Leviticus 25:36 · Bible study
Leviticus 25:36 Commentary: No Interest from Your Poor Brother
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study Leviticus 25:36: the command against charging interest to a needy brother, grounded in the fear of God, and its application today.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Do not charge interest or profit when lending to a poor brother in the covenant community.
- Key words: Neshekh (interest), tarbit (profit/increment), both cover money and food loans.
- Main debate: Whether the prohibition applies to all lending or only to loans for a needy brother within the covenant.
- Theological theme: The fear of God shapes economic justice and preserves community life.
- Best use: A call to compassionate lending within the church, not a universal economic law.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Do not take any interest or profit from him, but fear your God, that your countryman may live among you.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Take no interest from him or profit; but fear your God, that your brother may live among you.
KJV King James Version 1769
Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Take thou no interest of him or increase, but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
thou takest no usury from him, or increase; and thou hast been afraid of thy God; and thy brother hath lived with thee;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Thou shalt take no usury nor increase of him; and thou shalt fear thy God; that thy brother may live beside thee.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Take not usury of him nor more than thou gavest. Fear thy God, that thy brother may live with thee.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
No tomarás usura de él, ni aumento; mas tendrás temor de tu Dios, y tu hermano vivirá contigo.
Não tomarás juros dele, nem lucro; mas terás temor de teu Deus, e teu irmão viverá contigo.
Tu ne tireras de lui ni intérêt ni usure, tu craindras ton Dieu, et ton frère vivra avec toi.
und sollst nicht Zinsen von ihm nehmen noch Wucher, sondern sollst dich vor deinem Gott fürchten, auf daß dein Bruder neben dir leben könne.
Gij zult geen woeker noch overwinst van hem nemen; maar gij zult vrezen voor uw God, opdat uw broeder bij u leve.
Non trarre da lui interesse, né utile; ma temi il tuo Dio, e viva il tuo fratello presso di te.
Nie bierz od niego lichwy, ani płatu, ale się bój Boga swego, aby się żywił brat twój przy tobie.
не бери от него роста и прибыли и бойся Бога твоего; [Я Господь,] чтоб жил брат твой с тобою;
不可 向他 取 利，也不可向他多要；只要敬畏你的 神，使你的弟兄 與你 同住。
Take no interest from him, in money or in goods, but have the fear of your God before you, and let your brother make a living among you.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Leviticus 25:36
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree this verse forbids taking interest or profit when lending to a fellow Israelite who has fallen into poverty. Gill notes the loan is meant to put a brother ‘in a way of business’ to recover, not to exploit his need. Wesley clarifies that the prohibition covers money and food, but limits it to loans for a brother’s subsistence, not commercial enterprise. Clarke explains that ‘usury’ in the KJV refers to any interest charged in this compassionate context. The surrounding passage (Leviticus 25:35-38) makes clear the brother is so poor he lives as an alien; the command is to restore his economic viability, not to ban all lending interest. Poole adds that the double phrasing ‘interest or profit’ anticipates evasions by those who disguise the charge under other names. All agree the verse applies to loans within the covenant community when need is present.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Blanket prohibition of all interest: The text says simply 'Take no interest from him or profit,' and Deuteronomy 23:19 repeats 'You shall not lend on interest to your brother.'
- Limited to loans to the needy brother: The context (Leviticus 25:35) specifies a 'brother who has become poor,' and the parallel in Exodus 22:25 also refers to lending to 'my people with you who is poor.' Deuteronomy 23:20 allows interest from a foreigner, showing the rule is not absolute.
What is clear: The verse directly forbids charging interest or profit when lending to a fellow Israelite who is in poverty and need, and it grounds this command in the fear of God.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Scope of the prohibition | The verse forbids charging interest or profit on loans to a poor brother (fellow Israelite) in need. | Some Christians interpret this as a permanent moral law against all interest, while others see it as limited to loans to the needy within the covenant community, pointing to Deuteronomy 23:20 which allows interest on loans to foreigners. |
| Applicability to modern commercial lending | All traditions agree the principle reflects God's care for the vulnerable and warns against exploiting poverty. | Reformed and evangelical commentators (e.g., Wesley, Calvin) distinguish between charitable loans to the poor and business loans for profit, while some Anabaptist and earlier medieval traditions maintain a broader prohibition of usury. |
| Meaning of 'brother' | In the original context, 'brother' refers to a fellow Israelite (or proselyte, per Wesley). | Interpreters differ on how to apply the term to the New Testament church: does 'brother' now mean any fellow believer, or does the principle extend to all people? The command to love the neighbor suggests broader application. |
| Relationship to New Testament teaching | Both Testaments call believers to generosity and to not exploit the poor (Luke 6:34-35). | Some argue the Levitical command is fulfilled in Christ and no longer binding as law; others see it as a moral principle that still guides Christian lending practices. |
Historical & Cultural Context
In ancient Israel, borrowing was rarely for capital investment. A poor man borrowed to buy food or seed for his family (Leviticus 25:35). The law provided safety nets: the right of redemption, the Year of Jubilee, and the prohibition of permanent sale of land (Leviticus 25:23-28). Taking interest from a brother in need would deepen his poverty and undermine the covenant solidarity of God’s people.
The Hebrew words neshekh (interest) and tarbit (profit/increase) cover both money and food loans (Cambridge Bible). The verb ‘fear your God’ echoes the covenant language of Leviticus 25:17, linking economic behaviour directly to reverence for Yahweh, who delivered Israel from Egypt (v.38). The command is not a universal economic principle for all lending, as Deuteronomy 23:20 permits charging interest to a foreigner, likely a trader or a non-Israelite merchant. Within the family of faith, however, profit from a brother’s need was forbidden.
Nehemiah 5 shows how this law was enforced. When nobles exacted interest from their brothers after the exile, Nehemiah rebuked them publicly, saying ‘The thing that you do is not good’ (Nehemiah 5:9). He linked the practice to the ‘fear of God’ (Nehemiah 5:15). The goal was always that ‘your brother may live with you’, not merely survive, but remain a fully participating member of the community.
Textual Notes
Consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Leviticus 25:36. The early witnesses (Masoretic Text, Septuagint, and the Syriac Peshitta) uniformly support the reading. The verse is stable across traditions.
Reception History
Early Christian writers (e.g., Ambrose, Augustine) cited this verse to condemn usury as a sin against charity, especially when extracting interest from the poor. Medieval canon law prohibited clergy from charging any interest and heavily regulated lay lending. The Reformers, notably Calvin, distinguished between interest on loans to the needy (forbidden) and interest on commercial loans (permitted, within justice). Wesley retained the older view, teaching that the law remains binding for any loan to a brother in necessity. In modern ethical discussion, this verse continues to shape Christian thinking on microfinance, debt forgiveness, and church benevolence, with most commentators agreeing it applies primarily to compassionate loans within the faith community.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- A brother in need: The loan is for a fellow Israelite who has become poor and cannot sustain himself (v.35). The command addresses this specific scenario, not all lending.
- Two restrictions: No interest (neshekh) and no profit (tarbit). Both terms cover any premium charged on the loan, whether money or goods.
- One motivation: ‘Fear your God.’ Obedience flows from reverence for God, who delivered Israel and commands care for the vulnerable. The goal is life together, not profit from poverty.
Five-point outline
- Recognize the brother: The command applies to covenant community members in genuine need (v.35).
- Accept no increase: Interest or profit on the loan is forbidden (v.36a). The lender absorbs the risk.
- Fear God: The prohibition is rooted in the fear of Yahweh, who sees and judges oppression of the poor (v.36b; cf. Exodus 22:25).
- Preserve life together: ‘That your brother may live among you’, the goal is his continued viability in the community (v.36c).
- Remember redemption: Verse 38 reminds Israel that God redeemed them from Egypt, so they are to reflect His character in their economic relations.
Illustration hooks
- The church benevolence fund: A member loses a job and asks for a loan. Should the church charge interest? The passage invites us to treat the loan as a gift-in-disguise, not a business transaction.
- Family lending: A sibling needs help with rent. Charging interest on that loan feels different from investing in the stock market. The text highlights the personal relationship and the goal of restoration.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this mean Christians should never charge any interest at all, even on business loans or savings accounts?
- How do we tell the difference between a ‘brother in need’ and someone who wants a loan for a luxury?
- What about credit cards or payday loans to non-believers, does this verse apply?
Leading a Discussion
This small group guide helps you explore Leviticus 25:36 in its context and apply it to your life. Begin by reading Leviticus 25:35-38 together.
Discussion questions
- Observation: In the surrounding verses (vv.35-38), what situation does the brother face? How is he described?
- Observation: What two things is the lender forbidden to take from the brother? (Use different translations for comparison.)
- Interpretation: The verse says ‘fear your God’ as the reason for the prohibition. Why does the fear of God lead to not charging interest to a poor person?
- Interpretation: Compare Leviticus 25:36 with Exodus 22:25 and Deuteronomy 23:19-20. Do these passages teach a total ban on interest, or a limited one? Support your answer from the texts.
- Interpretation: Nehemiah 5 rebuked nobles for charging interest to their brothers. What does that story tell us about applying this command in a community?
- Application: How can we ‘fear God’ in our own financial decisions, especially when we have the opportunity to lend to someone in need?
- Application: What would it look like for your church to create a lending or gift fund that follows the spirit of this verse?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 22:25 | “If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor. You shall not charge him interest. |
| Leviticus 25:17 | You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am Yahweh your God. |
| Deuteronomy 23:19 | You shall not lend on interest to your brother: interest of money, interest of food, interest of anything that is lent on interest. |
| Deuteronomy 23:20 | You may charge a foreigner interest; but you shall not charge your brother interest, that Yahweh your God may bless you in all that you put your hand to, in the land where you go in to possess it. |
| Nehemiah 5:7 | Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said to them, “You exact usury, everyone of his brother.” I held a great assembly against them. |
| Nehemiah 5:9 | Also I said, “The thing that you do is not good. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? |
| Nehemiah 5:10 | I likewise, my brothers and my servants, lend them money and grain. Please let us stop this usury. |
| Nehemiah 5:15 | But the former governors who were before me were supported by the people, and took bread and wine from them, plus forty shekels of silver; yes, even their servants ruled over the people, but I didn’t do so, because of the fear of God. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke clarifies that the word "usury" in this passage does not carry today's limited meaning of illegal interest. He points out that it originally meant any legitimate compensation for the use of something, particularly money, as seen in the earlier law at Exodus 22:25.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary distinguishes two forms of forbidden interest: usury on money and "increase" on foodstuffs paid in kind. It notes these transactions were also common in Babylonia, providing a broader ancient Near Eastern context for the prohibition.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note stresses that lending without interest is not just a financial rule but an act of reverence for God. The fear of God, not mere human kindness, is the motive that keeps a brother from being driven into poverty and preserves him as a member of the community.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill distinguishes between giving immediate relief and lending money to help a brother start a business. The command prohibits interest even on such productive loans, because the goal is that the brother may live alongside you. Fear of God, who knows secret exactions and punishes them, is the motive to obey.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights the underlying principle for all these land laws: God owns the land, and Israel's place in it is as resident aliens. Their perpetual title is not absolute ownership but tenancy under God, which makes the Jubilee restoration of property a lasting reminder of their dependence on Him.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley draws a sharp distinction based on the borrower's purpose. The law against charging interest still applies when someone borrows out of genuine need, but it does not bind when money is borrowed for trade, land, or other profit-making ventures where the lender should share in the gain.