Bible Strands
Leviticus 25:36
Do not take any interest or profit from him, but fear your God, that your countryman may live among you.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Lord addresses Moses and the Israelite assembly while establishing covenant law for economic conduct during the wilderness period.
The words — The text forbids taking נֶשֶׁךְ (neshekh, interest) and תַרְבִית (tarbit, profit) from a fellow Israelite in financial distress.
The thread — This restriction on charging interest to a countryman appears in Exodus 22:25, Deuteronomy 23:19, and Ezekiel 18:8.
Why it lands — The verse demands the reader reject exploitative lending and prioritize the physical survival of the community over personal financial gain.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee.
Cross-references
- Exodus 22:25 If you lend money to one of My people among you who is poor, you must not act as a creditor to him; you are not to charge him interest.
- Deuteronomy 23:19 Do not charge your brother interest on money, food, or any other type of loan.
- Ezekiel 18:8 He does not engage in usury or take excess interest, but he withholds his hand from iniquity and executes true justice between men.
- Leviticus 25:17 Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God; for I am the LORD your God.
- Ezekiel 18:13 He engages in usury and takes excess interest. Will this son live? He will not! Since he has committed all these abominations, he will surely die; his blood will be on his own head.
- Ezekiel 18:17 He withholds his hand from harming the poor and takes no interest or usury. He keeps My ordinances and follows My statutes. Such a man will not die for his father’s iniquity. He will surely live.
- Nehemiah 5:7 and after serious thought I rebuked the nobles and officials, saying, “You are exacting usury from your own brothers!” So I called a large assembly against them
- Nehemiah 5:15 The governors before me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver. Their servants also oppressed the people. But I did not do this, because of my fear of God.
- Psalms 15:5 who lends his money without interest and refuses a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
- Proverbs 28:8 He who increases his wealth by interest and usury lays it up for one who is kind to the poor.