Deuteronomy 24:6 BSB

Deuteronomy 24:6

Do not take a pair of millstones or even an upper millstone as security for a debt, because that would be taking one’s livelihood as security.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone to pledge; for he taketh a man’s life to pledge.

KJV

No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man’s life to pledge.

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Commentary

3 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

The nether or the upper mill-stone - Small hand-mills which can be worked by a single person were formerly in use among the Jews, and are still used in many parts of the East. As therefore the day’s meal was generally ground for each day, they keeping no stock beforehand, hence they were forbidden to take either of the stones to pledge, because in such a case the family must be without bread. On this account the text terms the millstone the man’s life.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

Mill-stone - Used in their hand-mills. Under this, he understands all other things necessary to get a livelihood, the taking away whereof is against the laws both of charity and prudence, seeing by those things alone he can be enabled both to subsist and to pay his debts.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge--The "upper" stone being concave, covers the "nether" like a lid; and it has a small aperture, through which the corn is poured, as well as a handle by which it is turned. The propriety of the law was founded on the custom of grinding corn every morning for daily consumption.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

8 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
לֹא־	lo'-	not	H3808 →
יַחֲבֹ֥ל	ya.cha.Vol	anyone will take as pledge	H2254 →
רֵחַ֖יִם	re.Cha.yim	a hand-mill	H7347 →
וָרָ֑כֶב	va.Ra.khev	and an upper millstone	H7393 →
כִּי־	ki-	for	H3588 →
נֶ֖פֶשׁ	Ne.fesh	a life	H5315 →
ה֥וּא	hu'	that	H1931 →
חֹבֵֽל׃ ס	cho.Vel	[is] taking as pledge	H2254 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Luke 12:15
And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
leads to
- Hebrews 13:5
  Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
- 1 Timothy 6:6–10
  Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain.
- Psalms 119:36–37
  Turn my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetous gain.
- Proverbs 15:16
  Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure with turmoil.
- Proverbs 16:16
  How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver.
Through
Revelation 18:22
And the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will never ring out in you again. Nor will any craftsmen of any trade be found in you again, nor the sound…
leads to
- Ezekiel 26:13
  So I will silence the sound of your songs, and the music of your lyres will no longer be heard.
- Jeremiah 25:10
  Moreover, I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp.
Through
Deuteronomy 20:19
When you lay siege to a city for an extended time while fighting against it to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by putting an axe to them, because you can eat…
leads to
- Matthew 3:10
  The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

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About Deuteronomy

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Deuteronomy: the study guide →Read chapter 24 →The featured study →

Continue: Deuteronomy 24 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Deuteronomy

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Deuteronomy