Deuteronomy 24: Divorce, pledges, fair wages, and leaving the gleanings
A free study, verse by verse. Text: World English Bible. Notes come from the Hebrew. How to read a study
What happens?
Moses says that a man who divorces his wife with a written certificate may not take her back after she has married another man. A newly married man is free from army service for a year. Then come laws on pledges for loans, on kidnapping, on skin disease, on paying a poor worker the same day, on each person dying for his own sin, on justice for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, and on leaving what is left in the field, the olive trees and the vineyard for them.
Who is speaking?
Moses speaks in all 22 verses, going on with the laws. None of it is in gold. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1When a man takes a wife and marries her, then it shall be, if she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a certificate of divorce, put it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
In plain English: When a man takes a wife and marries her, and she does not please him (literally: finds no favor in his eyes) because he has found something indecent (literally: the nakedness of a thing) in her, then he is to write her (or: and he writes her) a certificate of divorce, put it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
The Hebrew words: "Some unseemly thing" is literally "the nakedness of a thing", ervat davar. The dictionary gives ervah as "nudity", and figuratively "disgrace, blemish". The same two words are used in for something unclean in the camp. "Divorce" is keritut, which the dictionary gives as "a cutting (of the matrimonial bond), i.e. divorce". It is in only 4 verses, and this Bible says "divorce" in all of them.
What changes: The text does not say what the "unseemly thing" is. Read narrowly, it is something sexual or shameful. Read widely, it is anything the husband finds wrong. Readers differ.
Good to know: Verses 1 to 4 can be read two ways. This Bible reads verse 1 as a rule: the man is to write her a certificate of divorce, and verse 2 says she may marry again. Or verses 1 to 3 only describe what happens, "and he writes her a certificate", and the one rule comes in verse 4: the first husband may not take her back. The Hebrew allows both.
Church tradition: In Pharisees ask Jesus, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?" In he answers that Moses allowed divorce "because of the hardness of your hearts", and gives his own word, "except for sexual immorality". See also to and to . Jewish and Christian readers have read this law in different ways, and churches differ on divorce. Deuteronomy 24 gives the case as written.
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2When she has departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife.
In plain English: When she has left his house, she may go and become another man's wife.
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3If the latter husband hates her, and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; or if the latter husband dies, who took her to be his wife;
In plain English: If the second man hates her, writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or the second man who took her as his wife dies,
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4her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife after she is defiled; for that would be an abomination to Yahweh. You shall not cause the land to sin, which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance.
In plain English: then her first husband, who sent her away, may not take her back to be his wife after she has been made unclean (this Bible: defiled), because that would be detestable (this Bible: an abomination) to Yahweh. You are not to bring sin on the land Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance.
The Hebrew word: "Defiled" is tame, which the dictionary gives as "to be foul" or "contaminated". In Deuteronomy it is in only 2 verses: here, and "defile" in .
Good to know: The text does not say why she counts as defiled for her first husband, and readers differ. asks the same question about a wife who has gone to another man, and uses it of Israel and Yahweh.
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5When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out in the army, neither shall he be assigned any business. He shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he has taken.
In plain English: When a man takes a new wife, he is not to go out with the army or be given any other duty. He is to be free at home for one year and bring joy to the wife he has taken.
Good to know: This matches the rule in : an engaged man goes home from the battle.
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6No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone as a pledge, for he takes a life in pledge.
In plain English: No one is to take a hand mill or its upper millstone as a pledge for a loan, because that would be taking a person's life (literally: a soul) as a pledge.
Good to know: The verse gives its own reason: to take the millstone would be to take a person's life (nephesh, the word often given as "soul").
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7If a man is found stealing any of his brothers of the children of Israel, and he deals with him as a slave, or sells him, then that thief shall die. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
In plain English: If a man is found kidnapping (literally: stealing a soul) one of his brothers, one of the Israelites, and treats him as a slave or sells him, that thief is to die. So you will remove the evil from among you.
Good to know: also gives death for anyone who kidnaps someone and sells him.
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8Be careful in the plague of leprosy, that you observe diligently and do according to all that the Levitical priests teach you. As I commanded them, so you shall observe to do.
In plain English: Be careful in a case of the skin disease (this Bible: leprosy): take great care to do all that the Levitical priests teach you. Be careful to do as I have commanded them.
The Hebrew word: "Leprosy" is tsara'at, the skin disease of and 14. The dictionary gives it as "leprosy". This Bible says "leprosy" in 27 of the 33 verses that use the word.
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9Remember what Yahweh your God did to Miriam, by the way as you came out of Egypt.
In plain English: Remember what Yahweh your God did to Miriam on the way when you came out of Egypt.
Good to know: Miriam was struck with this skin disease in , after she and Aaron spoke against Moses.
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10When you lend your neighbor any kind of loan, you shall not go into his house to get his pledge.
In plain English: When you lend your neighbor anything, you are not to go into his house to take his pledge.
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11You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you lend shall bring the pledge outside to you.
In plain English: You are to stand outside, and the man you are lending to is to bring the pledge out to you.
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12If he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge.
In plain English: If he is a poor man, you are not to go to sleep with his pledge.
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13You shall surely restore to him the pledge when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his garment and bless you. It shall be righteousness to you before Yahweh your God.
In plain English: Be sure to give the pledge back to him at sunset, so that he can sleep in his cloak and bless you. It will be counted as righteousness for you before Yahweh your God.
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14You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the foreigners who are in your land within your gates.
In plain English: You are not to oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the foreigners living in your land, in your towns (literally: gates).
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15In his day you shall give him his wages, neither shall the sun go down on it, for he is poor and sets his heart on it, lest he cry against you to Yahweh, and it be sin to you.
In plain English: You are to pay him his wages on the same day, before the sun goes down, because he is poor and is counting on it (literally: lifts up his soul to it). Otherwise he may cry out against you to Yahweh, and it will be sin in you.
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16The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers. Every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
In plain English: Fathers are not to be put to death for their children, and children are not to be put to death for their fathers. Each person is to be put to death for his own sin.
Good to know: quotes this verse as "written in the book of the law of Moses": the king did not put the murderers' children to death. says the same: "The soul who sins, he shall die."
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17You shall not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, nor take a widow’s clothing in pledge;
In plain English: You are not to deny justice to the foreigner or the fatherless, and you are not to take a widow's clothing as a pledge.
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18but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and Yahweh your God redeemed you there. Therefore I command you to do this thing.
In plain English: Remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and Yahweh your God rescued (literally: ransomed) you from there. That is why I command you to do this.
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19When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to get it. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow, that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
In plain English: When you reap the harvest in your field and forget a bundle of grain in the field, you are not to go back to get it. It is to be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
Good to know: to gives a like rule. In Ruth the Moabite goes to glean in the fields.
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20When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
In plain English: When you beat your olive tree, you are not to go over the branches a second time. What is left is to be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow.
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21When you harvest your vineyard, you shall not glean it after yourselves. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
In plain English: When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you are not to glean it afterward. What is left is to be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow.
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22You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. Therefore I command you to do this thing.
In plain English: Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.
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