Skip to content
Canajun Finances Home » Debt is Bad in the Bible Too?

Debt is Bad in the Bible Too?

“The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” 

Proverbs 22:7

That is a very topical quote for a Personal Finance Blog, isn’t it?

The Bible says that the rich rule over the poor. That is your thought for Labor Day since the rich do as they please and the poor work for their lives (OK, trite and oversimplified, but still pretty true). I’m sure the Bible is not speaking solely on a Financial angle, but this is something to keep in mind.

The borrower is the servant to the lender is very correct. If you are in debt to someone or an institution, they call the shots, and you have no control of the situation (or very little). The only way to regain control if you are a debtor is by paying off the debt, and then you are free.

Are you tired of me bludgeoning you with Bible quotes on debt? How about this one, then?

From Shakespeare’s Hamlet, 1603:

LORD POLONIUS:

Neither a borrower nor a lender be;

For loan oft loses both itself and friend…

In life, the Bible, and literature, debt is a bad thing. I am pretty sure the Qur’an also does not view usury favourably.

My list of debt commentary articles is quite long, so let’s stick with the basics.

Feel Free to Comment

  1. If credit cards are the greatest source of bad debt, auto loans are a close second. You are upside down on the loan the second you drive off the dealership’s lot and it’s downhill from there. Too many people shrug off a car payment as a necessary evil.

  2. While I agree with the point, I absolutely hate that quote from “Hamlet” being used as ‘advice’. Polonius is a time-serving, puffed-up idiot, who is perfectly willing to wreck his daughter’s life in order to get ahead. The point of the scene is that this stuffed shirt is boring his son Laertes to tears with obvious commonplaces. The association makes the words weaker rather than stronger.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Verified by MonsterInsights