Commentaria in Deuteronomium
18. THOU SHALT NOT OFFER THE HIRE OF A HARLOT, NOR THE PRICE OF A DOG IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD.—Rightly Philo hence infers: “If the gifts of a woman who yields to lovers are called profane, how much more those of a prostituted soul, which has cast itself down to be defiled by drunkenness, gluttony, pleasure, ambition, avarice?”
Again St. Jerome on Isaias lxvi, 3, citing this place of Deuteronomy: “Beautifully,” he says, “are the dog and the harlot coupled, because both animals are prone to lust.” Both also, on account of impudence, vileness, baseness and stench, are abhorred by men, especially by the Hebrews. Hence that saying of Abner, 2 Kings iii, 8, to Isboseth, who charged him with lust and intercourse with the concubines of his father Saul: “Am I a dog’s head?” And David to Saul, 1 Kings xxiv, 15: “Whom dost thou pursue, O king of Israel? a dead dog.”
19. THOU SHALT NOT LEND TO THY BROTHER ON USURY.—“Usury” is called in Hebrew nesheh, that is, a bite, namely of a dog. Since, then, no one would wish to be counted a hungry dog, who by biting others feeds himself, they called usury, to escape reproach, tarbith, that is, increase, as among the Latins it has been called usury by an honourable name. God, to meet such deceits and pretexts, here joins both names and condemns them. Hear Rabbi Solomon: Increase, he says, is called by the name of usury, nesheh, because it is like the bite of a serpent, which bites a small wound in a man’s foot so that he does not feel it, but soon the venom creeps and spreads till it reaches his head. So also the increase of usury is: it is not felt nor known until it so grows as to drain the whole substance of a man. Hence usury is called by the Chaldees chabulia, that is, destruction, because it destroys and lays waste all wealth. Whence nesheh alludes by metathesis to nachash, that is, serpent, because like a serpent it gnaws and kills a man. Hence St. Chrysostom on Matthew chap. v: The money of the usurer, he says, is like the bite of an asp. For he who is struck by an asp goes as if delighted to sleep, and through the sweetness of slumber dies, because the venom then runs secretly through all his members; so he who receives money on usury at that time feels it as a benefit, but the usury runs through all his means, and turns all into debt, that is, devours the man. Wherefore St. Ambrose, book iii On Duties, calls usury homicide. So Cato is witness that of old thieves were condemned to restore double, but usurers fourfold; and being asked what it was to lend on usury, he answered: It is to kill a man. For usury drains the poor, and kills them with hunger. Hence the Philosophers too condemned usury, as repugnant to natural reason; for it is manifestly unjust that fruit should be exacted of a thing that bears no fruit, namely money, and that with grave loss to a neighbour, especially a poor one. The Romans, by the law of the Twelve Tables, provided that none should lend at more than one-twelfth interest; soon by a tribunitian bill interest was reduced to a half of that, then to a half again, afterwards to a third; at length L. Genucius, tribune of the people, carried to the people that it should not be lawful to lend on interest at all; growing up again little by little, Caesar cut interest down once more. Lucullus was praised because he freed Asia, Cato because he freed Sicily, from interest.
Cornelius Tacitus relates that among the Germans all interest was unknown and execrated. The Indians never admitted interest. Agis, leader of the Athenians, so detested interest that, a fire being made in the forum, he had all the bonds of usurers burnt, and exclaimed that he had never seen a fairer and brighter fire; so Agesilaus.
20. BUT TO THE STRANGER,—the foreigner, who is not of thy nation, whether he remain in unbelief or have been converted to Judaism. God therefore permitted the Jews to lend on usury to foreigners, and permitted these to lend to the Jews, on account of the hardness of their heart, lest the Jews, gaping after gain, should lend to Jews on usury; he permitted it, that is, did not punish it. For that all usuries, even under that old law, were absolutely forbidden, without distinction of brother or stranger, is gathered from Psalm xiv, 5, Psalm liv, 12, Ezechiel xviii, 8. So Lyranus, Cajetan and others.
Wrongly, therefore, do the Jews seek in this place a pretext for their usuries, by which they lend to Christians and other nations. Especially because the Jews call the Romans, and think them to be, Idumeans. But the Idumeans were brethren of the Jews; for their parent Esau was the brother of Jacob or Israel. If, then, Christians are Idumeans, they are brethren of the Jews; therefore it is not lawful to lend to them on usury. For the law says: “Thou shalt not lend to thy brother on usury.”
From the passages of Scripture cited a little before, refute also Calvin, who asserts that in the Old Scripture usury is forbidden only so that none lend to the poor on usury; that it is therefore permitted that one lend on usury to the rich.
St. Ambrose, book On Tobias, chap. xv, takes by “stranger” hostile nations, such as the Amalecites, Amorrhites, Chanaanites, etc.; as if to say: Exact usury from these, whom it is no crime to kill. For where there is right of war, there is also right of usury: for those whom they could kill, of them they could also seize the goods, either openly, or secretly and by guile through usuries, especially since these nations were about to lend usuriously to the Hebrews, nay to plunder them. The same right, therefore, God here grants to his people, since these nations were about to prey upon it. So by a twofold right, namely first of reprisals, secondly of war, the Jews could lend on usury to these nations. This sense is true and convenient, except that it restricts the name of “stranger” to hostile nations; but it might be said that all nations, especially the neighbouring, were enemies of the Jews.
“In like manner,” says Damhouder, a distinguished jurist, in his Common Places, admonition 9 to usurers, “Christians may practise usury with Turks and Saracens, in order thus to recover the goods of the Church which the Turks and Saracens, without any reason, right or equity, having slain so many thousands of Christians, have hitherto seized. He, therefore, who has received usury from the Turk, a robber and infidel thief, has neither done plunder, nor harmed a brother, and has enlarged the Church.” Lastly, piously and truly said St. Bernardine of Siena, “usury can be practised without sin, if the money were lent to those who could not even return the capital sum,” namely if it were given to the poor.
24. IF THOU GO INTO A VINEYARD.—What is here said of the grapes of a neighbour, and of ears of corn to be plucked and eaten, provided they be not carried outside, take likewise of apples and other fruits. So Abulensis.
25. IF THOU GO INTO THY FRIEND’S CORN,—namely a Jew’s, not a Gentile’s. For Jews were called brethren and friends or neighbours; for with Gentiles the Jews had scarcely any friendship.