Question 1

What does "Usury" mean in the King James Bible?

Accepted Answer

In the KJV, "Usury" means "interest." The blanket biblical prohibition on profiting from lending. When Exodus banned usury, it banned all interest on loans to the poor -- not just high rates. The semantic narrowing to 'excessive interest' effectively repealed the biblical economic ethic by redefining the offense. What the Bible prohibited, the dictionary permitted by changing the word.

Question 2

Why did the word "Usury" disappear from modern English?

Accepted Answer

Shifted from 'any interest charged on a loan' (Latin usura 'use/interest') to 'excessively high interest,' allowing moderate interest to escape the moral scrutiny the Bible applied to all lending-for-profit. The word was at peak usage around 1611 and declined by ~1900.

Question 3

What modern word replaced "Usury"?

Accepted Answer

"Usury" was replaced by: "interest" (though this neutral and expected; usury carried moral weight -- charging any amount for the use of money was the issue); "loan-sharking" (though this criminal extreme; usury applied to all interest, not just predatory rates); "excessive interest" (though this implies moderate interest is fine; the biblical prohibition was broader).

What Does “Usury” Mean in the Bible?

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