24:6 take . . . in pledge. Because loans were typically given to relieve the economic hardship of the borrower (23:19 note), the material given “in pledge” was likely not collateral property of value equal to the amount of the loan, but a personal possession given as a token of the promise to pay. In keeping with the purpose of the loan, the lender was not to cause further hardship to the borrower by confiscating essential items such as household millstones or outer garments (vv. 10–13, 17). Other references to Old Testament borrowing practices include Ex. 22:26, 27; Job 22:6; 24:3, 9; Amos 2:8.