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what was the common practice of lending and debt like in other ancient near eastern cultures at this time?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Deuteronomy 15:7-8

“If there is with you a poor man, any of your brothers, within any of your gates in your land which Yahweh your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your poor brother; but you shall open your hand wide to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wants.”

This passage is part of Moses' final discourse to the Israelites before they enter the promised land. It is a re-statement and elaboration of the covenant laws given at Sinai, emphasizing how the community is to live in justice and care for the vulnerable once settled.

What does it mean for us to 'open our hand wide' in our own economic systems?

Then — the setting

This text, part of Deuteronomy, is generally dated to the 7th century BCE (Deuteronomic School) or earlier in oral traditions. The Israelites were a relatively small nation amidst powerful empires like Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon. These empires had well-developed legal codes, such as the Code of Hammurabi (18th century BCE Babylonian) or Middle Assyrian Laws (15th-11th centuries BCE). These codes often regulated loans, debts, and interest, sometimes setting limits but still allowing for significant economic stratification and even debt slavery, though often with provisions for release after a set period. Israelite law, while sharing some common Near Eastern legal principles, often presented more protective measures for the poor and vulnerable within the community.

Across the Testaments

This passage from the Old Testament sets a foundational principle of communal responsibility for the poor, rooted in Israel's covenant relationship with God. The New Testament largely affirms and intensifies this concern for the poor and the marginalized. Jesus's teachings, particularly the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) and his emphasis on giving to the needy (Matthew 25:31-46), expand this ethic beyond ethnic boundaries and connect it directly to one's relationship with God. While the Old Testament law provides specific regulations (like the prohibition of interest among Israelites), the New Testament often shifts the focus to the internal disposition of generosity and love as motivating principles for caring for the poor.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Exodus 22:25
Prohibits charging interest to fellow Israelites, particularly the poor.
Leviticus 25:35-37
Commands care for the poor and prohibits charging interest or increasing principal when lending to them.
Proverbs 28:27
States that giving to the poor will bring no want, but ignoring them brings curses.

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