The Torah's prohibition of usury (tarbiyth) from a fellow Israelite (Leviticus 25:36-37) was a radical economic ethic in the ancient world. Interest-lending was standard practice in Babylon and Egypt. But God's covenant community was to reflect His generosity — lending freely without exploiting need. Ezekiel 18:8 lists avoiding tarbiyth as a mark of the righteous man; Ezekiel 22:12 condemns Jerusalem for it. Proverbs 28:8 contains a remarkable reversal: the wealth gained by usury will eventually be given to one who is kind to the poor.
Tarbiyth refers to increase or profit, especially the excessive profit gained through lending at interest — what we would call usury. It appears in the legal context of the Mosaic law prohibiting charging interest from fellow Israelites, and in the prophetic condemnation of those who prey on the poor.