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how did ancient israelite society view borrowing and lending practices?

PlainDeeperStudy

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Deuteronomy 23:19-20

““You shall not lend on interest to your brother: interest of money, interest of food, interest of anything that is lent on interest. You may lend on interest to a foreigner; but to your brother you shall not lend on interest, that Yahweh your God may bless you in all that you put your hand to, in the land where you go in to possess it.””

This passage is part of a larger collection of laws in Deuteronomy, given by Moses to the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. These laws shaped their society, emphasizing their unique relationship with God and with one another.

How do we balance the needs of community and economic practice in our own time?

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Read alongside it

  • Leviticus 25:35-37

    This passage from Leviticus gives similar instructions about not charging interest to fellow Israelites, linking it to care for the poor.

  • Exodus 22:25

    This earlier law also prohibits charging interest to the poor among the Israelites, focusing on the vulnerability of debtors.

  • Luke 6:34-35

    Jesus' teaching expands the principle of generosity beyond national lines, urging followers to 'lend, hoping for nothing back'.

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