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NASB | Deuteronomy 23:19 ¶ "You shall not charge interest to your countrymen: interest on money, food, or anything that may be loaned at interest. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Deuteronomy 23:19 ¶ "You shall not charge interest to your fellow Israelite--interest on money, food or anything that may be loaned for interest. |
Bible Question: whether Banking and Bankers are sinner in the view of Lord as Deuteronomy 23.19 restrict taking interest.Please guide me,I am a aspirant Banker |
Bible Answer: Ggood morning Rajeeb, welcome to the forum and thank you for the question. If only more bankers would start out with questions like yours, what a world we would be living in (o: ! The wording of the verse contains the clue to the answer. "You shall not charge interest to your countrymen" So we must remember to whom our Lord was addressing this directive, and His purpose was for the preserving of the purity and honor of the families of Israel, What He was saying was that they must not lend for the gain of interest to another Israelite. This is because God had given the promised land to His people and for the purpose that all should share in common all they have been given. In extreme cases, such as in the case of a crop faillure another person should see it no great burden to lend of the excess of his crop to the one who has needs to feed his family. This would be of no great sum, usually a small amount from the excess as the Lord has seen fit to sustain His people. In the lending of money, when no agriculture is involved for instance, when a neighbor has an honest need, and it takes a little bit of cash to tide him over, we should give him the amount that is needed, until he is able to return it to us without interest, because if this neighbor is unable to make ends meet with what he has earned, then the interest we charge would be a greater burden on him for the next pay period, causing him to come up even shorter. In this way our lending to him would be a hindrance rather than a help. This is not to be confused with the prrocess of lending money as a way of making a living, which in our culture is not only accepted but often expected. If a person were to want a house or a boat, and agrees to the terms of the contract beforehand, it is a perfectly acceptable venture in the eyes of both parties, as both parties receive a benefit. keliy |