Deuteronomy 24:15 Meaning and Explanation
“At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →A delayed payment can seem small to the person holding the money, while it may determine whether another household eats, travels, or rests in peace. This command brings economic dealings into the presence of the LORD. It asks Israel to see an hired servant as a neighbor whose need is immediate and whose cry matters to God.
Deuteronomy 24:15 commands prompt payment for a poor worker because the wage is needed that very day. Withholding it is an act of oppression that God hears and counts as sin.
The Context of Deuteronomy 24:15
Moses gives Israel laws for life in the land the LORD is giving them. The chapter addresses household order, pledges for loans, kidnapping, instruction from the priests, justice, and care for vulnerable people. Verses 10-13 protect a poor borrower from humiliating treatment and require the return of a needed garment by sunset. Verses 14-15 then turn to the poor and needy hired servant, including the stranger living within Israel's gates. The next verses require personal accountability in judgment and protect the stranger, fatherless, and widow. The chapter repeatedly joins justice with Israel's memory of redemption from Egypt.
What Does Deuteronomy 24:15 Mean?
The command is precise: "At his day thou shalt give him his hire." The worker's pay belongs in his hand on the day it is earned. "Neither shall the sun go down upon it" sets a clear boundary. The day is closing, and the wage is still urgently needed. Moses supplies the reason: "he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it." His attention is fixed on the payment because it bears the weight of ordinary necessities. The employer is therefore called to deal truthfully, promptly, and attentively. The verse treats delay in payment as a moral matter, not simply an inconvenience or a private business decision.
This instruction stands beside laws that guard the poor person's cloak and forbid oppression of a hired servant. Together they reveal that power over another person's need carries responsibility before God. Israel had known forced labor and dependence in Egypt, and the chapter later calls them to remember that the LORD redeemed them. Their own history was to shape their treatment of people with little social protection. The law includes "thy brethren" and "thy strangers," so need and justice extend beyond close kinship. A worker may have less bargaining power, yet the LORD sees the labor, the agreement, and the withheld wage. Economic faithfulness belongs within covenant life.
The final warning gives the command its deepest seriousness: the worker may cry unto the LORD, and unpaid hire may become sin to the employer. Scripture often presents the LORD as the hearer of the afflicted person's cry. He is neither distant from daily labor nor indifferent to an overlooked obligation. James later speaks directly to wealthy landowners whose withheld wages cry out, showing the enduring moral force of this concern. Christ's teaching likewise honors service rendered in his name and directs his followers toward mercy and faithful stewardship. Deuteronomy 24:15 grounds these themes in a simple act of justice: giving a vulnerable worker what has been earned when it is needed.
Bible Verses Related to Deuteronomy 24:15
“Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.”
- Leviticus 19:13
“If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;”
- Job 31:13
“And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.”
- Malachi 3:5
“Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.”
- James 5:4
Where Deuteronomy 24:15 Echoes in Scripture
James 5:4 gives a strong later echo of this command. James warns those who have kept back the hire of laborers, saying that the withheld wages cry out and that the cries of the workers have reached the Lord. His language carries forward Deuteronomy's warning that a poor worker may cry unto the LORD. The echo shows that God continues to attend closely to unjust treatment in the ordinary world of fields, work, and pay.
How to Apply Deuteronomy 24:15 Today
This verse invites us to examine the ways our decisions affect people who depend on timely compensation. Employers, clients, managers, and anyone who owes money can plan so that agreed payment is clear, accurate, and prompt. We may also notice workers whose labor is easily overlooked: cleaners, caregivers, delivery workers, contractors, seasonal laborers, and those serving in our homes or communities. Where an error, delay, or forgotten obligation has occurred, honest repair honors God and our neighbor. The command also teaches us to resist treating another person's financial need as leverage. Everyday integrity includes keeping promises when another person's daily provision rests on them.
Reflection & Prayer
Where might our use of money, authority, or delay make another person's burden heavier? We can ask the LORD to make us attentive to needs that are hidden from us and faithful in every obligation placed in our hands. Suggested prayer: "Lord, teach us to deal justly, to remember those whose needs are urgent, and to honor thee by keeping our word."