Leviticus 25:14

Moses, who likely wrote these words around 1440–1400 BC while leading the Israelites, conveyed a straightforward yet profound directive in Leviticus 25:14 designed to foster economic and relational harmony. He tells God’s people, *“If you make a sale, moreover, to your friend or buy from your friend’s hand, you shall not wrong one another.”* (Leviticus 25:14) This commandment addresses everyday business transactions within the covenant community, instructing believers that any exchange—whether selling goods or purchasing property—must be conducted with honesty rather than deceit or exploitation. Though this verse does not mention specific locations, it was given to the Israelites camped in the wilderness, preparing to enter the Promised Land (roughly the region of modern-day Israel).

In ancient societies, commerce often served as a foundation for community life, but it could also become a vehicle for oppression if wrongful practices were allowed to flourish. When the LORD forbade His people from defrauding or cheating one another in a sale, He was preserving mutual trust, so that a healthy marketplace could flourish alongside God’s moral principles. As other passages in the law also stress, if people engage in false dealings or oppressive tactics, it breaks the bonds of harmony and replaces it with suspicion and anger, harming the social fabric (this principle of refusing exploitation reappears throughout the Mosaic Law citeturn0file1). By reminding Israel not to “wrong one another,” the LORD intended for them to treat each other with respect and dignity, reflecting His holiness in their economic relationships as much as in their religious life.

Viewed in light of the broader biblical narrative, this instruction prefigures the New Testament ethic of loving one’s neighbor (Romans 13:8–10). The care and honesty God commands the Israelites to practice in their economic affairs parallels the believer’s call to lay aside harmful practices for the good of others (Ephesians 4:28). It affirms that no aspect of life—including daily trade—stands outside of God’s desire for fairness and mutual care among His people.

Practicing fairness and honesty in all transactions preserves the unity of the community under God’s covenant.