Debt and Financial Slavery in Scripture

The biblical concept of debt and financial slavery is deeply intertwined with the social and economic context of ancient Israel. The law strictly forbade taking interest on loans to poor individuals, and later limited this prohibition to loans among Hebrews ^[1]. This regulation aimed to prevent exploitation and promote relief for those in need.

In ancient Israel, poverty could lead to debt, and debt could result in servitude. The law allowed a person to sell themselves into servitude due to poverty, theft, or paternal authority ^[3]. However, the law also provided safeguards to prevent the permanent enslavement of Hebrews. For instance, a Hebrew slave was to be released in the seventh year of servitude (Exodus 21:2). The book of Nehemiah highlights the issue of debt and financial slavery, where the people lament that they had to mortgage their fields and vineyards, and even sell their children into slavery to pay off debts ^[2].

The biblical wisdom literature also addresses the issue of debt. Proverbs 22:7 states, "The borrower is servant to the lender," emphasizing the power dynamic between creditors and debtors ^[5]. The Psalms contain imprecatory prayers against debtors, calling for creditors to seize their assets and for strangers to plunder their labor ^[4].

The prophets condemn the exploitation of the poor through usury and debt slavery. Jeremiah 2:14 rhetorically asks if Israel is a slave or a slave born in a house, highlighting the anomaly of God's people being enslaved ^[6]. Amos 8:6 condemns those who buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of shoes, selling even the refuse of wheat, indicating the depth of economic exploitation ^[11].

Jewish interpreters have long grappled with the biblical teachings on debt and financial slavery. Abraham Ibn Ezra notes that lending money to the poor is not obligatory unless one has the means to do so, highlighting the importance of capacity in charitable giving ^[7]. Ramban (Nachmanides) emphasizes that the law's concern is with the common occurrence of poverty and the need to treat workers fairly, including those who are hired or enslaved ^[8].

Christian interpreters have also reflected on the biblical teachings on debt and financial slavery. Matthew Henry notes that the laws concerning servitude aimed to preserve the honor of the Jewish nation as a free people, rescued from the house of bondage ^[9]. John Gill observes that the laws and instructions in Leviticus 25 were designed to prevent extreme poverty and the resulting enslavement ^[10].

The biblical teachings on debt and financial slavery emphasize the need for compassion, fairness, and justice in economic transactions. They highlight the vulnerability of the poor and the need for protection against exploitation. As the biblical texts and their interpretations demonstrate, the issue of debt and financial slavery remains a complex and multifaceted concern that requires careful consideration of social, economic, and theological factors.

The historical development of these teachings and their application in different contexts underscore the ongoing relevance of the biblical principles. The condemnation of usury and exploitation, the promotion of relief for the poor, and the regulation of servitude all contribute to a nuanced understanding of debt and financial slavery in Scripture.

Sources

Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Loan — The law strictly forbade any interest to be taken for a loan to any poor person, and at first, as it seems, even in the case of a foreigner; but this prohibition was afterward limited to Hebrews only, from whom, of whatever rank, not only was no usury on any pretence to be exacted, but relief to the poor by way of loan was enjoined, and excuses for evading this duty were forbidden. (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:35,37) As commerce increased, the practice of usury, and so also of suretyship, grew up; but the exaction of it from a Hebrew appears to have been regarde”
Nehemiah “Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children as their children. Behold, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters have been brought into bondage. Neither is it in our power to help it; for other men have our fields and our vineyards.” -- Nehemiah 5:5”
Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Slave — The institution of slavery was recognized, though not established, by the Mosaic law with a view to mitigate its hardship and to secure to every man his ordinary rights. I. Hebrew slaves.-- + The circumstances under which a Hebrew might be reduced to servitude were-- (1) poverty; (2) the commission of theft; and (3) the exercise of paternal authority. In the first case, a man who had mortgaged his property, and was unable to support his family, might sell himself to another Hebrew, with a view both to obtain maintenance and perchance a surplus sufficient to re”
Psalms “Let the creditor seize all that he has. Let strangers plunder the fruit of his labor. -- Psalms 109:11”
Proverbs “The rich rule over the poor. The borrower is servant to the lender. -- Proverbs 22:7”
Jeremiah “Jeremiah 2:14 (LEB) — Is Israel a slave? Or ⌞a slave born in a house⌟? Why has he become plunder?”
Sefaria (Jewish (Rationalist)) “Abraham Ibn Ezra on Exodus 22:24: IF THOU LEND MONEY. If the Lord gave you enough wealth so that you are able to lend to the poor. 57 If thou lend implies that lending money to the poor is not an obligation. However, it is clear from Deut. 15:7-11 that one is obligated to lend money to the poor. Hence I.E. points out that one is obligated to lend money only if one has money to lend. This section 58 Verses 21-23. is mentioned here because the poor are like the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. 59 In that they are defenseless. God calls the poor My people because the pious do not seek to acqu”
Sefaria (Jewish (Kabbalistic/Philosophical)) “Ramban (Nachmanides) on Deuteronomy 24:14: THOU SHALT NOT WRONG A HIRED SERVANT THAT IS POOR AND NEEDY. Scripture is speaking of the common occurrence, for the poor, the needy, and strangers hire themselves out [for wages, but the law applies to all workers]. Similarly, If thou lend money to any of My people that is poor by thee 357 Exodus 22:24. and so also, it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow , 358 Further, Verse 19. because they are generally poor. Likewise in many places Scripture speaks of common occurrence, such as, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he tre”
Leviticus (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Leviticus 25:39: We have here the laws concerning servitude, designed to preserve the honour of the Jewish nation as a free people, and rescued by a divine power out of the house of bondage, into the glorious liberty of God's sons, his first-born. Now the law is, I. That a native Israelite should never be made a bondman for perpetuity. If he was sold for debt, or for a crime, by the house of judgment, he was to serve but six years, and to go out the seventh; this was appointed, Exo 21:2. But if he sold himself through extreme poverty, having nothing at all left him to preserve”
Leviticus (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Leviticus 25:39: And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor,.... The above laws and instructions seem designed to prevent such extreme poverty as obliged to what follows, namely, a brother being sold either to an Israelite or to a stranger, by relieving his wants or lending him money; but when these were insufficient to support him, and keep him from sinking into the lowest state of distress and misery, then he was obliged to be sold, as follows: and be sold unto thee; either by himself, being ready to starve and perish, or by the sanhedrim, having stolen something, ”
Amos (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Amos 8:6: buy . . . poor for silver . . . pair of shoes--that is, that we may compel the needy for money, or any other thing of however little worth, to sell themselves to us as bondmen, in defiance of Lev 25:39; the very thing which brings down God's judgment (Amo 2:6). sell the refuse of . . . wheat--which contains no nutriment, but which the poor eat at a low price, being unable to pay for flour.”

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