Since the Bible has much to say about well doing, here are some Bible verses about giving. The most common gift, and perhaps the most practical one, is that of money. Most, but not all, are related to giving money either to the ministry of God through His house, the church, or through His workers, but sometimes the giving is non-monetary also. Since money can be a scare commodity, it is important to understand how to give, and even how much to give to God, so that our money is invested in heavenly rewards rather than wasted.
Bible Verses About Giving — Old Testament
The principle of giving is throughout the Bible. God wants His people to give of their income, and He has both rules and guidelines all throughout the Bible about giving.
Bible Verses About Giving — Abram and the Origin of the Tithe
Closely related to financial giving, and in some ways defined by it, is what is commonly referred to as “tithes,” or simply, “the tithe.” This is donating one-tenth of your income to the work of God, usually through the medium of the local church. But while tithing is an Old Testament practice, it is important to understand the origin of this particular percentage. The first mention of the word “tithes” is in relation to Abraham in Genesis 14:20. “And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.” (KJV)
The context of this verse is that Abram (later God changed Abram’s name to “Abraham”) was told that the King of Sodom had captured both his nephew, Lot, with many other people. When he heard that, he took his servants and went to war. Abraham and his men successfully rescued both Lot and all others who were taken captive, and they recovered all of their goods as well.
After this military success, a person by the name of Melchizedek, who was both King of Salem and the praise of God, met Abram and his army. Melchizedek gave Abram and his people food, congratulated Abram on his victory, and praised God. Then Abram gave Melchizedek, the man of God, tithes of all that he had recovered.
“And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all” Genesis 14:18-20 (KJV)
The grateful Abram, out of praise to God, gave the man of God 10 percent. This action by Abram is the precedent of today’s giving.
Bible Verses About Giving — The Law of Moses
God gave many rules for His people through Moses. Part of what Bible scholars call “the Mosaic Law” is about giving, and the tithe (10 percent) is mentioned again.
Here is how God directed His people to give, as recorded in Leviticus 27:30-32:
“And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S: it is holy unto the LORD. And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.” (KJV)
God expected His people to give Him 10 percent of all of the food they grew and all of their livestock. But how does one give something to Someone who owns everything? The tithe of food, which was sown and raised, was to be given to the Levites, the priests of God. They were in full-time service to God and needed to be supported since their only job was to serve in the Tabernacle. The Levites did not have time to be farmers, so they lived off the tithes that were given by the rest of the people who composed the Nation of Israel.
“But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe.” Numbers 18:24-26 (KJV)
These men of God then were to take ten percent of what they received and then burn that as a sacrifice to God. That was how the Levities, the men in full-time service to God, tithed on their income.
Again, this Old Testament principle is the people of God, giving to the ministers of God ten percent of their income.
In the times of the books of Leviticus and Numbers, there was more business accomplished using food and livestock. But as silver and gold became more prominent as a form of currency, the people who were used to tithing of their food and animals were still commanded to give ten percent of their money. Concerning money, God said in Haggai 2:8,
“The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.” (KJV)
The giving back to God of food, livestock, and money is an act of worship. Giving to God through the servants of God, and to His house, is a reminder that all we have, all we earn, all we enjoy, is from God. He has allowed us the ability to raise crops and animals, to work, and to earn money. In today’s world, the tithe is primarily money. But giving back to God, even ten percent, is an acknowledgement and a reminder of God’s goodness to us.
But people, both then and now, are greedy and disobedient to God. At times, some of the people did not give God the full tithe. God said that they were robbing Him in Malachi 3:8-10:
“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (KJV)
In these verses, God assures His people that when they obey Him and give him the whole tithe He will make sure they will not lack.
Bible Verses About Giving — From Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs is a book of practical wisdom from God through King Solomon. Much of the book is dedicated to situations between individual people. However, some of the wisdom is directly related to a human’s relationship with God, and this book does contain some verses about giving. Here is the first of the Bible verses about giving from that book.
“Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10 (KJV)
This is both a command and a promise of God. God says to honor Him by giving to Him the “firstfruits.” In today’s world, that could be interpreted as “the first bill you owe.” If you practice tithing, or giving any percentage of your pay to God, that should be the first expense that you “pay” when you get money. If you don’t, at least mentally, subtract the amount of money you give to God immediately. It is very easy for you to spend all of the money on bills and other items and then realize, belatedly, that you have nothing to give to God.
Also, when it comes to taxes, the portion you give to God should be of your gross pay, not your net. Your gross pay is that amount that you earned. The deductions, voluntary or forced, are from your earnings. Therefore, your financial honoring of God should also come from your gross pay.
There is a promise attached to this command. When you honor God by giving financially, He will bless you with more. You may not be a farmer or a grape grower, but the idea is that God will make sure that your needs are being met and more.
Here are two more verses from Proverbs about giving. Again, these verses have the idea that giving to God is the way of blessing.
“There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.” Proverbs 11:24-25 (KJV)
This verse indicates giving to God through His work or workers above and beyond the 10 percent. This extra is considered an offering to God. When you scatter your blessings, not just financial assets, but giving of yourself to God’s work and helping His people, God has a way of increasing what you give. However, the opposite is also true. When you withhold more than you should in hording the blessing of God, both financial and even of your abilities, God can take away what you have.
The word “liberal” here means “the soul of blessing.” It has the idea of being generous with both your money and abilities. God has promised that when you are a blessing to others by giving them good things that they need, (He uses the term “watereth”) you will be blessed in turn.
Finally. a last verse about giving is in Proverbs 19:17:
“He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.” (KJV)
This is a promise. When you give to those who are poor, it is like lending to God! God promises to pay you back. The ideal of lending also has the idea of getting repaid with interest. God’s interest rates may be out of this world! Nevertheless, a caveat should be made here. To give money to someone who is poor because they have spent all of their money and want your money to spend on more “things” is not a good spiritual investment. When you know of a specific need, and the good reasons for that need that will cause you to take pity on that poor individual, then this promise from God applies.
Bible Verses About Giving — New Testament
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ talks about giving. However, the word “tithe” or “tithes” is never used in the News Testament. The tithe is an Old Testament principle, given to the Jews, and was only alluded to as a guideline about how much money God expected from the Gentiles that primarily composed the church in New Testament times.
Bible Verses About Giving — Giving Alms
Jesus taught about the proper procedure to give alms, which are offerings to help poor people. His instructions are recoded in Matthew 6:1-4.
1 “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2 “Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3 “But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4 “That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.”
Jesus said that when you desire to give to people in need, you should do so, but do these good deeds in private, in secret, even anonymously. If you give to those in need and want public recognition of your good deeds, you will get it, but you will not have God openly reward you and praise you in the future.
Human nature wants to get a reward for what it does, especially when we do something sacrificially. God knows that and that is why He wants to reward us for doing good deeds publicly, in His way and in His time. When we get greedy for praise, and advertise our good deeds to others to receive their praise, we are only forfeiting God’s future and far greater reward.
Jesus Christ said in Luke 12:33-34,
“Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (KJV)
His command here is again coupled with a promise. When you take from your own treasure to give to those in need, God guarantees future, heavenly, and eternal treasures.
To fully understand this concept takes faith. To give away money that you can see, feel, and spend on others, and knowing that you will get blessings in this life and the next, is trusting that God’s word is true, and that He will do as He has said.
Bible Verses About Giving — Mary Anointed Jesus
An example of giving was beautifully demonstrated by Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus (John 12:3). She took a box of expensive ointment and, in an act of love, anointed Jesus with it. Here is how it is recorded in Matthew 26:7-11.
7 “There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
8 “But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
9 “For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
10 “When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
11 “For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.” (KJV)
This is an example of rich generosity being done in the right spirit. She could have kept the ointment for herself. She could have sold it and gave the money to the poor. But in a selfless act she gave of her material possession directly to her Lord; she wanted to give it to Jesus because of all that He had given her. Her generous act of love gained her the blessing of the Lord throughout eternity.
Bible Verses About Giving — The Poor Widow
The amount of money we give is not as important as the attitude and the reason why we give. This was illustrated by the poor widow who gave two mites (two, small copper coins) in the Temple in Jerusalem.
“And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” Mark 12:41-44 (KJV)
Jesus saw the rich people giving of their abundance. They had plenty, and they gave to the Temple a small percentage of their “excess.” But the poor widow, the lady with no visible means of support, a needy person herself, put into the offering box at the Temple all of the money she had. The two coins she gave were approximately equivalent to part of a day’s wages, or less, at that time.
But Jesus saw exactly what she did and commended her. Because this poor lady was more concerned for the work of God then her own personal impoverished state, Jesus said that the value of her great sacrifice exceeded the large sums of money from the rich people.
Bible Verses About Giving — The Teachings of Jesus
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38 (KJV)
This verse has the idea of demonstrating a generous heart in this present world. This is practical advice to people in general, and it is also good advice. As we support God’s work financially and His people, too, God will make sure that others will give to us in the same proportion.
“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:35-40 (KJV)
Jesus spoke these prophetic words about Himself. He is the King in this context. In this parable-like prophecy, Jesus told us that in giving to help the physical needs of others, sometimes only a cup of cold water, that He takes these acts of selfless love personally. As Christians help to support other Christians in need, they are actually serving Christ Himself!
Bible Verses About Giving — From the Apostle Paul
Here are some verses from the Apostle Paul about the importance of giving.
“I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35 (KJV)
Paul quoted what Jesus Christ had taught him about giving. If anyone should know about the blessing of giving, it would be Him!
“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19 (KJV)
Paul wrote these instructions to the pastor Timothy. Some individuals have more material possessions and the ability to get them than others. But Paul told Timothy to tell these rich people not to trust in the uncertainty of riches, but rather in God, the Giver of all that they had. To these rich people, Paul further instructed Timothy to tell them that they should not be prideful in what they possessed, but to also be rich in good works, which included giving to others as the need arises. In so doing, they would be building a firm foundation for receiving eternal rewards.
“Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.” Philippians 4:15-17 (KJV)
Paul wrote to the church members at Phillipi about their financial giving to him and commended them for their generosity. He also explained that their support of him, the man of God, would result in spiritual fruit to their benefit. The same concept holds true today.
Bible Verses About Giving — 2 Corinthians Chapter 9
The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Christians at Corinth, devoted an entire chapter to giving. In it, he uses psychology, even as he reminds them about their duties to give for the relief of the saints in need. Here are his words in 2 Corinthians chapter 9.
- “For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you:
(Paul begins this chapter reminding them that he knows it is “superfluous,” meaning redundant and not necessary, for him to remind them. But he knows that he should.)
2. “For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many.
(The word “forwardness” means desire, ability, “to pay it forward,” willingness. Paul told these Christians at Corinth that he bragged about their desire to give to the needy churches of Macedonia. The zeal these Christians had of giving to help the Lord’s people was such a good example that it encouraged others to do likewise.)
3. “Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready:
(Just to make sure they still felt this way, and as a gentle reminder and encouragement, Paul wrote this letter and with the letter sent some other Christians to Corinth so these people would be prepared to give to the needy saints in the same manner they did in the past.)
4. “Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting.
(If he expected these Christians to give and they were not prepared, both he and they would be embarrassed. Since they did not live up to of all of the good things that he had said about them, it would make him look like a liar. He wanted to make sure that these Christians lived up to, and even exceeded, what he had told others about them.)
5. “Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.
(Paul explained that he wanted these Christians at Corinth to give financially as a blessing to others. He explained that he did not want them to give because he was trying to make them feel guilty, but rather, that they would give freely of their finances as a blessing to others, a generous, voluntary thank offering to God toward His people.)
.6. But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
(Paul used the analogy of planting seeds to that of financial giving. The more seeds that are planted, the greater the eventual harvest.)
7. “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
(Paul did not tell these Christians how much they should give. He left the amount, the percentage, up to the individual, even as he reminded them that God loves a person who gives cheerfully and of their own free will. This is an excellent principle for our giving today. We should give to God willingly and out of a grateful heart for all that He had given us. This verse seems to imply that the attitude of the giver is just as important as the gift.)
8. “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
(Paul, after exhorting these Christians to give generously, then reminds them that despite them giving of their “extra” money, God would make sure they had all they needed.
9. “(As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.)
(In this verse, Paul quoted Psalm 112:9, which is attributed to King David, as a confirmation that what he was telling these people is true. The term “dispersed abroad” refers to helping people who were at a distance, even from another country. “His righteousness” refers to God, Who does not forget how His people have helped others.)
10. “Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
(These long-ago Christians, and us today, can only give of our resources because God gave it to us first. It is God Who “ministereth seed to the sower.” As we realize this important fact, then God will both give more so that we can keep the cycle of receiving from God and then giving back to Him.)
11. “Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.
(God as given to us bountifully, and His provision to us gives us reasons to thank Him. Part of our thanks to God is to give of His blessings to others.)
12. “For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;
(The act of financially giving to help meet the needs of the saints not only helps to meet their needs, but also multiplies prayers of thanks to God. Those who give do so as a love offering to God. Those who receive thank God for the gifts and for those who gave. When we give to God’s service, God is glorified.)
13. “Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men;
(The financial giving of these Christians at Corinth would be proof of their changed lives. It would show that they had the love of God in their hearts because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ since they wanted to help their brothers and sisters in Christ.)
14. “And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.
(The result of giving to the needy Christians would be that those who received their gift would pray and ask God to continue to bless the givers.)
15. “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”
(Paul ends this chapter on giving by referring the God’s ultimate gift, the heavenly Father Who gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. It is God Who sets the ultimate example of giving. Because of Who God gave, the giving of money is but a small thing.
Bible Verses About Giving — Conclusion
These are not all of the Bible’s verses about giving. There are many more. But, hopefully, these verses will be an encouragement to you to give to the work of the Lord. When you give, whatever the amount, do so out of a grateful heart and with the attitude that you are not giving to the individual, or even to the local church, but rather to Christ Jesus through His servants. Your own personal, financial giving to Christ through His people is planting seeds for a future harvest in which you will benefit.
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