Bible Verse Lookup
Lev 25:35-38
Chapter 25
35
Social Conduct
If your brother becomes poor and cannot support himself, help him. Help this stranger or guest so that they can live with you.
36
Do not charge him interest, but fear your God, so that your brother may live among you.
37
Do not lend him your silver at interest, nor your food for profit.
38
I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of the Canaanites and to be your God.
Commentaries
Consequences of the Jubilee Year.
The laws in these verses stem from the commandment regarding the jubilee year, but they also serve as preparations for it. An important perspective about the land is that it belongs to the Lord, who has lent it to the Israelites; they are simply guests or pilgrims of the Lord (23). Land and houses can be negotiated, but never in an absolute or final sense; instead, they are returned to their rightful owner or descendant (24-28). The enrichment of one person cannot compensate for the impoverishment of another without conflicting with God’s plan of justice.
From laws concerning property sales, we turn to social relations, which ultimately follow the same principles of buying and selling, with the potential for humans to become objects of trade. It is stressed that Israelites should be treated as brothers—not exploited or abused—and not even as slaves; this rule does not apply to people from other nations or ethnic groups, who could be bought or sold like any other commercial object, considered part of the family estate, and even passed down as an inheritance to their children (46).