Leviticus 25:36

Lev 25:36 Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee.

Ver. 36. Take thou no usury.] God dispenseth with no usury, but condemns both Neshec the biting, and Tarbith the toothless. In Rome at this day, all usurers are excommunicated monthly. The Jews indeed are permitted to strain up their usury to 18 per cent upon the Christian, for among themselves they nowhere use it, which causeth many of the unconscionable Christians to use these Jews underhandly in improving their unlawful rents to the utmost proportion.

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.

Lev 25:36. Take no usury of him — That is, of thy brother, whether he be Israelite or proselyte. Or increase — All kinds of usury are in this case forbidden, whether of money, or of victuals, or of any thing that is commonly lent by one man to another upon usury, or upon condition of receiving the thing lent with advantage and overplus. If one borrow in his necessity, there can be no doubt this law is binding still. But it cannot be thought to bind where money is borrowed for purchase of lands, trade, or other improvements. For there it is reasonable that the lender should share with the borrower in the profit.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

25:36-37 The purpose of a loan was to help a poor person get back on their feet, not to make money from their vulnerability. Interest was forbidden on loans to Israelites but permitted on loans to foreigners (Deut 23:19-20).

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

Verse 36. Take thou no usury of him] Usury, at present, signifies unlawful interest for money. Properly, it means the reward or compensation given for the use of a thing, but is principally spoken of money. For the definition of the original term, See Clarke on Ex 22:25.

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

(36) Take thou no usury of him, or increase.—The first thing to be done to the impoverished Israelite is to supply him with the means to recover himself without any interest. The authorities during the second Temple defined the words which are translated “usury” (nesheck) and “increase” (tarbith, or marbith) as follows: If a person lends to another a shekel worth four denarii, and gets in return five denarii, or if he lends him two sacks of wheat, and receives back three, this is usury. If one buys wheat for delivery at the market price of 25 denarii a measure, and when it rises to 30 denarii he says to the vendor, “Deliver me the wheat, for I want to sell it and buy wine,” and the vendor replies,” I will take the wheat at 30 denarii and give thee wine for it,” though he has no wine, this is increase. The “increase” lies in the fact that the vendor has no wine at the time, and that he may possibly lose again by the rise in wine. Accordingly the former is a charge upon money, whilst the latter is on products.

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

36. usury … increase] The former was interest on money, the latter on food stuffs and paid in kind. For the important part played by such transactions in Babylonia see Johns, Bab. and Assyr. Laws, ch. 23, p. 253.

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.

Take thou no usury of him, or increase,.... Not only give him somewhat for his present relief, but lend him money to put him in a way of business, to get his living for the future, without requiring any interest for it; See Gill on Exo 22:25,

but fear thy God; who has given this command, and expects to be obeyed; and who is good, and does good, and should be feared for his goodness' sake; and is omniscient, and knows what is secretly exacted, and will not suffer any exorbitance of this kind to pass unpunished:

that thy brother may live with thee; which it would be still more difficult for him to do, should usury and increase be taken of him.

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

i.e. Of thy brother, whether he be Israelite or proselyte.

Increase: this some conceive relates to the fruits of the earth, food, &c., as usury doth to money. But here may rather seem’ to be two words expressing the same thing,

(1.) To meet with the subtle evasions of crafty and covetous men, who made gain of their poor brethren (for of such only he speaks here, as is evident from Lev 25:35) by the lending of money or other things; and that they may quiet their consciences, and palliate their sin, they disguise it under other names; and,

(2.) To show that all kinds of usury are in this case forbidden, whether of money, or of victuals, or of any thing that is commonly lent by one man to another upon usury, or upon condition of receiving the thing lent with advantage and overplus, as it is said Deu 23:19.

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

36. Take no usury — This word in the original signifies interest on money loaned, but in modern English it has come to designate excessive interest, either formally illegal or at least oppressive. When our Authorized Version was made, the term usury was the exact equivalent of the Hebrew neshek, interest.

Thy brother — The prohibition of interest extended only to a brother Hebrew. At first only the poor Hebrew was exempted from interest, (Exo_22:25,) but Jahn thinks that it was found difficult to define the term poor person; hence the prohibition was extended to all Hebrews, so that henceforth interest could be taken only of foreigners.

Deu_23:20. We cannot agree with Davidson, that this would limit their commerce with other nations, and thus conserve their religious faith. This prohibition was flagrantly transgressed by Hebrew capitalists after the return from the captivity, when one per cent. per month was exacted from their brethren. See Neh_5:11, in which “the hundredth” is one per cent. a month, a ruinous rate.

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

Of him - That is, of thy brother, whether he be Israelite, or proselyte. Or increase - All kinds of usury are in this case forbidden, whether of money, or of victuals, or of any thing that is commonly lent by one man to another upon usury, or upon condition of receiving the thing lent with advantage and overplus. If one borrow in his necessity, there can be no doubt but this law is binding still. But it cannot be thought to bind, where money is borrowed for purchase of lands, trade, or other improvements. For there it is reasonable, that the lender share with the borrower in the profit.

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

fear

(See Scofield "Psa 19:9")

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

נשך ותרבית [TAKE THOU NOT] INTEREST [OF HIM] OR INCREASE — The Rabbis regard them (these two things) as one, but Scripture uses two different words for the same offence in order to prescribe that he who infringes the law, is thereby transgressing two negative commands (Bava Metzia 60b).

ויראת מאלהיך BUT BE AFRAID OF THY GOD — Because man’s thoughts are greatly attracted by the idea of taking interest and it comes difficult to him to keep aloof from it, so that he tries to persuade himself that it is a legitimate act (lit., he decides for himself that it is a permissible matter) on account of the fact that his money will otherwise remain unemployed, Scripture was compelled to state: “But be afraid of thy God!" Or take another case: If one pretends that his money belongs to a non-Jew in order to be able to lend it to an Israelite in an ostensibly legitimate way. This is given only to his heart and thoughts to know the real circumstances of the case; Scripture therefore was compelled to state “But be afraid of thy God!” (Bava Metzia 61b).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

TAKE THOU NO ‘NESHECH’ (INTEREST) OF HIM OR ‘RIBITH’ (INCREASE). “The Rabbis explained [these two terms — ‘interest’ and ‘increase’] as one, and [the reason why Scripture mentioned two different words is to teach us that he who transgresses this law] violates two negative commandments.” This is Rashi’s language. The plain meaning of the verse appears to me to be that neshech (interest) is where, [for example], he lends him a hundred [shekels] and [the borrower is] to give him five shekels each year [for the use of the money, without deducting it from the capital sum of the loan]. It is so called [neshech, literally “biting”] because at the last ‘yishach’ (it biteth) like a snake, [the effect of whose bite is not noticed immediately, but which] spurts and increases. Tarbith [or ribith — “increase”], however, is if he lends him [a sum of money] until a certain time, and then [the borrower is to] repay him and give him an increase of five shekels, but [even if the repayment should be delayed], there is no [additional] increase after that time [i.e., there is one fixed sum and not an annual percentage]; this [form of interest] does not “bite”, since it will not go up more than that [fixed] sum, but it is [nonetheless] “an increase.” Therefore He stated, Thou shalt not give him thy money ‘b’neshech’ (upon interest), nor give him thy food ‘b’marbith’ (for increase), for it is customary to lend money for neshech (interest), [the borrower being obliged] to give every year [a certain amount of money for the use of the capital borrowed], but food is [usually] lent until the time of reaping, and then he pays him back out of his granary with a stipulated addition.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.