Deuteronomy 24:14-22

14 "1You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your countrymen or one of your aliens who is in your land in your towns.
15 "2You shall give him his wages on his day before the sun sets, for he is poor and sets his heart on it; so that 3he will not cry against you to the LORD and it become sin in you.
16 "4Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.
17 "5You shall not pervert the justice due an alien or an orphan, nor 6take a widow's garment in pledge.
18 "But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore * I am commanding you to do this thing.
19 "7When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be 8for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that the LORD your God 9may bless you in all the work of your hands.
20 "10When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be 11for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow.
21 "When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow.
22 "You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore * I am commanding you to do this thing.

Deuteronomy 24:14-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 24

This chapter contains various laws concerning divorces, De 24:1-4; the discharge of a newly married man from war and business, De 24:5; about taking pledges, De 24:6,10-13; man stealing, De 24:7; the plague of leprosy, De 24:8,9; and giving servants their hire in due time, De 24:14,15; concerning doing justice in capital cases, and towards the stranger, fatherless, and widow, De 24:16-18; and of charity to the poor, in allowing them the forgotten sheaf, and the gleanings of their oliveyards and vineyards, De 24:19-22.

Cross References 11

  • 1. Leviticus 19:13; Leviticus 25:35-43; Deuteronomy 15:7-18; Proverbs 14:31; Amos 4:1; 1 Timothy 5:18
  • 2. Leviticus 19:13; Jeremiah 22:13; James 5:4
  • 3. Exodus 22:23; Deuteronomy 15:9; Job 35:9; James 5:4
  • 4. 2 Kings 14:6; 2 Chronicles 25:4; Jeremiah 31:29, 30; Ezekiel 18:20
  • 5. Exodus 23:9; Leviticus 19:33; Deuteronomy 1:17; Deuteronomy 10:17; Deuteronomy 16:19; Deuteronomy 27:19
  • 6. Exodus 22:22
  • 7. Leviticus 19:9, 10; Leviticus 23:22
  • 8. Deuteronomy 14:29
  • 9. Proverbs 19:17
  • 10. Leviticus 19:10
  • 11. Deuteronomy 24:19

Footnotes 13

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California.  All rights reserved.