Oppress: this verb, translated similarly in 6.2, carries the idea of exploitation or taking unfair advantage of another person. An American Translation translates “defraud,” while New Jerusalem Bible has “exploit.”

Neighbor: this word is used of a member of the same clan, of a fellow Israelite, or in the very general sense of any other person. In this context the most general meaning is probably intended. See 6.2 and 18.20.

Hired servant: any person who has agreed to do a particular job for a mutually acceptable price. One may wish to translate “a person you have hired for a particular job” or something similar.

Wages … shall not remain with you: a day laborer must be paid at sundown (compare Matt 20.8).

All night until the morning: since this expression is redundant, it is probably unwise to translate it literally. There are many ways in which the meaning may be conveyed; for example, “after sundown,” “overnight,” “until the next day,” or “through the night.”

The entire second sentence of this verse may be restructured to read “If you agree with a worker on a particular job, do not refuse to pay him at the end of that day” or “If someone works for you, be sure to pay him before the day is finished.”

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René and Ellington, John. A Handbook on Leviticus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1990. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .