John Gill Commentary


John Gill Commentary
"If thou at all take thy neighbor`s garment to pledge, thou shalt restore it unto him before the sun goeth down:" — Exodus 22:26 (ASV)
If you at all take your neighbour's raiment to pledge
So that it seems that the lender, though he might not impose usury on the borrower, or oblige him to pay interest for what he lent him, yet for the security of his money he might take his clothes, either his bed clothes or wearing apparel, or any instruments or goods of his; but when he did, he was bound to what follows:
you shall deliver it to him by that the sun goes down ;
the reason of which appears in the next verse, with respect to his bed clothes, should that be the pledge: but Jarchi interprets it, not of his nocturnal clothes, but of his apparel in the daytime, and paraphrases it thus,
``all the day you shall restore it to him until the setting of the sun; and when the sun is set, you shall return and take it until the morning of the morrow comes; the Scripture speaks of the covering of the day, of which there is no need at night;'' but rather night clothes are meant by what follows.