Deuteronomy 24:14

14 Thou shalt not deny the hire of thy brother (who is) needy and poor, either of the comeling that dwelleth with thee in thy land, and is within thy gates; (Thou shalt not withhold the wages of thy servant who is needy and poor, whether he be a fellow Israelite, or a newcomer who dwelleth with thee in thy land, within thy gates;)

Deuteronomy 24:14 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 24:14

Thou shall not oppress an hired servant
That is hired by the day, as appears by ( Deuteronomy 24:15 ) ; though the law may include such as are hired by the week, or month, or year; neither of whom are to be oppressed by any means, and chiefly by detaining their wages; so the Jerusalem Targum explains the phrase,

``ye shall not detain by force the hire of the hired servant;''

nor by fraud, as in ( James 5:4 ) ;

[that is] poor and needy;
and so cannot bear the lest oppression of this kind, nor to have his wages detained from him any time, and much less wholly to be defrauded of them:

[whether he be] of thy brethren;
an Israelite, and so a brother both by nation and religion:

or of thy strangers that [are] in thy land, within thy gates;
Jarchi interprets this, both of proselytes of righteousness, and of proselytes of the gate; which latter are plainly described by this clause, and the former must be included; for, if proselytes of the gate are not to be oppressed, much less proselytes of righteousness, who were in all respects as Israelites, the same law was to them both. Jarchi says, the phrase "in thy land" is intended to comprehend the hire of beasts, and of vessels; and these in the Misnah ^F15 are said to be comprehended in this precept, as well as the hire of man.

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FOOTNOTES:

F15 Bava Metzia, c. 9. sect. 12.

Deuteronomy 24:14 In-Context

12 And if he is poor, his wed shall not abide by night with thee (his pledge shall not stay with thee all night),

13 but anon thou shalt yield his wed to him before the going down of the sun, that he sleep in his cloth, and bless thee, and thou have rightwiseness before thy Lord God. (but at once thou shalt yield his pledge back to him, yea, before the going down of the sun, so that he can sleep in his own cloak, and bless thee, and then thou shalt have righteousness before the Lord thy God.)

14 Thou shalt not deny the hire of thy brother (who is) needy and poor, either of the comeling that dwelleth with thee in thy land, and is within thy gates; (Thou shalt not withhold the wages of thy servant who is needy and poor, whether he be a fellow Israelite, or a newcomer who dwelleth with thee in thy land, within thy gates;)

15 but in the same day thou shalt yield to him the price of his travail, before the going down of the sun, for he is poor, and sustaineth thereof his life; lest he cry against thee to the Lord, and it be reckoned to thee into sin. (but thou shalt yield to him the wages for his work on the same day, before the going down of the sun, for he is poor, and sustaineth his life with them; lest he cry against thee to the Lord, and it be reckoned unto thee as a sin.)

16 The fathers shall not be slain for the sons, neither the sons for the fathers, but each man shall die for his own sin.