And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge:
The law forbids keeping a poor borrower's pledged garment overnight, requiring its return before nightfall so he can use it to sleep. That garment is his only covering for sleep, so it must be given back by sunset to meet his immediate need and to guard his dignity. The lender must respect the borrower's rights and needs by not going into his house to take the pledge, but by standing outside in the street while the borrower brings it out. This rule shows tender regard for the poor and requires mercy and just, merciful treatment of the poor, the unemployed and the homeless, forbidding oppression in lending, borrowing and business dealing even when a debt is owed.
It belongs to Israel's laws for caring for the needy, given as provision for people in poverty within a plan meant to serve as an example for all people. God hears the cry of a person deprived of the pledged covering and is gracious toward him. In the days of Christ these merciful provisions for pledges were little regarded.
Christ's command to release the coat and give the cloak also goes beyond what Moses authorized. It requires submission to the decisions of the courts even when they demand part of one's clothing. It requires willingness to surrender to a creditor even more than the court authorizes him to seize.
The law forbids keeping a poor borrower's pledged garment overnight, requiring its return before nightfall so he can use it to sleep. That garment is his only covering for sleep, so it must be given back by sunset to meet his immediate need and to guard his dignity. The lender must respect the borrower's rights and needs by not going into his house to take the pledge, but by standing outside in the street while the borrower brings it out. This rule shows tender regard for the poor and requires mercy and just, merciful treatment of the poor, the unemployed and the homeless, forbidding oppression in lending, borrowing and business dealing even when a debt is owed.
It belongs to Israel's laws for caring for the needy, given as provision for people in poverty within a plan meant to serve as an example for all people. God hears the cry of a person deprived of the pledged covering and is gracious toward him. In the days of Christ these merciful provisions for pledges were little regarded.
Christ's command to release the coat and give the cloak also goes beyond what Moses authorized. It requires submission to the decisions of the courts even when they demand part of one's clothing. It requires willingness to surrender to a creditor even more than the court authorizes him to seize.