Devarim 24:15

15 Each day thou shalt give him his wages, neither shall the shemesh go down upon it; for he is oni, and setteth his lev upon it; lest he cry against thee unto Hashem, and it be chet unto thee.

Devarim 24:15 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 24:15

At his day thou shalt give [him] his hire
At the close of the day, when his work is done, the hire agreed for must be paid him; and, by the same rule, all such that were hired by the week, month, or year, were to have their wages paid them at the day their time was up:

neither shall the sun go down upon it;
it was to be paid before sun setting, or at it; see ( Leviticus 19:13 ) ;

for he [is] poor, and setteth his heart upon it;
being poor, he cannot wait any longer for the payment of it; his personal and family wants are such as require immediate payment; and besides, he has been eagerly expecting it, and earnestly desiring it, that he may satisfy the craving necessities of himself and family; and therefore it would be a great balk and disappointment to him to have his wages detained:

lest he cry against thee to the Lord;
having none to apply unto but him, who is the patron of the poor and needy, not being able to help himself, nor having interest in any to interpose on his behalf; and his cry, and the cry of his hire too, enter into the ears of the Lord of hosts, and is regarded by him, ( James 5:4 ) ;

and it be sin unto thee:
be imputed to him, the guilt charged on him, and punishment inflicted for it.

Devarim 24:15 In-Context

13 In any case thou shalt deliver to him the pledge again when the shemesh goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee; and it shall be tzedakah unto thee before Hashem Eloheicha.
14 Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is oni (poor) and evyon (needy), whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy ger that are in thy land within thy she’arim;
15 Each day thou shalt give him his wages, neither shall the shemesh go down upon it; for he is oni, and setteth his lev upon it; lest he cry against thee unto Hashem, and it be chet unto thee.
16 The avot shall not be put to death for the banim, neither shall the banim be put to death for the avot; every ish shall be put to death for his own chet.
17 Thou shalt not pervert the mishpat due the ger, nor of the yatom; nor take an almanah’s raiment to pledge;
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.