter husband detests 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 as his wife,
4then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
5“When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war or be charged with any business; he shall be free at home one year, and bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken.
6“No man shall take the lower or the upper millstone in pledge, for he takes one’s living in pledge.
7“If a man is found kidnapping any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and mistreats him or sells him, then that kidnapper shall die; and you shall put away the evil from among you.
8“Take heed in an outbreak of leprosy, that you carefully observe and do according to all that the priests, the Levites, shall teach you; just as I commanded them, so you shall be careful to do.
9Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam on the way when you came out of Egypt!
10“When you lend your brother anything, 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 out to you.
12And if the man is poor, you shall not keep his pledge overnight.
13You shall in any case return the pledge to him again when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his own garment and bless you; and it shall be righteousness to you before the Lord your God.
14“You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether one of your brethren or one of the aliens who is in your land within your gates.
15Each day you shall give him his wages, and not let the sun go down on it, for he is poor and has set his heart on it; lest he cry out against you to the Lord, and it be sin to you.
16“Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin.
17“You shall not pervert justice due the stranger or the fatherless, nor take a widow’s garment as a pledge.
18But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this thing.
19“When you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
20When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.
21When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it afterward; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.
22And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this thing.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Deuteronomy 24.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Of divorce. (1–4). Of new-married persons, Of man-stealers, Of pledges. (5–13). Of justice and generosity. (14–22).
vv1-4
Where the providence of God, or his own wrong choice in marriage, has allotted to a Christian a trial instead of a help meet; he will from his heart prefer bearing the cross, to such relief as tends to sin, confusion, and misery. Divine grace will sanctify this cross, support under it, and teach so to behave, as will gradually render it more tolerable.
vv5-13
It is of great consequence that love be kept up between husband and wife; that they carefully avoid every thing which might make them strange one to another. Man-stealing was a capital crime, which could not be settled, as other thefts, by restitution. The laws concerning leprosy must be carefully observed. Thus all who feel their consciences under guilt and wrath, must not cover it, or endeavour to shake off their convictions; but by repentance, and prayer, and humble confession, take the way to peace and pardon. Some orders are given about pledges for money lent. This teaches us to consult the comfort and subsistence of others, as much as our own advantage. Let the poor debtor sleep in his own raiment, and praise God for thy kindness to him. Poor debtors ought to feel more than commonly they do, the goodness of creditors who do not take all the advantage of the law against them, nor should this ever be looked upon as weakness.
vv14-22
It is not hard to prove that purity, piety, justice, mercy, fair conduct, kindness to the poor and destitute, consideration for them, and generosity of spirit, are pleasing to God, and becoming in his redeemed people. The difficulty is to attend to them in our daily walk and conversation.
Key Words
אִישׁ: a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
לָקַח: to take (in the widest variety of applications)
אִשָּׁה: a woman
בָּעַל: to be master; hence, to marry
מָצָא: properly, to come forth to, i.e. appear or exist; transitively, to attain, i.e. find or acquire; figuratively, to occur, meet or be present
חֵן: graciousness, i.e. subjective (kindness, favor) or objective (beauty)
עַיִן: an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape)
דָּבָר: a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
עֶרְוָה: nudity, literally (especially the pudenda) or figuratively (disgrace, blemish)
כָּתַב: to grave, by implication, to write (describe, inscribe, prescribe, subscribe)
Cross References
Deuteronomy 24Jesus discusses Moses' permission of divorce in Deuteronomy 24:1-4, attributing it to hardness of heart.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Jeremiah directly references and applies this law forbidding a remarried woman from returning to her first husband.
Supported by Matthew Poole
King Amaziah explicitly obeys this command by not putting the children of his father's murderers to death.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
The foundational law making kidnapping and selling a fellow Israelite into slavery a capital offense.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The historical account of Miriam being struck with leprosy, which Israel is commanded to remember here.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallels the prohibition against withholding the daily wages of a hired servant overnight.
Supported by JFB
Echoes the warning that unpaid wages cry out to God, resulting in judgment upon the oppressor.
Parallels the law requiring the return of a poor man's garment pledge before sunset.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Ezekiel reinforces the principle that individuals are responsible for their own sins, not their parents'.
Supported by John Calvin
Repeats the standard Deuteronomic motive: remembering Egypt's bondage to inspire mercy and obedience.
Establishes the gleaning laws for the poor, stranger, widow, and fatherless in Israel's harvests.
Malachi declares God's hatred of divorce, contrasting with the civil concession in Deuteronomy.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Paul includes 'menstealers' (kidnappers) in his New Testament list of lawbreakers deserving condemnation.
Protects strangers, widows, and orphans from injustice, mirroring the protections in verse 17.