15 Bible Verses About Debt

The Bible allows borrowing and lending but warns that “the borrower is slave to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). Israel’s laws protect the poor borrower: no interest on a loan to a needy neighbor (Exodus 22:25), and loans to fellow Israelites cancelled at the end of every seven years (Deuteronomy 15:1-2). Proverbs warns against guaranteeing another person’s debt (Proverbs 6:1-5), Psalm 37:21 lists failing to repay among the marks of the wicked, and Paul tells the church in Rome to let…