Deuteronomy 24:15
in Deuteronomy 24You are to pay his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and depends on them. Otherwise he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
in his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it (for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it); lest he cry against thee unto Jehovah, and it be sin unto thee.
KJV
At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 24
Commentary
4 notes on this verseHe is poor, and setteth his heart upon it - How exceedingly natural is this! The poor servant who seldom sees money, yet finds from his master’s affluence that it procures all the conveniences and comforts of life, longs for the time when he shall receive his wages; should his pay be delayed after the time is expired, he may naturally be expected to cry unto God against him who withholds it. See most of these subjects treated at large on Exo 22:21-27 (note).
This site's exposition
When thou dost lend thy brother any thing
on Deuteronomy 24:10-15
The creditor waits outside and the debtor brings the pledge out to him, so a poor man's house is not entered over a debt. Exodus 22:26-27 already required the garment back by sundown, and verse 13 adds what the older statute did not, that it shall be righteousness unto thee before the Lord thy God. The hired servant is paid at his day whether he is of thy brethren or of thy strangers, because he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it, and Leviticus 19:13 gives the same rule. James 5:4 has the hire of the labourers kept back by fraud crying into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
(2.) It will be guilt to the master. "The injured servant will cry against thee to the Lord; since he has no one else to appeal to, he will lodge his appeal in the court of heaven, and it will be sin to thee." Or, if he do not complain, the cause will speak for itself, the " hire of the labourers which is kept back by fraud will itself cry, " Jam. v. 4 .
At his day thou shalt give him his hire,....
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Scripture is speaking of the common occurrence, for the poor, the needy, and strangers hire themselves out [for wages, but the law applies to all workers]. Similarly, If thou lend money to any of My people that is poor by thee. Exodus:24.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בְּיוֹמוֹ֩ | beyomo | on day its | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| תִתֵּ֨ן | titen | you will pay | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| שְׂכָר֜וֹ | sekharo | wage[s] his | H7939 → | |
| וְֽלֹא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תָב֧וֹא | tavo' | it will go | H935 → | 2568 times |
| עָלָ֣יו | ʾalav | on him | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַשֶּׁ֗מֶשׁ | hashemesh | the sun | H8121 → | 134 times |
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| עָנִי֙ | ʾani | [is] poor | H6041 → | 73 times |
| ה֔וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| וְאֵלָ֕יו | veelav | and to it | H413 → | 5510 times |
| ה֥וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| נֹשֵׂ֖א | nose' | [is] lifting up | H5375 → | 656 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| נַפְשׁ֑וֹ | nafsho | desire his | H5315 → | 754 times |
| וְלֹֽא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִקְרָ֤א | yikra' | he will call out | H7121 → | 733 times |
| עָלֶ֙יךָ֙ | ʾaleikha | on you | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וְהָיָ֥ה | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בְךָ֖ | vekha | on <the> you | ||
| חֵֽטְא׃ ס | chet' | sin | H2399 → | 33 times |
בְּיוֹמוֹ֩on day its
beyomoH3117 →2304 times
תִתֵּ֨ןyou will pay
titenH5414 →2011 times
שְׂכָר֜וֹwage[s] his
sekharoH7939 →
וְֽלֹא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
תָב֧וֹאit will go
tavo'H935 →2568 times
עָלָ֣יוon him
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
הַשֶּׁ֗מֶשׁthe sun
hashemeshH8121 →134 times
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
עָנִי֙[is] poor
ʾaniH6041 →73 times
ה֔וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
וְאֵלָ֕יוand to it
veelavH413 →5510 times
ה֥וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
נֹשֵׂ֖א[is] lifting up
nose'H5375 →656 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
נַפְשׁ֑וֹdesire his
nafshoH5315 →754 times
וְלֹֽא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
יִקְרָ֤אhe will call out
yikra'H7121 →733 times
עָלֶ֙יךָ֙on you
ʾaleikhaH5921 →5755 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
וְהָיָ֥הand it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
בְךָ֖on <the> you
vekha
חֵֽטְא׃ סsin
chet'H2399 →33 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
James 5:4Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
it leads to
- Leviticus 19:13
You must not defraud your neighbor or rob him. You must not withhold until morning the wages due a hired hand.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 24:14–15
Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 22:13
“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms without justice, who makes his countrymen serve without pay, and fails to pay their wages,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Romans 9:29
It is just as Isaiah foretold: “Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.”
- Leviticus 19:13
Through
Leviticus 19:13You must not defraud your neighbor or rob him. You must not withhold until morning the wages due a hired hand.
it leads to
- Malachi 3:5
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud…
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- James 5:4
Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Malachi 3:5
Through
Jeremiah 22:13“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms without justice, who makes his countrymen serve without pay, and fails to pay their wages,
it leads to
- Micah 3:10
who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity.
- Micah 3:10
Through
Deuteronomy 15:9Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He…
it leads to
- Matthew 20:15
Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
- Matthew 20:15
Where this verse is studied
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.