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what structures exist today to ensure that marginalized voices are heard in technological development?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Deuteronomy 24:17-18

“You shall not deprive the foreigner, or the fatherless, of justice; nor take a widow’s clothing as collateral; but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and Yahweh your God redeemed you from there. Therefore I command you to do this thing.”

This passage is part of a larger collection of laws given to the people of Israel as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. Deuteronomy, attributed to Moses, reiterates and expands upon earlier laws, urging the people to remember their past oppression and to treat vulnerable members of their society, like foreigners, orphans, and widows, with justice and compassion.

How might remembering past experiences of vulnerability shape our current responsibilities towards others?

Then — the setting

Deuteronomy, likely compiled over centuries with its final form around the 7th-5th centuries BCE, reflects a society with significant social stratification, but also a strong ethical framework. The commands to protect the 'foreigner' (ger, often a resident alien without land rights), the 'fatherless' (yatom), and the 'widow' (almanah) were crucial because these groups lacked the traditional kinship networks and economic security that were foundational to Israelite society. Their vulnerability made them susceptible to exploitation, and these laws aimed to counteract that by mandating specific protections and reminding the community of its own history of powerlessness as slaves in Egypt. This historical memory was meant to instill empathy and a commitment to a just society, distinguishing Israelite law from some other ancient Near Eastern legal codes that might not have prioritized these groups to the same extent.

Across the Testaments

This passage from the Old Testament sets a foundational principle of care for the marginalized, rooted in a shared experience of oppression and divine deliverance. The New Testament echoes and expands upon this theme. Jesus consistently identifies with 'the least of these' (Matthew 25:40), affirming the sacredness of all human life and focusing concern on the vulnerable, though the categories of 'foreigner, fatherless, and widow' are sometimes broadened to include the hungry, sick, and imprisoned. While the Old Testament laws often provide specific civil and social regulations for a nation-state, the New Testament, particularly in epistles like James, applies these ethical principles to the broader community of believers, emphasizing practical acts of compassion and justice as central to faith, transcending national or ethnic boundaries.

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Read alongside it

Isaiah 1:17
Calls for justice, defending the oppressed, and pleading for the widow and orphan.
James 1:27
Defines true religion as caring for orphans and widows in their distress and keeping oneself unstained from the world.
Proverbs 31:8-9
Exhorts speaking up for the voiceless and for the rights of all who are destitute.

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