Ezekiel 18:8

Eze 18:8 He [that] hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, [that] hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,

Ver. 8. He that hath not given forth upon usury.] Of this sin, see what I have said elsewhere. {Exo 22:25 Psa 15:5 Neh 5:10}

Neither hath taken any increase.] Interest we call it now, after the French, who first helped us to that fine word. {a} But let the patrons of usury consider that what distinctions soever they bring for it, God alloweth here of no usury, but condemneth both Neshec the biting, and Tarbith the toothless usury, as equally naught.

That hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity.] Whether it be injury to another, revenge, raking together riches of unrighteousness, reaching after honours, &c.

Hath executed true judgment.] Without partiality or passion, whether he be a judge or an arbitrator.

{a} Nihil interest inter funas et foenus; nihil inter mortem distat et sortem. - Ambros.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

18:8 Lending money with interest to those in need was outlawed because of the temptation it presented to abuse the borrower (see Exod 22:25).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

usury--literally, "biting." The law forbade the Jew to take interest from brethren but permitted him to do so from a foreigner (Exo 22:25; Deu 23:19-20; Neh 5:7; Psa 15:5). The letter of the law was restricted to the Jewish polity, and is not binding now; and indeed the principle of taking interest was even then sanctioned, by its being allowed in the case of a foreigner. The spirit of the law still binds us, that we are not to take advantage of our neighbor's necessities to enrich ourselves, but be satisfied with moderate, or even no, interest, in the case of the needy.

increase--in the case of other kinds of wealth; as "usury" refers to money (Lev 25:36).

withdrawn . . . hand, &c.--Where he has the opportunity and might find a plausible plea for promoting his own gain at the cost of a wrong to his neighbor, he keeps back his hand from what selfishness prompts.

judgment--justice.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 8.

10. Hath not given forth upon usury] בנשך לא יתן beneshech lo yitten. נשך nasach signifies to bite; usury is properly so termed, because it bites into and devours the principal. Usury signifies, with us, exacting unlawful interest for money; and taking the advantage of a man's necessities to advance him cash on exorbitant profit. This bites the receiver in his property, and the lender in his salvation.

11. Neither hath taken any increase] In lending has not required more than was lent; and has not taken that product of the cash lent, which was more than the value for its use. This may be a part of the tenth article.

12. That hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity] Never associates with those who act contrary to justice and equity; his hand or influence being never found among evil workers.

13. Hath executed true judgment between man and man] Being neither swayed by prejudice, fear, nor favour.

These thirteen points concern his social and civil relations.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(8) Given forth upon usury.—In Scripture usury does not mean excessive interest, as often in modern legislation, but any interest at all. This was strictly forbidden in the law to be taken of any Hebrew, though allowed, without limit as to amount, from foreigners. It had nothing to do with the regulation of commercial transactions, but was simply a law of kindness to a fellow member of the same household of faith in a primitive state of society. The Israelite was to lend freely to his impoverished neighbour to assist him, but without any expectation of gain for himself.

Executed true judgment.—This applies, of course, especially and directly to judicial sentences, but extends also to all cases in which one is brought to intervene in any way in transactions between others. What is required is absolute fairness, truthfulness, and integrity in the constant transactions of man with man.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. On usury cf. the humane law, Lev_25:35-37. The case supposed is that of lending to the poor, Exo_22:25; Deu_23:20.

executed true judgment] When acting as judge, or as umpire between man and man.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood,.... But if this just man beget a son that is a thief and a murderer, as he may; for grace is not conveyed by natural generation, though sin is: a good man has often bad children, even such as are guilty of capital crimes, as a "robber", a "highwayman", a "breaker up", or "through", as the word (e) signifies; one that breaks through walls, and into houses, and breaks through all the laws of God and man; and sticks not to shed innocent blood in committing his thefts and robberies, as these sins often go together; such an one was Barabbas, whose name signifies the son of a father, and perhaps his father might be a good man:

and that doeth the like to any one of these things; or that does anyone of these things, whether theft or murder.

(e) "effractorem", Montanus, Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius, Polanus, Piscator, Grotius.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Usury - is the profit exacted for the loan of money, “increase” that which is taken for goods; both are forbidden Lev 25:36; Deu 23:19. The placing out of capital at interest for commercial purposes is not taken into consideration. The case is that of money lent to a brother in distress.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Increase more than what he lent, on any pretext. (St. Jerome) (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Given forth; lent or put into another’s hand, on condition of returning not the same, or equal value, but much more.

Upon usury; biting usury, (as the word implieth,) which no doubt is prohibited because of the injury it doth to the borrower, and the undue gain it brings to the lender. A rigorous imposing conditions of gain for the loan of money or goods, and exacting them without respect to the condition of the borrower, whether he gain or lose; whether poverty occasioned his borrowing, or whether visible likelihood of gain by employing the borrowed goods; which sort of usury is against both the law of charity, as well as against the express will of God, who prohibits it, Exo 22:25; Lev 25:35-37; Deu 23:19,20.

Any is not in the Hebrew, though interpreters here insert it for the greater emphasis and weight. This

increase here mentioned is by the critics in the Hebrew said to be either a receiving of the borrower some gratuity for lending that, for which the borrower must pay use also; a kind of oppression too common among us, called procuration, or continuation; or else when the buyer is required to increase the price, or return the thing he bought, which growing dearer than at the time he received it, proves an oppression to him. And this I suppose was usual among the covetous traders, who sold and gave day for payment; but if the commodity grew dearer, they exacted the thing again, or the increased price.

That hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity: this I think is not here to be taken in the larger sense, as if it referred to all iniquity, but in a restrictive sense, and as it refers to the iniquity and injustice of lenders and sellers; he that with care and conscience hath withdrawn his hand from all indirect or direct ways of forbidden usury.

Hath executed true judgment between man and man: this refers to this particular case of usury and taking increase; as if the prophet would make every man judge of the case ere he takes any thing, and requires him to judge according to truth, whether any, or how much, may be expected and received, whether no wrong be to the lender or borrower in the case. And so the whole will amount to this, he that in his lending hath truly weighed the borrower’s case, and used him with kindness as he would be used himself, this man is no usurer.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

8. References, Exo_22:25; Lev_25:36-37; Deu_1:16; Deu_23:19.

Usury — Any interest charged to Hebrews was prohibited by the law, and therefore was usury in the modern sense of illegal interest. “A brother who would not help a brother to a loan without interest was not thought worthy of the name.” The “increase” forbidden seems to have been any profit on the sale of goods beyond the cost of production as measured by the maintenance of the worker and his family (Plumptre). The money-making spirit was not encouraged by the Mosaic legislation.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He that hath not given forth his money upon usury. The word "usury," we must remember, is used, not, as with us, for exorbitant interest above the market rate, but for interest of any kind. This was allowed in commercial dealings with foreigners, (Deu_23:20) but was altogether forbidden in the ease of loans to Israelites. (Lev_25:35, Lev_25:37; Deu_23:19; Isa_24:2) The principle implied in this distinction was that, although it was, on strict principles of justice, allowable to charge for the use of money, as for the use of lands or the hire of cattle, Israel, as a people, was under the higher law of brotherhood. If money was to be lent at all, it was to be lent as to a brother in went (Mat_5:42; Luk_6:35) for the relief of his necessities, and not to make profit. A brother who would not help a brother by a loan without interest was thought unworthy of the name. The ideal of the social polity of Israel was that it was to consist of a population of small freeholders, bound together by ties of mutual help a national friendly society, rather than of traders and manufacturers; and hence the whole drift of its legislation tended to repress the money making spirit which afterwards became specially characteristic of its people, and ate like a canker into its life. The distinction between the two words seems to be that "usury" represents any interest on money; and "increase," any profit on the sale of goods beyond the cost of production, as measured by the maintenance of the worker and his family. To buy in the cheapest market and sell in the dearest was not to be the rule in a nation of brothers, and it was wiser to forbid it altogether rather than to sanction what we call a "reasonable rate" of interest or profit. Hath executed true judgment. The last special feature in the description of the righteous man is that he is free from the judicial corruption which has always been the ineradicable evil of Eastern social life. (1Sa_8:3 1Sa_12:3; Amo_5:12; Isa_33:15)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Increase - Illegal interest. Iniquity - Injustice of every kind.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

General Information:

Yahweh continues to describe the actions of the righteous man.

interest

This word refers to the money paid by a person to use borrowed money. However, some modern versions interpret "any interest" in this passage as "too much interest."

establishes faithfulness between people

This means that he judges fairly the disputes that may arise between people.

that man walks in my statutes

Yahweh speaks of a person obeying his statutes as if the statutes were a path in which the person walks. AT: "that man obeys my statutes" (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

profit

just

walk

statute

righteous

Lord Yahweh

declare

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.