Leviticus 25:37 Commentary: The Prohibition on Charging Interest to the Poor

Leviticus 25 gives laws for the land, the sabbatical year, and the Jubilee. The whole chapter assumes a community where God is the ultimate owner of the land (v. 23) and where Israelites are tenants and sojourners with Him. Within that framework, poverty is not permanent; the goal is restoration. When an Israelite becomes poor, the community must uphold him as an alien and a temporary resident (v. 35). To charge interest or make a profit from his need would treat a brother as a source of gain, a denial of the covenant bond.

The two Hebrew terms used reinforce this: neshekh (H5392) and marbit (H4768). Neshekh literally means “interest” (from a root meaning “to bite”), suggesting something that cuts into the borrower’s resources. Marbit means “increase” or “profit,” often linked to the yield of food. The verse covers both silver (cash) and food (necessities). In an agrarian economy, lending grain for a return later in the harvest season could impoverish a neighbor further. The command “fear your God” (v. 36) roots the prohibition in reverence for God, not merely human kindness.

This law belongs within a larger pattern: the release of debts every seven years (Deuteronomy 15), the ban on permanent enslavement of fellow Israelites, and the Jubilee release of land and persons. The same God who rescued Israel from Egypt and gave them the land expects them to reflect His character in treating the poor not as opportunities but as brothers.

The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Leviticus 25:37. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The verse is part of an extended passage on the Jubilee and treatment of the poor, where the surrounding context helps confirm its meaning.

From the early church through the Middle Ages, this verse was a key text in the Christian debate over usury. Church fathers like Basil and Ambrose condemned all interest, but later theologians like Calvin distinguished between interest charged to the poor and moderate interest in commercial contexts. The rabbinic tradition also applied the prohibition to lending to fellow Jews but allowed interest from non-Jews. In modern times, the verse continues to inform Christian ethics around payday lending, microfinance, and debt relief, often as a prompt to ask whether a financial arrangement harms the vulnerable.

Three-point outline

1. The context of need. The verse does not stand alone; it follows “if your brother has become poor and his hand can’t support himself” (v. 35). God’s command is for the specific situation of a vulnerable family member.
2. The nature of the prohibition. Both money (silver) and food (victuals) are covered. Hebrew terms neshekh and marbit imply taking something that bites into the borrower’s livelihood. The lender is not to profit from another’s hardship.
3. The motivation to obey. “Fear your God, that your brother may live among you” (v. 36). The goal is community preservation and reverence for the Lord who delivered them from Egypt. Grace received should become grace shown.

Five-point outline

1. Who qualifies as a “brother”? The term applies to fellow Israelites, but the New Testament expands it to include all in need (Luke 6:35).
2. What counts as interest? Any increase required on a loan, whether cash or goods, that creates a burden for the borrower.
3. When may interest be charged? Gill notes that if a person borrows to increase trade or make a purchase, it is not unreasonable to share the profit. This is not a blanket ban on all interest.
4. What about lending to non-believers? Deuteronomy 23:20 permits interest from a foreigner. The covenant community is called to a higher standard with those inside the family.
5. How does this apply in a modern economy? The principle: do not make money off a person’s desperation. Fair interest for commercial loans is not condemned, but usury against the poor is.

Illustration hooks

• A payday loan store in a low-income neighborhood, interest rates that trap people in debt. How does this verse speak to that?
• A family member asks for a loan to cover rent. You could charge interest, but the covenant relationship calls you to give generously instead.
• A small business owner borrows capital to expand. Reasonable interest here is not a violation, because the borrower expects to profit.

Questions your congregation is asking

• Does the Bible forbid all interest, or just interest charged to the poor?
• If I lend money to a Christian friend, should I expect it back with interest?
• How can I apply this verse if I’m not a lender, does it affect how I view credit cards or banks?

This verse is part of a chapter that shows God’s heart for economic justice and community care. It’s easy to think of it as an old rule from a different world, but the principle of not profiting from someone’s need is still relevant. In your group, work through what this command meant for ancient Israel and what it might ask of us today.

Discussion questions

1. Read Leviticus 25:35, 38. What is the situation described, and what is God’s command?
2. Look at the Hebrew terms neshekh and marbit (interest and profit). Why do you think both money and food are mentioned separately?
3. How does the context of the Jubilee and God’s ownership of the land (v. 23) affect how we understand this law?
4. Gill comments that charging interest is allowed when the borrower uses the money for gain (e.g., to expand a business). Do you agree? Why or why not?
5. Compare this verse with Deuteronomy 23:19, 20. Why does God allow interest from a foreigner but not from a brother?
6. In what modern situations might a Christian be tempted to profit from another’s hardship? How can we resist that?
7. What does “fear your God” (v. 36) add to the command? How does reverence for God shape our financial decisions?