“Return his cloak by sunset”
If you take your neighbor's cloak as collateral, return it to him by sunset,… because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? (Exodus 22:26–27 BSB)
What it sounds like today
A minor rule about returning borrowed collateral.
The cultural key
The law reveals a whole world of poverty and mercy. The 'cloak' (simlah) was the large outer garment an ordinary Israelite wore by day and wrapped up in to sleep by night; for the poor it was often the only substantial piece of clothing they owned, doubling as coat, blanket, and bedroll. A creditor could take this cloak as a pledge on a loan, but the law commands that it be returned every evening, because without it the poor debtor has nothing to sleep in and will be cold. So the pledge becomes a daily ritual: handed over by day, returned by night, a legal system engineered so that securing a debt can never strip a poor person of basic dignity and warmth. God adds that He personally hears the cry of the cold and wronged. Jesus draws on this exact background when he says, 'if anyone wants to sue you for your tunic, let him have your cloak as well', giving away even the garment the law protects. A modern reader sees dry collateral law; the first hearers saw the mercy woven into it.
Recovered meaning
A poor man's cloak was also his only blanket, so the law let a lender hold it by day but required returning it each night. It is legislation designed to secure a debt without stripping the poor of dignity and warmth, mercy built into the law.