23:19 interest. The agricultural economy of ancient Israel was very different from the commercial economy of today, and borrowing was usually due to poverty. God desired to bless an obedient Israel so that borrowing would be unnecessary (15:4 note), and those whom the Lord had blessed materially were to assist fellow Israelites in distress by not charging interest. This regulation did not apply to those outside the covenant (the “foreigner,” v. 20).