deuteronomy 24

Haystack bible commentary

"Stacks and stacks of commentary...."

==Deuteronomy 24:10-15:

“When you lend your brother anything, you shall not go into his house to get his pledge.​
​ 11 You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you lend shall bring the pledge out to you.
  12 And if the man is poor, you shall not keep his pledge overnight.
  13 You shall in any case return the pledge to him again when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his own garment and bless you; and it shall be righteousness to you before the Lord your God.
14 “You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether one of your brethren or one of the aliens who is in your land within your gates.
  15 Each day you shall give him his wages, and not let the sun go down on it, for he is poor and has set his heart on it; lest he cry out against you to the Lord, and it be sin to you.

​​The honor and privacy of one's home was protected. This man also could choose which garment to use as the pledge. The verb, Qal infinitive construct) is intensified by the use of the same noun "pledge." A pledge was a physical object, in this context, a man's outer garment used as security for a loan (cf. Deut. 24:11-13). These garments were not very valuable, but were necessary to the daily needs of the poor. Taking a man's garment was more than security for a loan. It was an expression of contempt for the poor man. In God's eyes all humans are valuable because they are made in His image and likeness (cf. Gen. 1:26-27). God's covenant people must recognize the value and worth He places on humans and respond appropriately!   --Free Bible Commentary