Deuteronomy 23:20

Deuteronomy 23:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
• New International Version (NIV)You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a fellow Israelite, so that the Lord your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.
• English Standard Version (ESV)You may charge a foreigner interest, but you may not charge your brother interest, that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
• New King James Version (NKJV)To a foreigner you may charge interest, but to your brother you shall not charge interest, that the Lord your God may bless you in all to which you set your hand in the land which you are entering to possess.

Context of Deuteronomy 23:20

18You shall not bring the wages of a prostitute or the price of a dog [that is, a male prostitute] into the house of the Lord your God as payment for any vow, for both of these [the gift and the giver] are utterly repulsive to the Lord your God. 19“You shall not charge interest to your fellow Israelite—interest on money, food or anything that may be loaned for interest. You may charge interest to a foreigner, but to your fellow Israelite you shall not charge interest, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land which you are about to enter to possess. 21“When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for He will most certainly require it of you, and a delay would cause you to sin. 22But if you refrain from making a vow, that would not be [counted as] sin in you.

Deuteronomy 23:20 word by word

לַנָּכְרִ֣י תַשִּׁ֔יךְ וּלְאָחִ֖יךָ לֹ֣א תַשִּׁ֑יךְ לְמַ֨עַן יְבָרֶכְךָ֜ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ בְּכֹל֙ מִשְׁלַ֣ח יָדֶ֔ךָ עַל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֥ה בָא־שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Unto a strangerנׇכְרִיnokrîy · foreignH5237
• thou mayest lend upon usuryנָשַׁךְnâshak · to biteH5391
• but unto thy brotherאָח'âch · brother: male-siblingH251
• that the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• may blessבָּרַךְbârak · to blessH1288
• thee in all that thou settestמִשְׁלַחmishlôach mishlôach mishlâch · sendingH4916
• thine handיָדyâd · hand: undertakeH3027
• to in the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• whither thou goestבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• to possessיָרַשׁyârash yârêsh · to possess: takeH3423

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 23:20

• Deuteronomy 14:21“You shall not eat anything that dies on its own. You may give it to the stranger (resident alien, foreigner) who is in your [city] gates, so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner [since they are not under God’s law], but you are a people holy (set apart) to the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat or a lamb in its mother’s milk.
• Deuteronomy 15:3You may require repayment from a foreigner, but whatever of yours is with your brother [Israelite] your hand shall release.
• Leviticus 19:33‘When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress or mistreat him.
• Deuteronomy 15:10You shall freely and generously give to him, and your heart shall not be resentful when you give to him, because for this [generous] thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.
• Proverbs 19:17He who is gracious and lends a hand to the poor lends to the Lord, And the Lord will repay him for his good deed.
• Isaiah 1:19If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the best of the land;
• Luke 14:14and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous (the just, the upright).”
• 1 Corinthians 15:58Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose].

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 23:20

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-25Verses 15-25 It is honourable to shelter and protect the weak, provided they are not wicked. Proselytes and converts to the truth, should be treated with particular tenderness, that they may have no temptation to return to the world. We cannot honour God with our substance, unless it be honestly and honourably come by. It must not only be considered what we give, but how we got it. Where the borrower gets, or hopes to get, it is just that the lender…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-20The word translated as interest is related to a noun meaning "bite." Charging interest was like "biting" the debtor. See also Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:36–37; Nehemiah 5:1–13; Psalm 15:5.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 19-2019-20. Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother ... Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury--The Israelites lived in a simple state of society, and hence they were encouraged to lend to each other in a friendly way without any hope of gain. But the case was different with foreigners, who, engaged in trade and commerce, borrowed to enlarge their capital, and might reasonably be expected to pay interest on their loans. Besides, the distinction was…Read the comment

Topics related to Deuteronomy 23:20

• Aliens
• Creditor
• Interest
• Lending
• Strangers
• Usury

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Custom
• Loan
• Paddle
• Sickle
• Slack
• Stranger
• Usury
• Atonement, Day of

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings