You asked

what are the modern equivalents of 'interest' and 'profit' that exacerbate poverty?

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

Exodus 22:25

“If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor. Neither shall you charge him interest.”

This verse is part of a collection of laws given to the people of Israel after their exodus from Egypt, found in the book of Exodus. These laws provide instructions for how they are to live as a community and relate to one another, particularly concerning justice and care for the vulnerable.

What systems or practices in our present world, even if seemingly neutral, might place undue burdens on the vulnerable, echoing the concern about charging interest to the poor?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Deuteronomy 23:19-20
This passage reiterates the prohibition against charging interest to fellow Israelites, but permits it to foreigners.
Leviticus 25:35-37
This law connects lending without interest to supporting a struggling brother within the community.
Nehemiah 5:1-11
This narrative describes Nehemiah confronting wealthy Jews who were charging exorbitant interest to their poor neighbors during a famine, leading to debt-slavery.

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