Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God; that your brother may live among you.
Parallel translations
- KJV Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee.
- BSB Do not take any interest or profit from him, but fear your God, that your countryman may live among you.
- NKJV Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you.
- NASB Do not take any kind of interest from him, but fear your God, so that your countryman may live with you.
- NLT Do not charge interest or make a profit at his expense. Instead, show your fear of God by letting him live with you as your relative.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israelites were not to charge a poor brother interest, but to fear God and let him live. Compassion was to outweigh profit.
Overview
God forbade taking interest or profit from a needy fellow Israelite, grounding the command in reverence for him. The aim was the brother's survival and restoration, not financial gain at his expense. This reflects God's heart for the vulnerable and the gospel call to generosity over greed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Exod 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. You shall not charge him interest.
- Deut 23:19–20You shall not lend on interest to your brother; interest of money, interest of food, interest of anything that is lent on interest.
- Ezek 18:8he who has not lent on interest, neither has taken any increase, who has withdrawn his hand from iniquity, has executed true justice between man and man,
- Ezek 18:13has lent on interest, and has taken increase; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations. He shall surely die. His blood shall be on him.
- Lev 25:17You shall not wrong one another; but you shall fear your God: for I am Yahweh your God.
- Ezek 18:17who has withdrawn his hand from the poor, who has not received interest nor increase, has executed my ordinances, has walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.
- Neh 5:7–10Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said to them, “You exact usury, everyone of his brother.” I held a great assembly against them.
- Neh 5:15But the former governors who were before me were supported by the people, and took bread and wine from them, plus forty shekels of silver; yes, even their servants ruled over the people; but I didn’t do so, because of the fear of God.
- Prov 28:8He who increases his wealth by excessive interest gathers it for one who has pity on the poor.
- Ps 15:5he who doesn’t lend out his money for usury, nor take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be shaken.
- Ezek 22:12In you have they taken bribes to shed blood. You have taken interest and increase, and you have greedily gained of your neighbors by oppression, and have forgotten me,” says the Lord Yahweh.
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Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 25:36 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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