◄ Exodus 22:26 ►
If you take your neighbor's cloak as collateral, return it to him by sunset,
Study Bible
If you take your neighbor’s cloak as collateral
In ancient Israel, a cloak was an essential garment, often serving as a person's only outer garment and even as a blanket at night. The law here addresses the practice of taking a cloak as a pledge or collateral for a loan. This reflects the agrarian and communal society where personal property was limited, and the cloak was a vital possession. The principle of taking collateral is seen elsewhere in Scripture, such as in Deuteronomy 24:10-13, which also emphasizes the importance of treating the poor with dignity and compassion. This practice underscores the biblical theme of justice and mercy, ensuring that the poor are not deprived of their basic needs.

return it to him by sunset
The requirement to return the cloak by sunset highlights the importance of compassion and care for one's neighbor. In the cultural and historical context, nighttime temperatures could drop significantly, making the cloak necessary for warmth. This commandment reflects God's concern for the vulnerable and His desire for His people to act with kindness and empathy. It also points to the broader biblical principle of loving one's neighbor as oneself, as seen in Leviticus 19:18 and reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 22:39. The act of returning the cloak by sunset can be seen as a type of Christ's provision and care for humanity, ensuring that our needs are met and that we are not left exposed or vulnerable.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Neighbor
Refers to a fellow Israelite or someone living within the community. The term emphasizes the relational aspect and the importance of treating others with respect and dignity.

2. Cloak
In ancient Israel, a cloak was an essential garment, often used as a blanket at night. It symbolizes basic human needs and protection.

3. Collateral
This refers to a pledge or security for a loan. The act of taking a cloak as collateral indicates a financial transaction or debt.

4. Sunset
The time by which the cloak must be returned, highlighting the urgency and importance of ensuring the neighbor's well-being.

5. Mosaic Law
The broader context of this verse is the Mosaic Law, which provided guidelines for ethical and just living among the Israelites.
Teaching Points
Compassion and Justice
The command to return the cloak by sunset underscores the importance of compassion and justice in our dealings with others. We are called to consider the basic needs of those around us and act to meet them.

Respect for Human Dignity
The cloak represents a person's dignity and basic needs. By returning it, we acknowledge and respect the inherent worth of every individual.

Timeliness in Kindness
The instruction to return the cloak by sunset teaches us the importance of acting promptly in our kindness and generosity. Delayed help can lead to unnecessary suffering.

Trust in God's Provision
By returning the cloak, the lender trusts in God's provision rather than holding onto security. This act of faith can inspire us to trust God in our own financial dealings.

Community Responsibility
This law highlights the responsibility of the community to care for one another, ensuring that no one is left vulnerable or in need.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the command to return a neighbor's cloak by sunset reflect God's character and His concern for justice and compassion?

2. In what ways can we apply the principle of returning the cloak to our modern-day financial dealings and relationships?

3. How does the concept of respecting human dignity, as seen in this verse, challenge us in our interactions with others?

4. What are some practical ways we can ensure that our acts of kindness are timely and meet the immediate needs of those around us?

5. How can trusting in God's provision, as demonstrated by returning the cloak, influence our approach to generosity and financial security?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Deuteronomy 24:12-13
Reinforces the command to return a poor man's cloak by sunset, emphasizing compassion and justice.

Matthew 5:40
Jesus teaches about going the extra mile in giving, which can be seen as an extension of the principle of generosity and care for others.

James 2:15-16
Discusses the importance of meeting the physical needs of others, aligning with the principle of returning the cloak to ensure one's neighbor is not left in need.
Sermons
Jehovah's Proteges and RepresentativesJ. Orr Exodus 22:21-29
Judgment on an UsurerWm. Anderson, D. D.Exodus 22:25-27
Pious PovertyR. Prideaux.Exodus 22:25-27
Regard for the Poor and NeedyChristian AgeExodus 22:25-27
Take Care of the PoorExodus 22:25-27
The Profit of Helping the PoorChristian AgeExodus 22:25-27
The Treatment of the PoorD. Young Exodus 22:25-27
People
Moses
Places
Mount Sinai
Topics
Cloak, Clothing, Collateral, Deliver, During, Exchange, Garment, Goes, Money, Neighbor's, Neighbour, Neighbour's, Pledge, Raiment, Restore, Return, Sets, Setting, Sunset
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Exodus 22:26

     4284   sun

Exodus 22:21-27

     5909   motives, importance

Exodus 22:25-27

     5274   credit
     5504   rights

Exodus 22:26-27

     5144   cloak
     5146   covering
     5329   guarantee
     5444   pledges
     5963   sympathy
     8607   prayer, God's promises

Library
Excursus on Usury.
The famous canonist Van Espen defines usury thus: "Usura definitur lucrum ex mutuo exactum aut speratum;" [96] and then goes on to defend the proposition that, "Usury is forbidden by natural, by divine, and by human law. The first is proved thus. Natural law, as far as its first principles are concerned, is contained in the decalogue; but usury is prohibited in the decalogue, inasmuch as theft is prohibited; and this is the opinion of the Master of the Sentences, of St. Bonaventura, of St. Thomas …
Philip Schaff—The Seven Ecumenical Councils

Parable of the Importunate Widow.
^C Luke XVIII. 1-8. ^c 1 And he spake a parable unto them to the end that they ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 saying, There was in a city a judge, who feared not God, and regarded not man [an utterly abandoned character]: 3 and there was a widow in that city; and she came oft unto him, saying, Avenge me of [rather, Do justice to me as to] mine adversary. [In Scripture language widowhood is symbolic of defenselessness (Ex. xxii. 22-24; Deut. x. 18; xxvii. 19; Mal. iii. 5; Mark xii. 40), …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Ciii. Zacchæus. Parable of the Pounds. Journey to Jerusalem.
(Jericho.) ^C Luke XIX. 1-28. ^c 1 And he entered and was passing through Jericho. [This was about one week before the crucifixion. Jericho is about seven miles from the Jordan and about seventeen and a half from Jerusalem.] 2 And behold, a man called by name Zacchaeus; and he was a chief publican, and he was rich. [See p. 76. It is probable that Zacchæus was a sub-contractor under some Roman knight who had bought the privilege of collecting taxes at Jericho, or perhaps the privilege of all …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Epistle Xl. To Mauricius Augustus.
To Mauricius Augustus. Gregory to Mauricius, &c. The Piety of my Lords in their most serene commands, while set on refuting me on certain matters, in sparing me has by no means spared me. For by the use therein of the term simplicity they politely call me silly. It is true indeed that in Holy Scripture, when simplicity is spoken of in a good sense, it is often carefully associated with prudence and uprightness. Hence it is written of the blessed Job, The man was simple and upright (Job i. 1). …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Appeal to the Christian Women of the South
BY A.E. GRIMKE. "Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not within thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place: but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this. And Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer:--and so will I go in unto the king, …
Angelina Emily Grimke—An Appeal to the Christian Women of the South

Epistle xvii. To Felix, Bishop of Messana.
To Felix, Bishop of Messana. To our most reverend brother, the Bishop Felix, Gregory, servant of the servants of God [246] . Our Head, which is Christ, to this end has willed us to be His members, that through His large charity and faithfulness He might make us one body in Himself, to whom it befits us so to cling that, since without Him we can do nothing, through Him we may be enabled to be what we are called. From the citadel of the Head let nothing divide us, lest, if we refuse to be His members, …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Feast of the Dedication. The Jews Attempt to Stone Jesus and He Retires to Peræa.
(Jerusalem and Beyond Jordan.) ^D John X. 22-42. ^d 22 And it was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem: 23; it was winter; and Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. [The feast of dedication was one of eight days' duration and began upon the 25th Chisleu, which, according to the calculation of M. Chevannes, fell upon the nineteenth or twentieth of December, a.d. 29. The feast was kept in honor of the renovation and purification of the temple in the year b.c. 164, after it had been desecrated …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

A Summary of the Christian Life. Of Self-Denial.
The divisions of the chapter are,--I. The rule which permits us not to go astray in the study of righteousness, requires two things, viz., that man, abandoning his own will, devote himself entirely to the service of God; whence it follows, that we must seek not our own things, but the things of God, sec. 1, 2. II. A description of this renovation or Christian life taken from the Epistle to Titus, and accurately explained under certain special heads, sec. 3 to end. 1. ALTHOUGH the Law of God contains …
Archpriest John Iliytch Sergieff—On the Christian Life

Jesus' Last Public Discourse. Denunciation of Scribes and Pharisees.
(in the Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, a.d. 30.) ^A Matt. XXIII. 1-39; ^B Mark XII. 38-40; ^C Luke XX. 45-47. ^a 1 Then spake Jesus ^b 38 And in his teaching ^c in the hearing of all the people he said unto ^a the multitudes, and to his disciples [he spoke in the most public manner], 2 saying, ^c 46 Beware of the scribes, ^a The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat: 3 all things whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Circumcision, Temple Service, and Naming of Jesus.
(the Temple at Jerusalem, b.c. 4) ^C Luke II. 21-39. ^c 21 And when eight days [Gen. xvii. 12] were fulfilled for circumcising him [The rite was doubtless performed by Joseph. By this rite Jesus was "made like unto his brethren" (Heb. ii. 16, 17); that is, he became a member of the covenant nation, and became a debtor to the law--Gal. v. 3] , his name was called JESUS [see Luke i. 59], which was so called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. [Luke i. 31.] 22 And when the days of their …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Development of the Earlier Old Testament Laws
[Sidenote: First the principle, and then the detailed laws] If the canon of the New Testament had remained open as long as did that of the Old, there is little doubt that it also would have contained many laws, legal precedents, and ecclesiastical histories. From the writings of the Church Fathers and the records of the Catholic Church it is possible to conjecture what these in general would have been. The early history of Christianity illustrates the universal fact that the broad principles are …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

The Blessing of Jacob Upon Judah. (Gen. Xlix. 8-10. )
Ver. 8. "Judah, thou, thy brethren shall praise thee; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; before thee shall bow down the sons of thy father. Ver. 9. A lion's whelp is Judah; from the prey, my son, thou goest up; he stoopeth down, he coucheth as a lion, and as a full-grown lion, who shall rouse him up? Ver. 10. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto Him the people shall adhere." Thus does dying Jacob, in announcing …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Eighth Commandment
Thou shalt not steal.' Exod 20: 15. AS the holiness of God sets him against uncleanness, in the command Thou shalt not commit adultery;' so the justice of God sets him against rapine and robbery, in the command, Thou shalt not steal.' The thing forbidden in this commandment, is meddling with another man's property. The civil lawyers define furtum, stealth or theft to be the laying hands unjustly on that which is another's;' the invading another's right. I. The causes of theft. [1] The internal causes …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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