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what immediate impact would delaying wages have on an ancient israelite worker and their family?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Deuteronomy 24:14-15

You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers, or one of your foreigners who are in your land within your gates. You shall give him his hire in his day, and the sun shall not 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.

This passage comes from the book of Deuteronomy, which presents a series of laws and instructions given to the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. It emphasizes justice and compassion, particularly for the vulnerable members of society.

What does this passage reveal about the economic realities and social safety nets for the most vulnerable in ancient Israel?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

  • Leviticus 19:13

    This verse reiterates the prohibition against withholding wages overnight.

  • James 5:4

    This New Testament passage condemns those who defraud laborers of their wages.

  • Proverbs 3:27-28

    This wisdom text advises against withholding good from those to whom it is due, especially when you can give it immediately.

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