Usury

Usury in biblical usage means simply interest — the sum paid for the use of borrowed money — not the modern sense of excessive or predatory interest. The Mosaic law absolutely forbade Israelites from charging interest on loans to fellow Israelites, whether money, food, or anything else (Lev. 25:35–37; Deut. 23:19), grounding this prohibition in the covenantal obligation of solidarity: within the covenant community, the poor were not to be exploited through debt. Interest could lawfully be charged to foreigners (nokrim), who stood outside this covenant relationship (Deut. 23:20).

The prophets condemned usury as a mark of covenant violation and social injustice (Ezek. 18:8; 22:12; Neh. 5:7–10). The Psalms declare that the righteous man lends without interest (Ps. 15:5). In the New Testament, Jesus's parable of the talents has a master expecting his money back "with usury" (Matt. 25:27; Luke 19:23) — here the word simply means financial return, with no moral judgment implied on interest itself in commercial contexts. The parable's point is spiritual fruitfulness, not economic policy.