24:1 When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come
to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he
hath found some uncleanness in her: a then let him write
her a bill of divorcement, and give [it] in her hand, and
send her out of his house.
(a) By this God does not approve light divorcement, but
permits it to avoid further inconvenience;
(Mt 19:7).
24:4 Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her
again to be his wife, after that she is b defiled; for
that [is] abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not
cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee
[for] an inheritance.
(b) Seeing that by divorcing her he judged her to be
unclean and defiled.
24:5 When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to
war, c neither shall he be charged with any business:
[but] he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up
his wife which he hath taken.
(c) That they might learn to know one another's conditions,
and so afterward live in godly peace.
24:6 No man shall take the nether or the upper d millstone to
pledge: for he taketh [a man's] life to pledge.
(d) Not anything by which a man gets his living.
24:10 When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not
go e into his house to fetch his pledge.
(e) As though you would appoint what to have, but shall
receive what be may spare.
24:13 In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when
the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment,
and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee
f before the LORD thy God.
(f) Though he would be unthankful, yet God will not forget
it.
24:17 Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the g stranger,
[nor] of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to
pledge:
(g) Because the world valued these people least, therefore
God has most care over them.
24:22 And thou shalt remember that thou wast h a bondman in
the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this
thing.
(h) God judged them not mindful of his beasts, unless they
were beneficial to others.
