richmahn_en_tn/deu/24/17.md

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General Information:

Moses speaks to the Israelites as if they were one man, so the words "you" and "your" here are singular. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-you)

You must not use force to take away the justice that is due the foreigner or the fatherless

Moses speaks of justice as if it were a physical object that a stronger person can violently pull away from a weaker person. Alternate translation: "You must not treat a foreigner or the fatherless unfairly" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)

fatherless

This refers to children whose parents have both died and do not have relatives to care for them.

nor take the widow's cloak as a pledge

A lender would take something from the borrower to ensure that she would pay him back. He was not allowed to take her coat because she needed it to stay warm. The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. Alternate translation: "and do not take a widow's cloak as a pledge because she needs it to stay warm" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit)