The Hebrew noun salmah refers to an outer garment or cloak — the large piece of cloth used as clothing by day and a covering at night. It is closely related to simlah and both words are used interchangeably for the garment of the poor.
Salmah carries profound ethical and theological weight in the Mosaic law. If a creditor takes a poor person's cloak (salmah) as a pledge, it must be returned before sunset because it is that person's only covering (Exodus 22:26-27). 'When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate,' says God. The vulnerability of the garment-less poor becomes a direct access point to God's compassion. This principle anticipates Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:40 and James' sharp warning about showing partiality to the rich.