24:1 he found something objectionable The Hebrew word used here, erwah, literally means “nakedness.” The idiom used here and in Deut 23:14—erwath davar (which may be literally rendered “naked thing”)—appears to refer to anything indecent or unseemly.

writes her a letter of divorce Possibly a written document, though this could also refer to an oral decree or public gesture by the husband. In ot law husbands initiated divorce. However, a woman could conceivably have used Exod 21:7–11 to obtain a divorce.

24:2 becomes a wife for another man Or, the divorced woman gets remarried.

24:4 after she has been defiled In this scenario, a man cannot remarry a woman that he divorced if she has been married and had sex with another man. The reasoning behind the principle may be that it would effectively be as if the husband was accepting his wife back after she had committed adultery.

24:5 he shall bring joy to his wife A newlywed man was exempt from military obligations for one year (compare Deut 20:6–8).

24:6 A person shall not take a pair of millstones or an upper millstone This law forbids creditors from taking this important implement for grinding grain for food as collateral. Similarly, the laws in vv. 10–13 and 24:17 restrict oppressive lending practices.

24:7 that kidnapper shall die Exodus 21:16 essentially specifies this same law, but Deuteronomy has only Israelites in view.

24:8 infectious skin disease The Hebrew word used here, tsara’ath, is a general term for a range of skin diseases. See note on Lev 14:3.

the priests and the Levites have instructed you Leviticus 13–14 discusses diagnosis of skin diseases and ritual purity procedures.

24:9 did to Miriam When Miriam was struck with a skin disease, Yahweh refused to instantly heal her, even though Moses pleaded with Yahweh to do so. Instead, she was required to remain secluded outside the camp for seven days, after which she was permitted to re-enter the camp (Num 12:10–15).

24:10 you shall not go into his house Collecting a debt was not an acceptable reason to enter or abscond with private property.

24:12 you shall not sleep in his pledge The pledge refers to an item of property a creditor has taken as collateral.

24:13 You shall certainly return the pledge to him as the sun sets A lender was forbidden from taking a cloth or cloak used for warmth as a pledge except for in daylight hours, when the debtor would not need it for warmth.

24:15 his life depends on it See Exodus 22:21–23 and Deut 15:9 for other laws protecting the poor.

24:16 for his own sin This verse emphasizes individual accountability for sin. Other passages allude to corporate responsibility such as 5:9 and Exod 20:5. Corporate responsibility for sin does not mean succeeding generations are punished for the sins of earlier generations. But, the consequences of the sins of earlier generations may effect later generations. Deuteronomy 24:16, however, forbids that with respect to death penalty offenses. See note on Exod 20:5.

24:17 an alien or an orphan The law protected certain groups who would have been especially vulnerable in ancient Near Eastern society—foreigners, orphans, and widows. The resident alien and orphan were more susceptible to poverty because they did not have economic support from family and clan units.

you shall not take as pledge the garment of a widow While creditors could take some persons’ garments as collateral to pressure debt repayment (though returning them at night if needed; see Deut 24:12–13), widows were exempt from that allowance, possibly due to its sentimental value, her age, or its value for her livelihood (see Job 24:3).