Smith's Bible Dictionary
LoanThe 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 regarded to a late period as discreditable. (Psalms 15:5; Proverbs 6:1,4; 11:15; 17:18; 20:16; 22:26; Jeremiah 15:10; Ezekiel 18:13) Systematic breach of the law in this respect was corrected by Nehemiah after the return from captivity. (Nehemiah 5:1,13) The money-changers, who had seats and tables in the temple, where traders whose profits arose chiefly from the exchange of money with those who came to pay their annual half-shekel. The Jewish law did not forbid temporary bondage in the case of debtors, but it forbade a Hebrew debtor to be detained as a bondman longer than the seventh year, or at farthest the year of jubilee. (Exodus 21:2; Leviticus 25:39,42; 15:9)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
LEND, LOANlon: The translation of 7 Hebrew and 2 Greek vbs.:
1. Lexical Usages:
In the Old Testament: lawah, "to join," "cause to join," "lend" (Exodus 22:25 Deuteronomy 28:12, 44 Psalm 37:26 Proverbs 19:17); nashah, "to bite," "lend" (Deuteronomy 24:11 Jeremiah 15:10); nashah (same root as last, though different verb stem, Hiphil), "to cause to bite," "lend on usury" (Deuteronomy 15:2; Deuteronomy 24:10); nashakh, "to bite," "lend" "(cause to lend) on usury" (Deuteronomy 23:19, 20); nathan, "to give" (Leviticus 25:37, the Revised Version (British and American) "to give"); `abhat (Hiphil), "to cause to borrow," "to lend" (Deuteronomy 15:6, 8); sha'al (Hiphil), "to cause to ask," "to lend" (Exodus 12:36, the Revised Version (British and American) "ask"; 1 Samuel 1:27). In Septuagint daneizo, danizo, "to lend," translates lawah, and `abaT in above passages and in Nehemiah 5:4 Proverbs 22:7, and Isaiah 24:2; kichrao, also translations lawah and sha'al (Psalm 112:5 Proverbs 13:11); daneion(-ion), "loan," occurs in Deuteronomy 15:8, 10; Deuteronomy 24:11; Deuteronomy 4 Maccabees 2:8. In the New Testament "lend" translations two Greek verbs, daneizo, "to lend money" (Luke 6:34, 35, usually in commercial sense); kichremi, "to lend (as a friendly act)" (Luke 11:5).The substantive "loan," she'elah, occurs only once in the Old Testament (1 Samuel 2:20 the King James Version and the English Revised Version), not at all in the New Testament.
2. History of Lending in the Bible and Apocrypha:
(1) Lending on interest to the poor is prohibited in the code in Exodus 22:25. (2) In the code in Deuteronomy 15:1-6; Deuteronomy 23:19, 20; 24:10, 11; 28:12, 44, borrowing and lending are taken for granted as existing in Israel, but the creditor is required to release his Hebrew brother as debtor in the 7th year (either the cancellation of the loan (so in Jewish literature and early Christian scholars) or suspension of payment that year (so most modern scholars)), though he may exact payment from a foreigner. Israel may lend, and will be able to lend, because of Yahweh's blessing, to other nations, but must not borrow from them. A pledge, or security, must not be taken in person by the creditor from the house of the debtor, nor kept overnight, if the debtor be poor. (3) The code in Leviticus 25:35-38 requires that the Israelite receive no interest from his poor brother, because of the goodness of Yahweh to Israel. (4) Notwithstanding the prohibition of the early laws against lending on interest or usury, the same seems to have become common in Israel before the exile (Isaiah 24:2 Jeremiah 15:10), was practiced on the return, and was an evil to be corrected by Nehemiah (Nehemiah 5:7, 10). (5) According to Psalm 37:26; Psalm 112:5 Proverbs 19:17, lending to the needy was regarded as a mark of the pious Hebrew, but no interest is to be charged. (6) According to Apocrypha (The Wisdom of Solomon 15:16; Sirach 8:12; 18:33; 20:15, 29; 4 Maccabees 2:8), borrowing is discouraged, and lending is exalted as a mark of the merciful man. (7) Jesus teaches that His followers should lend, even to enemies, to men from whom they have no reasonable hope of expecting anything in return, because thus to do is to be like the Most High (Luke 6:34, 35). He did not discuss lending for commercial purposes, and so does not necessarily forbid it.
LITERATURE.
See Driver on Deuteronomy 15:1-6; Benzinger, Hebrew Archaeology, (1894), 350 f; Oehler, Old Testament Theology, 150, 10; Plummer on Luke 6:34, 35.
Charles B. Williams
Easton's Bible Dictionary
The Mosaic law required that when an Israelite needed to borrow, what he asked was to be freely lent to him, and no interest was to be charged, although interest might be taken of a foreigner (
Exodus 22:25;
Deuteronomy 23:19, 20;
Leviticus 25:35-38). At the end of seven years all debts were remitted. Of a foreigner the loan might, however, be exacted. At a later period of the Hebrew commonwealth, when commerce increased, the practice of exacting usury or interest on loans, and of suretiship in the commercial sense, grew up. Yet the exaction of it from a Hebrew was regarded as discreditable (
Psalm 15:5;
Proverbs 6:1, 4;
11:15;
17:18;
20:16;
27:13;
Jeremiah 15:10).
Limitations are prescribed by the law to the taking of a pledge from the borrower. The outer garment in which a man slept at night, if taken in pledge, was to be returned before sunset (Exodus 22:26, 27; Deuteronomy 24:12, 13). A widow's garment (Deuteronomy 24:17) and a millstone (6) could not be taken. A creditor could not enter the house to reclaim a pledge, but must remain outside till the borrower brought it (10, 11). The Hebrew debtor could not be retained in bondage longer than the seventh year, or at farthest the year of jubilee (Exodus 21:2; Leviticus 25:39, 42), but foreign sojourners were to be "bondmen for ever" (Leviticus 25:44-54).
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) A loaning.
2. (n.) The act of lending; a lending; permission to use; as, the loan of a book, money, services.
3. (n.) That which one lends or borrows, esp. a sum of money lent at interest; as, he repaid the loan.
4. (n. t.) To lend; -- sometimes with out.
Strong's Hebrew
4859. mashshaah -- a loan... a
loan. Transliteration: mashshaah Phonetic Spelling: (mash-shaw-aw') Short Definition:
debts.
... of mashsha Definition a
loan NASB Word Usage debts (1),
loan (1).
... /hebrew/4859.htm - 6k 4874. mashsheh -- a loan
... << 4873, 4874. mashsheh. 4875 >>. a loan. Transliteration: mashsheh Phonetic
Spelling: (mash-sheh') Short Definition: creditor. Word ...
/hebrew/4874.htm - 6k
7596. sheelah -- request, thing asked for
... loan, petition, request. Or shelah (1 Samuel 1:17) {shay-law'}; from sha'al; a petition;
by implication, a loan -- loan, petition, request. see HEBREW sha'al. ...
/hebrew/7596.htm - 6k
5391. nashak -- to bite
... bite, lend upon usury A primitive root; to strike with a sting (as a serpent);
figuratively, to oppress with interest on a loan -- bite, lend upon usury. ...
/hebrew/5391.htm - 5k
4855. mashsha -- lending on interest, usury
... exaction, usury. From nashah; a loan; by implication, interest on a debt -- exaction,
usury. see HEBREW nashah. << 4854, 4855. mashsha. 4856 >>. Strong's Numbers
/hebrew/4855.htm - 6k
5383. nashah -- to lend, become a creditor
... Definition to lend, become a creditor NASB Word Usage creditor (4), creditors (1),
exacting (1), lending (1), lent (2), loaned (1), make (1), make the loan (1 ...
/hebrew/5383.htm - 6k
