Exodus 22:25

25 "If you lend money to my people, to any of the down-and-out among you, don't come down hard on them and gouge them with interest.

Exodus 22:25 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 22:25

If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee,
&c,] Such only need to borrow money, and to whom it should be freely lent, when it may be to the good of the borrower, and not any injury to the lender: this law, according to the Jewish writers, only respects Israelites, and not Gentiles; agreeably to which is Jarchi's note,

``if thou lend, that is, not to a Gentile; and to which of my people? the poor, and to which of the poor? that is with thee:''

thou shalt not be to him as an usurer;
that will not lend without usury, nor without an exorbitant interest, and deals very hardly with the borrower if he is not punctual in the payment of it; the Israelites were not only not to be usurers, but they were not to be like them; they were not to require anything for lending a poor man a little money; as not any settled interest, so neither were they to take any previous gift or reward later, see ( Luke 6:34 Luke 6:35 )

neither shalt thou lay upon him usury;
or oblige him to give interest for money borrowed: it is in the plural, number, "neither shall ye lay"; and Aben Ezra observes, that the lender, scribe, and witness, all transgress this law; that is, when a man lends money on interest, and a bond is made by the scribe for it, and this signed by witnesses, all are guilty of the breach of it: yea, some Jewish writers ^F8 say, not only those, but whoever is a surety or bondsman for the payment, and even the borrower himself, (See Gill on Psalms 15:5).

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FOOTNOTES:

F8 Misn. Bava Metzia, c. 5. sect. 11. Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.

Exodus 22:25 In-Context

23 If you do and they cry out to me, you can be sure I'll take them most seriously;

24 I'll show my anger and come raging among you with the sword, and your wives will end up widows and your children orphans.

25 "If you lend money to my people, to any of the down-and-out among you, don't come down hard on them and gouge them with interest.

26 "If you take your neighbor's coat as security, give it back before nightfall;

27 it may be your neighbor's only covering - what else does the person have to sleep in? And if I hear the neighbor crying out from the cold, I'll step in - I'm compassionate.