Deuteronomy24
New Living Translation
1“Suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having discovered something wrong with her, he writes a document of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house.
2When she leaves his house, she is free to marry another man.
3But if the second husband also turns against her, writes a document of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away, or if he dies,
4the first husband may not marry her again, for she has been defiled. That would be detestable to the Lord. You must not bring guilt upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession.
5“A newly married man must not be drafted into the army or be given any other official responsibilities. He must be free to spend one year at home, bringing happiness to the wife he has married.
6“It is wrong to take a set of millstones, or even just the upper millstone, as security for a loan, for the owner uses it to make a living.
7“If anyone kidnaps a fellow Israelite and treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. In this way, you will purge the evil from among you.
8“In all cases involving serious skin diseases, be careful to follow the instructions of the Levitical priests; obey all the commands I have given them.
9Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam as you were coming from Egypt.
10“If you lend anything to your neighbor, do not enter his house to pick up the item he is giving as security.
11You must wait outside while he goes in and brings it out to you.
12If your neighbor is poor and gives you his cloak as security for a loan, do not keep the cloak overnight.
13Return the cloak to its owner by sunset so he can stay warm through the night and bless you, and the Lord your God will count you as righteous.
14“Never take advantage of poor and destitute laborers, whether they are fellow Israelites or foreigners living in your towns.
15You must pay them their wages each day before sunset because they are poor and are counting on it. If you don’t, they might cry out to the Lord against you, and it would be counted against you as sin.
16“Parents must not be put to death for the sins of their children, nor children for the sins of their parents. Those deserving to die must be put to death for their own crimes.
17“True justice must be given to foreigners living among you and to orphans, and you must never accept a widow’s garment as security for her debt.
18Always remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God redeemed you from your slavery. That is why I have given you this command.
19“When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all you do.
20When you beat the olives from your olive trees, don’t go over the boughs twice. Leave the remaining olives for the foreigners, orphans, and widows.
21When you gather the grapes in your vineyard, don’t glean the vines after they are picked. Leave the remaining grapes for the foreigners, orphans, and widows.
22Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt. That is why I am giving you this command.
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.