And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. Therefore I command you to do this thing.
- KJV And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.
- BSB Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt. Therefore I am commanding you to do this.
- NKJV And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this thing.
- NLT Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt. That is why I am giving you this command.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israel must remember their slavery in Egypt as the motive for caring for the poor. Redemption remembered produces mercy practiced.
Overview
This repeated reminder seals the gleaning laws with the memory of Israel's own bondage and God's deliverance. Because they were once helpless and were redeemed, they must show like compassion to the helpless among them. This is the gospel logic of grateful obedience: those forgiven much love much (Luke 7:47), and the redeemed reflect their Redeemer's mercy.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Deut 24:18but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and Yahweh your God redeemed you there. Therefore I command you to do this thing.
- Deut 7:8but because Yahweh loves you, and because he desires to keep the oath which he swore to your fathers, Yahweh has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
- 1 Jn 4:10–11In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
- Isa 51:1“Listen to me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek Yahweh: look to the rock you were cut from, and to the quarry you were dug from.
- 2 Cor 8:8–9I speak not by way of commandment, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity also of your love.
- Eph 5:1–2Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children.
- Deut 5:14–15but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God, in which you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 24:22 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.