Deuteronomy 23:19

Misinterpretations often extend this prohibition universally to ban all interest-bearing loans in every context and era, ignoring its specific application to fellow Israelites for communal welfare and allowance of interest to foreigners; others mistakenly limit it to money or food alone, overlooking its broad scope to any lent item, or use it to condemn modern banking without regard for cultural, economic, and redemptive-historical context.

This passage commands Israelites not to charge interest on loans to fellow Israelites, whether in money, food, or any other item, underscoring God's desire for a covenant community marked by generosity, mutual support, and protection of the vulnerable from economic exploitation, thereby promoting justice and brotherly love within Israel while distinguishing this ethic from dealings with outsiders.