Deuteronomy 24:10-13
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This isn't just about not being intrusive; it's a profound statement about maintaining dignity. By forbidding the creditor from entering the debtor's home to seize collateral, God protects the poor person's privacy and prevents their shame from being publicly displayed. It ensures the borrower chooses what to give, rather than having the best taken from them.
“When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not go into his house to collect his pledge. You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you. And if he is a poor man, you shall not sleep in his pledge. You shall restore to him the pledge as the sun sets, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you. And it shall be righteousness for you before the LORD your God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage is part of a series of laws concerning how Israelites were to treat one another, particularly those in vulnerable situations. Following regulations about marriages and warfare, these verses shift to the ethics of lending and borrowing. The focus is on protecting the dignity and basic needs of the poor, ensuring that even when taking a pledge for a loan, a creditor must act with respect and consideration for the debtor's circumstances.
Imagine needing to borrow money. Your neighbor, the one you're supposed to love, comes to collect. Instead of trusting you, they push past your door to rummage through your belongings. How does that feel?
This verse is all about preserving the dignity of the borrower. When a neighbor makes a loan, the lender isn't allowed to barge into their home to seize a pledge (a security item for the debt).
God links financial dealings directly to spiritual outcomes. What does this verse suggest about the character of a truly righteous person?
While the focus is on protecting the borrower, the verse also highlights the character and reward of the lender who obeys.
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Understand the original words
‘ăḇōṭ · Hebrew Noun
An object or security given as a guarantee for the repayment of a loan or performance of an obligation, meant to be returned upon completion of the agreement.
‘ānî · Hebrew Adjective
One who lacks material wealth or the means to provide for one's own basic necessities; often coupled with vulnerability and reliance upon God.
śalmâ · Hebrew Noun
An outer garment, often a large rectangular cloth used for warmth during the day and as a blanket/covering at night.
ṣĕdāqâ · Hebrew Noun
The state or quality of being right, just, and in conformity with God's standards, often expressed through acts of kindness and obedience to His law.
This passage lays the foundation for the law given in Deuteronomy, detailing the prohibition against keeping essential items like cloaks as pledges overnight, emphasizing God's compassion for the vulnerable.
Luke 6:34-35Jesus expands on the concept of love, urging his followers not to merely lend to those who can repay, but to lend hoping for nothing in return, echoing the selfless spirit of this command in Deuteronomy.
Ezekiel 18:7-8The prophet Ezekiel lists 'not oppressing anyone,' and 'returning a pledge' among the righteous acts of a person who will surely live, directly correlating the faithful handling of pledges with right living before God.
Matthew 7:12This verse, the Golden Rule, provides the underlying principle: 'Do to others what you would have them do to you.' Not going into your neighbor's house to take a pledge is a practical outworking of this profound command.
ellicottDeuteronomy 24:10: "When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge."
(10-13) When thou dost lend. —The law in these verses is evidently the production of primitive and simple times, when men had little more than the bare necessaries of life to offer as security—their own clothing, or the mill-stones used to prepare their daily food, being almost their only portable property. (See Exodus 22:26-27 .) It shall be righteousness.—LXX., it shall be alm…
bensonDeuteronomy 24:10: "When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge."
Deuteronomy 24:10-13 . Thou shalt not go in — To prevent both the poor man’s reproach, by having his wants exposed, and the creditor’s greediness, which might be occasioned by the sight of something which he desired, and the debtor could not spare. The pledge — He shall choose what pledge he pleases, provided it be sufficient for the purpose. Thou shalt not sleep — But restore i…
This isn't just about not being intrusive; it's a profound statement about maintaining dignity. By forbidding the creditor from entering the debtor's home to seize collateral, God protects the poor person's privacy and prevents their shame from being publicly displayed. It ensures the borrower chooses what to give, rather than having the best taken from them.
This passage is part of a series of laws concerning how Israelites were to treat one another, particularly those in vulnerable situations. Following regulations about marriages and warfare, these verses shift to the ethics of lending and borrowing. The focus is on protecting the dignity and basic needs of the poor, ensuring that even when taking a pledge for a loan, a creditor must act with respect and consideration for the debtor's circumstances.
This passage is part of a series of laws concerning how Israelites were to treat one another, particularly those in vulnerable situations. Following regulations about marriages and warfare, these verses shift to the ethics of lending and borrowing. The focus is on protecting the dignity and basic needs of the poor, ensuring that even when taking a pledge for a loan, a creditor must act with respect and consideration for the debtor's circumstances.
"“When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not go into his house to collect his pledge. You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you. And if he is a poor man, you shall no…" — This isn't just about not being intrusive; it's a profound statement about maintaining dignity. By forbidding the creditor from entering the debtor's home to seize collateral, God protects the poor p…
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Last reviewed October 2026
