Exodus 22:26

26 If indeed you require the cloak of your neighbor as a pledge, you will return it to him at sundown,

Exodus 22:26 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 22:26

If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge
So that it seems that the lender, though he might not impose usury on the borrower, or oblige him to pay interest for what he lent him, yet for the security of his money he might take his clothes, either his bed clothes or wearing apparel, or any instruments or goods of his; but when he did, he was bound to what follows:

thou shalt deliver it to him by that the sun goeth down;
the reason of which appears in the next verse, with respect to his bed clothes, should that be the pledge: but Jarchi interprets it, not of his nocturnal clothes, but of his apparel in the daytime, and paraphrases it thus,

``all the day thou shalt restore it to him until the setting of the sun; and when the sun is set, thou shalt return and take it until the morning of the morrow comes; the Scripture speaks of the covering of the day, of which there is no need at night;''

but rather night clothes are meant by what follows.

Exodus 22:26 In-Context

24 And {I will become angry}, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children orphans.
25 " 'If you lend money [to] my people, [to] the needy with you, you will not be to him as a creditor; you will not {charge him interest}.
26 If indeed you require the cloak of your neighbor as a pledge, you will return it to him at sundown,
27 because it is his only garment; it is his cloak for his skin. In what will he sleep? {And} when he cries out to me, I will hear, because I [am] gracious.
28 " 'You will not curse God, and you will not curse a leader among your people.
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.