Leviticus 25:37

37 You must not give your money to him with interest or give your food for profit.

Leviticus 25:37 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 25:37

Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury
Lend him money, expecting and insisting upon a large interest for it; this is to be understood of persons in poor and necessitous circumstances, of which the text only speaks; otherwise, if persons borrow money to gain by it, to carry on a greater trade, or to make purchase with it, it is but reasonable that the lender should have a share of profit arising from thence: nor lend him thy victuals for increase;
by which it should seem that those two words, used in ( Leviticus 25:36 ) , though in the main they signify the same thing, yet may be distinguished, the one as concerning money, the other food; and which latter is not to be given by way of loan to a person in want of it, but freely; as for instance, if a man gives a poor man a bushel of wheat, on condition he gives him two for it hereafter, this is lending or giving his victuals for increase.

Leviticus 25:37 In-Context

35 " 'And if your countryman becomes poor and {if he becomes dependent on you}, then you shall support him [like] an alien and [like] a temporary resident, and he shall live with you.
36 You must not take interest or usury from him, but you shall revere your God, and your countryman shall live with you.
37 You must not give your money to him with interest or give your food for profit.
38 I [am] Yahweh your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt to give {you} the land of Canaan, to be as God for you.
39 " 'And if your countryman [who is] with you becomes poor, and he is sold to you, {you shall not treat him as a slave}.

Footnotes 3

Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.