Lending
Summary
The practice of loaning money or goods; Scripture regulates lending to protect the poor and prohibits charging interest to fellow Israelites.
☩Laws on Interest
The Law prohibited charging interest (Hebrew 'neshek,' meaning 'bite') to fellow Israelites: 'Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother' (Deuteronomy 23:19). Interest could be charged to foreigners (Deuteronomy 23:20). This protected poor Israelites from the oppression of debt that often led to servitude. Ezekiel condemned those who took 'usury and increase' as violators of God's law (Ezekiel 18:13).
☩Pledges and Generosity
When taking a pledge, creditors could not take items essential to life or dignity—a widow's garment (Deuteronomy 24:17), millstones needed to grind grain (Deuteronomy 24:6), or a poor man's only cloak (Exodus 22:26-27). Scripture commends generous lending: 'He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD' (Proverbs 19:17). Jesus taught, 'Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away' (Matthew 5:42).
Related Verses27 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Lending," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Lending," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).