You asked

what are the ethical trade offs between profit driven lending and social welfare in modern finance?

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 series of laws given to the ancient Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. It outlines specific regulations for their community life, emphasizing how they should treat one another, particularly regarding financial matters.

How might the principle of community well-being, as presented here, inform our approach to financial systems today?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Exodus 22:25
This verse also commands against charging interest to the poor among the Israelite people.
Leviticus 25:35-37
It further elaborates on the treatment of fellow Israelites in financial distress, forbidding interest on loans.
Nehemiah 5:1-13
This narrative describes Nehemiah's forceful action against wealthier Jews who were charging excessive interest to their poorer kin, leading to debt-slavery.

Ask your own follow-up