Why must a poor worker be paid the same day, before sunset?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The chapter says he is poor and uses his wages to maintain his life. Payment must come that day before sunset, lest he cry against the payer to the Lord and the failure count as sin. The rule covers both an Israelite brother and a resident stranger within the gates.

Chapter breakdown

The editorial summary says divorce is permitted to avoid greater evil; this explanation belongs to that summary. The verses describe a man whose wife finds no favor in his eyes because of some uncleanness: he must write a bill of divorce, give it into her hand, and send her out of his house. If she departs and marries another husband who also hates her and gives her a bill and sends her away, or who dies, the former husband cannot take her as wife again. The stated reason is that she is defiled and has become abominable before the Lord, lest Israel cause the land the Lord will give it to sin.

A newly married man must not go to war or be assigned public business. He must be free at home without fault, so for one year he may rejoice with his wife. Neither the lower nor the upper millstone may be taken as a pledge, because the person has pledged his life. A man found soliciting his brother from the children of Israel and selling him for a price must be put to death, and Israel must remove the evil from its midst.

Israel must carefully avoid the stroke of leprosy and carry out everything the Levitical priests teach according to what Moses commanded them. It must remember what the Lord did to Mary on the journey out of Egypt. When demanding something a neighbor owes, a person must not enter his house to take a pledge. He must stand outside while the neighbor brings out what he has. If the neighbor is poor, the pledge must not stay with the creditor that night; it must be returned promptly before sunset so he may sleep in his own clothing and bless the creditor, and the creditor may have justice before the Lord.

The hire of a needy, poor worker must not be refused, whether he is an Israelite brother or a stranger living with Israel in the land within its gates. He must receive the price of his labor the same day before sunset, because he is poor and uses it to maintain his life, lest he cry to the Lord against the payer and it count as sin. Fathers must not be put to death for their children, or children for their fathers; each must die for his own sin. Israel must not pervert the judgment of the stranger or fatherless or take a widow’s clothing as a pledge. It must remember that it was a slave in Egypt and the Lord delivered it; this is the stated reason for the command.

After reaping corn in a field, a person who has forgotten and left a sheaf must not return to take it. He must let the stranger, fatherless, and widow take it, so the Lord may bless all the work of his hands. After gathering olives, he must not return for what remains on the trees but leave it for those same three groups. After harvesting his vineyard, he must not gather the remaining clusters; they belong to the stranger, fatherless, and widow. Israel must remember that it too was a bondman in Egypt; this is the stated reason for the command.

The story inside

The chapter gives two directions tied to sunset. A poor neighbor’s pledge must be returned before then so he can sleep in his own clothing, bless the creditor, and the creditor have justice before the Lord. A poor worker must be paid the same day before sunset because the wage maintains his life, lest his cry to the Lord make the failure count as sin. These reasons are separately stated. The later judgment and harvest commands repeat the memory of Israel’s slavery in Egypt; the judgment passage also recalls the Lord’s deliverance. The chapter does not give a history of creditors, employers, or earlier penal systems, or report the result of a particular collection or wage dispute.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The pledge rules set precise limits. Neither millstone may be pledged; a creditor must stay outside the debtor’s house; a poor debtor’s pledge must be returned before sunset. The last rule expressly names sleep, blessing, and justice as its purposes.
2
The wage rule covers both named worker groups. A brother and a resident stranger within the gates must receive the price of labor that day before sunset. Poverty and dependence on the wage explain the timing, followed by the warning about a cry to the Lord and sin.
3
The harvest remainder rules name their recipients. A forgotten sheaf, olives left on trees, and remaining grape clusters are for the stranger, fatherless, and widow. Israel’s memory of being a bondman in Egypt is the stated reason for the command.

Test your recall

Why must the needy, poor worker receive his wages the same day before sunset?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 21068–21085
Deuteronomy Chapter 24 Divorce permitted to avoid greater evil: the newly married must not go to war: of men stealers, of leprosy, of pledges, of labourers’ hire, of justice, and of charity to the poor. 24:1. If a man take a wife, and have her, and she find not favour in his eyes, for some uncleanness: he shall write a bill of divorce, and shall give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. 24:2. And when she is departed, and marrieth another husband, 24:3. And he also hateth her, and hath given her a bill of divorce, and hath sent her out of his house or is dead: 24:4. The former husband cannot take her again to wife: because she is defiled, and is become abominable before the Lord: lest thou cause thy land to sin, which the Lord thy God shall give thee to possess.
Lines 21087–21096
24:5. When a man hath lately taken a wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall any public business be enjoined him, but he shall be free at home without fault, that for one year he may rejoice with his wife. 24:6. Thou shalt not take the nether, nor the upper millstone to pledge: for he hath pledged his life to thee. 24:7. If any man be found soliciting his brother of the children of Israel, and selling him shall take a price, he shall be put to death, and thou shalt take away the evil from the midst of thee.
Lines 21098–21117
24:8. Observe diligently that thou incur not the stroke of the leprosy, but thou shalt do whatsoever the priests of the Levitical race shall teach thee, according to what I have commanded them, and fulfil thou it carefully. 24:9. Remember what the Lord your God did to Mary, in the way when you came out of Egypt. 24:10. When thou shalt demand of thy neighbour any thing that he oweth thee, thou shalt not go into his house to take away a pledge: 24:11. But thou shalt stand without, and he shall bring out to thee what he hath. 24:12. But if he be poor, the pledge shall not lodge with thee that night, 24:13. But thou shalt restore it to him presently before the going down of the sun: that he may sleep in his own raiment and bless thee, and thou mayst have justice before the Lord thy God.
Lines 21119–21136
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.
Lines 21138–21154
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.