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how might this proverb inform our understanding of modern consumer debt or predatory lending?

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

Proverbs 22:7

The rich rule over the poor. The borrower is servant to the lender.

The book of Proverbs is a collection of wisdom sayings, mostly attributed to King Solomon, offering practical guidance for living well and discerning right from wrong. This particular proverb speaks to the social and economic realities of its time.

what responsibilities might this proverb suggest for both lenders and borrowers in our current economic systems?

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Read alongside it

  • Deuteronomy 15:7-8

    This passage calls for generosity in lending to the needy among the Israelite community.

  • Matthew 6:12

    Jesus teaches his followers to pray for forgiveness of debts, connecting financial and spiritual realities.

  • Romans 13:8

    Paul advises to 'owe no one anything, except to love one another,' reflecting on financial and relational obligations.

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