Mortgage
Culture & SocietyWhat is the meaning of Mortgage in the Bible?
To provide security for a debt by pledging property or assets, frequently involving the transfer of land usage rights to the creditor until the obligation was satisfied.
SIGNIFICANCE
Understanding this practice clarifies the severe economic pressures described in prophetic literature, where the loss of ancestral land represented both financial ruin and a violation of divine covenantal protections for the poor.
Bible Study Quick-Reference Guide
Ancient Cultural Lens: Avoid applying 21st-century Western assumptions to Mortgage. Examine how first-century or Near Eastern listeners understood this practice within their daily social dynamics.
Bible Study Reflection Prompts:
- Why did the biblical author mention Mortgage in this passage?
- What cultural or historical assumption does Mortgage clarify?
Source Attribution
Built upon the 1915 International Standard Bible Encyclopedia and Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897). Entries have been modernized, checked for academic truthfulness, and shortened for clarity.
How to Cite This Entry
"Mortgage." Ancient Context Dictionary. Accessed 2026. https://ancientcontext.com/context/mortgage/