Deuteronomy 24:20

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.

When thou beatest thine olive tree,.... With sticks and staves, to get off the olives when ripe: thou shall not go over the boughs again; to beat off some few that may remain; they were not nicely to examine the boughs over again, whether there were any left or not: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow; who might come into their oliveyards after the trees had been beaten, and gather what were left.

19-22. When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field—The grain, pulled up by the roots or cut down with a sickle, was laid in loose sheaves; the fruit of the olive was obtained by striking the branches with long poles; and the grape clusters, severed by a hook, were gathered in the hands of the vintager. Here is a beneficent provision for the poor. Every forgotten sheaf in the harvest-field was to lie; the olive tree was not to be beaten a second time; nor were grapes to be gathered, in order that, in collecting what remained, the hearts of the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow might be gladdened by the bounty of Providence.

26 . I call heaven and earth to witness against you ] So Deuteronomy 30:19 ; Deuteronomy 31:28 . Berth. points out that the older style is earth and heaven . In controversy between God and Israel nature is introduced as the executioner of His judgements, or as suffering these with man; or as illustrating the steady laws or principles on which God acts in the moral sphere; or as here (cp. Micah 6:1 ff.) as witnessing against man. Enduring, the heavens and earth, especially the mountains, have seen all the relations between God and man, and when His evils come will be able to testify that God had warned the people. But differently in Deuteronomy 32:1 , q.v.ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land ] Perish that is as a nation, Deuteronomy 7:4 , Deuteronomy 11:17 , Deuteronomy 28:20 and the deuteronomic Joshua 23:16 . Soon , Deuteronomy 7:4 ; Deuteronomy 7:22 , Deuteronomy 9:3 ; Deuteronomy 9:12 ; Deuteronomy 9:16 , Deuteronomy 28:20 . whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it ] characteristic of the Pl. passages. See Introd. and on Deuteronomy 4:5; Deuteronomy 4:14 and Deuteronomy 6:1 . ye shall not prolong your days ] Again, as a nation. In the Hex. only here and Deuteronomy 4:40 , Deuteronomy 5:33 , Deuteronomy 11:9 , Deuteronomy 17:20 , Deuteronomy 22:7 , Deuteronomy 30:18 , Deuteronomy 32:47 ; and passive, Deuteronomy 5:16 , Deuteronomy 6:2 , Deuteronomy 25:15 . Cp. E, Joshua 24:31 .