Deuteronomy 24:6

Contemporary English Version

Moses said to Israel: When you lend money to people, you are allowed to keep something of theirs as a guarantee that they will pay back the loan. But don't take one or both of their millstones, or else they may starve. They need these stones for grinding grain into flour to make bread.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Do not take a pair of grindstones or even the upper millstone as security for a debt, because that is like taking a life as security.

Hebrew Names Version
No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone to pledge; for he takes [a man's] life to pledge.

King James Version
No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man's life to pledge.

Lexham English Bible
"A person shall not take a pair of millstones or an upper millstone, for he is taking necessities of life as a pledge.

English Standard Version
"No one shall take a mill or an upper millstone in pledge, for that would be taking a life in pledge.

New Century Version
If someone owes you something, do not take his two stones for grinding grain—not even the upper one—in place of what he owes, because this is how the person makes a living.

New English Translation
One must not take either lower or upper millstones as security on a loan, for that is like taking a life itself as security.

Amplified Bible
"No one shall take a handmill or an upper millstone [used to grind grain into bread] as security [for a debt], for he would be taking a [person's] life in pledge.

New American Standard Bible
"No one shall seize a handmill or an upper millstone as a pledge for a loan, since he would be seizing the debtor's means of life as a pledge.

Geneva Bible (1587)
No man shal take the nether nor the vpper milstone to pledge: for this gage is his liuing.

Legacy Standard Bible
"No one shall take a handmill or an upper millstone in pledge, for he would be taking a life in pledge.

Complete Jewish Bible
"No one may take a mill or even an upper millstone as collateral for a loan, because that would be taking as collateral the debtor's very means of sustenance.

Darby Translation
No man shall take the hand-mill or the upper millstone in pledge; for it would be taking life in pledge.

Easy-to-Read Version
"When you lend someone something, you must not take as security any part of the stones used to grind flour. That would be the same as taking away their food.

George Lamsa Translation
No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone as a pledge; for he takes a mans life to pledge.

Good News Translation
"When you lend someone something, you are not to take as security his millstones used for grinding his grain. This would take away the family's means of preparing food to stay alive.

Literal Translation
No one shall take in pledge the lower and upper millstone, for he is taking a man's life to pledge.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou shalt no take ye nethermost and vppermost mylstone to pledge, for he hat set ye his lyuynge to pledge.

American Standard Version
No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone to pledge; for he taketh a man's life to pledge.

Bible in Basic English
No one is to take, on account of a debt, the stones with which grain is crushed: for in doing so he takes a man's living.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
No man shall take the neather or the vpper mylstone to pledge: for then he shall hurt a mans life.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone to pledge; for he taketh a man's life to pledge.

King James Version (1611)
No man shall take the nether or the vpper milstone to pledge: for hee taketh a mans life to pledge.

English Revised Version
No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man's life to pledge.

Berean Standard Bible
Do not take a pair of millstones or even an upper millstone as security for a debt, because that would be taking one's livelihood as security.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thou schalt not take in the stide of wed the lowere and the hiyere queerne stoon of thi brothir, for he puttide his lijf to thee.

Young's Literal Translation
`None doth take in pledge millstones, and rider, for life it [is] he is taking in pledge.

Update Bible Version
No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone to pledge; for he takes [a man's] life to pledge.

Webster's Bible Translation
No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone for a pledge: for he taketh [a man's] life for a pledge.

World English Bible
No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone to pledge; for he takes [a man's] life to pledge.

New King James Version
"No man shall take the lower or the upper millstone in pledge, for he takes one's living in pledge.

New Living Translation
"It is wrong to take a set of millstones, or even just the upper millstone, as security for a loan, for the owner uses it to make a living.

New Life Bible
"No one should take a man's stones that he uses to crush grain as a promise to pay what he owes, for he would be taking away a man's living.

New Revised Standard
No one shall take a mill or an upper millstone in pledge, for that would be taking a life in pledge.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
No man shall take in pledge a handmill, or an upper millstone, - for he would be taking life, in pledge.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou shalt not take the nether, nor the upper millstone to pledge: for he hath pledged his life to thee.

Revised Standard Version
"No man shall take a mill or an upper millstone in pledge; for he would be taking a life in pledge.

THE MESSAGE
Don't seize a handmill or an upper millstone as collateral for a loan. You'd be seizing someone's very life.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"No one shall take a handmill or an upper millstone in pledge, for he would be taking a life in pledge.

Contextual Overview

⁵ Moses said to Israel: If a man and a woman have been married less than one year, he must not be sent off to war or sent away to do forced labor. He must be allowed to stay home for a year and be happy with his wife. ⁶ Moses said to Israel: When you lend money to people, you are allowed to keep something of theirs as a guarantee that they will pay back the loan. But don't take one or both of their millstones, or else they may starve. They need these stones for grinding grain into flour to make bread. ⁷ Moses said to Israel: If you are guilty of kidnapping Israelites and forcing them into slavery, you will be put to death to remove this evil from the community. ⁸ Moses said to Israel: I have told the priests what to do if any of you have leprosy, so do exactly what they say. ⁹ And remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam after you left Egypt. ¹⁰ Moses said to Israel: When you lend money to people, you are allowed to keep something of theirs as a guarantee that the money will be paid back. But you must not go into their house to get it. ¹¹ Wait outside, and they will bring out the item you have agreed on. ¹² Suppose someone is so poor that a coat is the only thing that can be offered as a guarantee on a loan. Don't keep the coat overnight. ¹³ Instead, give it back before sunset, so the owner can keep warm and sleep and ask the Lord to bless you. Then the Lord your God will notice that you have done the right thing.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

shall take: Small hand-mills, which ground at one time only a sufficient quantity for a day's consumption; hence they were forbidden to take either of the stones to pledge, because if they did, they would be deprived of the means of preparing their necessary food, and the family be without bread. On this account they are called in the text, a man's life. The same reason holds good against receiving in pledge, or distraining for debt, any instrument of labour, by which men earn their livelihood. Exodus 22:26, Exodus 22:27, Revelation 18:22

life: Deuteronomy 20:19, Genesis 44:30, Luke 12:15

Reciprocal: Job 24:3 - drive Ezekiel 33:15 - restore Mark 12:44 - all her

Cross-References

Genesis 24:13
The young women of the city will soon come to this well for water,

Genesis 24:22
The servant had brought along an expensive gold ring and two large gold bracelets. When Rebekah had finished bringing the water, he gave her the ring for her nose and the bracelets for her arms.

Galatians 5:1
Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. Now hold on to your freedom and don't ever become slaves of the Law again.

Hebrews 10:39
We are not like those people who turn back and get destroyed. We will keep on having faith until we are saved.

Hebrews 11:9
Because Abraham had faith, he lived as a stranger in the promised land. He lived there in a tent, and so did Isaac and Jacob, who were later given the same promise.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge,.... The first word being of the dual number takes in both stones, wherefore Vatablus renders the words,

"ye shall not take for a pledge both the millstones, nor indeed the uppermost;''

which is the least; so far should they be from taking both, that they were not allowed to take the uppermost, which was the shortest, meanest, and lightest; and indeed if anyone of them was taken, the other became useless, so that neither was to be taken:

for he taketh [a man's] life to pledge; or with which his life is supported, and the life of his family; for if he has corn to supply them with, yet if his mill or millstones are pawned, he cannot grind his corn, and so he and his family must starve: and in those times and countries they did, as the Arabs do to this day, as Dr. Shaw d relates,

"most families grind their wheat and barley at home, having two portable millstones for that purpose; the uppermost whereof is turned round by a small handle of wood or iron, that is placed in the rim;''

and these millstones being portable, might be the more easily taken for pledges, which is here forbidden, for the above reason; and this takes in any other thing whatever, on which a man's living depends, or by which he gets his bread e.

d Travels, p. 231. Edit. 2. e Misn. Bava Metzia, c. 9. sect. 13.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Compare Exodus 22:25-26.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 24:6. The nether or the upper mill-stone — Small hand-mills which can be worked by a single person were formerly in use among the Jews, and are still used in many parts of the East. As therefore the day's meal was generally ground for each day, they keeping no stock beforehand, hence they were forbidden to take either of the stones to pledge, because in such a case the family must be without bread. On this account the text terms the millstone the man's life.