Deuteronomy 24:15

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 {o} are said to be comprehended in this precept, as well as the hire of man. {o} Bava Metzia, c. 9. sect. 12. Deuteronomy 24:15 Ver. 15. At his day thou shalt give [him] his hire,....

24:14-22 It is not hard to prove that purity, piety, justice, mercy, fair conduct, kindness to the poor and destitute, consideration for them, and generosity of spirit, are pleasing to God, and becoming in his redeemed people. The difficulty is to attend to them in our daily walk and conversation.

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.

At his day; at the time appointed, weekly or daily. Neither shall the sun go down upon it, to wit, after the day upon which it is due, and desired or demanded by him; for justice must not be denied or delayed. Setteth his heart upon it, Heb. lifteth up his soul to it , which notes his great desire and hope of it, and his dependence upon it: see Psalm 24:4 Jeremiah 22:27 .

14, 15. Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy—Hired servants in the East are paid at the close of the day; and for a master to defraud the laborer of his hire, or to withhold it wrongfully for a night, might have subjected a poor man with his family to suffering and was therefore an injustice to be avoided (Le 19:13).

15 . his day ] Cp. Job 14:6 , Matthew 20:2 . setteth his heart ] Lit. lifteth up his desire ( nephesh ). The Heb. term with its several meanings suggests how his life depends on his wage. Being poor he cannot be indifferent to it. cry against thee , etc] Cp. Deuteronomy 24:13 , Deuteronomy 15:9 . And it be sin unto thee , see on Deuteronomy 15:9 . Deuteronomy 24:15

They were not to oppress a poor and distressed labourer, by withholding his wages. This command is repeated here from Leviticus 19:13 , with special reference to the distress of the poor man. "And to it (his wages) he lifts up his soul:" i.e., he feels a longing for it. "Lifts up his soul:" as in Psalm 24:4 ; Hosea 4:8 ; Jeremiah 22:27 . On Deuteronomy 24:15 , see Deuteronomy 15:9 and James 5:4 .

[Bible] 24:14. Thou shalt not refuse the hire of the needy, and the poor, whether he be thy brother, or a stranger that dwelleth with thee in the land, and is within thy gates: 24:15. But thou shalt pay him the price of his labour the same day, before the going down of the sun, because he is poor, and with it maintaineth his life: lest he cry against thee to the Lord, and it be reputed to thee for a sin. 24:16. The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children for the fathers, but every one shall die for his own sin, 24:17. Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger nor of the fatherless, neither shalt thou take away the widow's raiment for a pledge. 24:18. Remember that thou wast a slave in Egypt, and the Lord thy God delivered thee from thence. Therefore I command thee to do this thing. 24:19. When thou hast reaped the corn in thy field, and hast forgot and left a sheaf, thou shalt not return to take it away: but thou shalt suffer the stranger, and the fatherless and the widow to take it away: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the works of thy hands. 24:20. If thou have gathered the fruit of thy olive trees, thou shalt not return to gather whatsoever remaineth on the trees: but shalt leave it for the stranger, for the fatherless, and the widow. 24:21. If thou make the vintage of thy vineyard, thou shalt not gather the clusters that remain, but they shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. 24:22. Remember that thou also wast a bondman in Egypt, and therefore I command thee to do this thing. Deuteronomy Chapter 25 Stripes must not exceed forty. The ox is not to be muzzled. Of raising seed to the brother. Of the immodest woman. Of unjust weight. Of destroying the Amalecites. 25:1. If there be a controversy between men, and they call upon the judges: they shall give the prize of justice to him whom they perceive to be just: and him whom they find to be wicked, they shall condemn of wickedness.

In Deuteronomy we read: " Thou shalt not deny, nor withhold, the f^^,']"'''^ wages of an hired servant, that is needy and poor, whether he be of thy brethren, or of the strangers that are in thy land and within thy gates; but shalt give him his hire the same day, and let not the sun go down thereon, for he is needy, and by the hire he holdeth his life 2," (that is, he layeth the hope of his life therein, as he that looks to live thereby,) " lest he cry unto the Lord, and it be turned unto sin to thee." "With this law of the Lord do the words of James the apostle most fitly agree, where he saith: " Behold, the hire of labourers, which have reaped down your fields, which hire is of you Icept back by fraud, crieth; and the cries of them ['- et ad morcedem tollit animura suum, Lat.]

(4) When you reduce or change their wages. It is said of Laban that he changed Jacob’s wages ten times (Genesis 31:41). (5) When you delay payment. God commanded the Jews to do this before sunset: see Deuteronomy 24:14-15. It is a maxim of the law that not paying at the time is paying less, because of the advantage of interest; and in this text it says, failed to pay [kept back by fraud, KJV]. Though not wholly taken away, yet kept back was enough to be called sin. In contrast, the Lord rewards his servants before they have done their work; we have much of our wages beforehand.