“It is more blessed to give than to receive” – this saying of Jesus is only preserved in the book of Acts, and yet almost everyone knows it. The Bible often speaks of giving: of money, time, gifts, and oneself. Here you will find 19 Bible verses about giving.
Giving gladly
Verses about the attitude when giving.
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I have shown you everything, so that you must work and take in the weak and remember the word of the LORD Jesus, who said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive!”
Acts 20:35GenerosityHappiness
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Give, and it will be given to you. A full, pressed, shaken, and overflowing measure will be poured into your lap; for with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
Luke 6:38ReceivingGenerosity
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But this I mean: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; and whoever sows in abundance will also reap in abundance. Each according to his own will, not with unwillingness or compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7Generosity
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But when you give alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand does, so that your alms may be hidden; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.
Matthew 6:3-4
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Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise up the dead, cast out devils. Freely you have received, freely give also.
Matthew 10:8ReceivingCare and medicine
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Do not refuse to do good to the needy, so that your hand may do such things from God.
Proverbs 3:27Recognition
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He desires all day long; but the righteous gives, and does not withhold.
Proverbs 21:26
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If any of your brothers is poor in any city in your land, which the LORD your God will give you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand and lend him according to his need.
Deuteronomy 15:7-8
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Each according to the gift of his hand, according to the blessing which the LORD your God has given you.
Deuteronomy 16:17
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For who am I? And what is my people, that we should be able to give so freely? For all things have come from you, and from your hand we have given back to you.
1 Chronicles 29:14
Giving in the church
How the early Christians shared.
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They sold their goods and possessions and shared them among all, according to the need of each.
Acts 2:45
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There was also no one among them who lacked anything; for as many as had fields or houses sold them and brought the money of the sale of their property and laid it at the apostles' feet; and it was given to each according to his need.
Acts 4:34-35
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For all their possessions (which I bear witness to) and beyond their possessions, they were willing and with much entreating urged us to take up the good work and fellowship of sharing, which is happening among the saints.
2 Corinthians 8:3-4
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For as willingly as one is willing, so he is acceptable, according to what he has, not according to what he does not have.
2 Corinthians 8:12
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So let your abundance serve their need during this dear time, that your abundance may afterward serve your need, and so that there may be equality.
2 Corinthians 8:14
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If anyone exhorts, let him be worthy of exhortation. If anyone gives, let him give cheerfully. If anyone rules, let him rule with care. If anyone exercises mercy, let him do it with joy.
Romans 12:8Ladder
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Now when we have time, let us do good to everyone, but especially to those who are fellow believers.
Galatians 6:10Love of neighborTime
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Bring me the tithe into my barn entirely, that there may be food in my house; and test me in this, says the LORD of hosts, whether I will not open the windows of heaven upon you and pour out a blessing in abundance.
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And Jesus sat opposite the treasury and watched how the people put money into the treasury; and many rich men put in much. And a poor widow came and put in two mites, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them: This poor widow has put more into the treasury than all who have put in. For they all put in out of their abundance; but she, out of her poverty, has put in all she had, all her livelihood.
Mark 12:41-44
Bible texts: Luther Bible 1912 (public domain), carefully adapted to modern spelling.
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What the Bible says about giving
Giving is not a mandatory exercise in the Bible, but an expression of a grateful heart. King David prays during the great collection for the temple: “For all things have come from you, and from your hand we have given back to you” (1 Chronicles 29:14). Whoever gives only gives back to God what already belongs to them. Jesus recommends giving in secret – “let not your left hand know what your right hand does” (Matthew 6:3) –, so that it is not about recognition. And he promises: “Give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:38).
The tithe and voluntary giving
In the Old Testament, the tithe was a fixed offering for the temple, the priests, and the poor (Malachi 3:10). The New Testament speaks less of fixed percentages and more of voluntariness and joy: “Each according to his own will, not with unwillingness or compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Many Christians still use the tithe as a guideline. At Good-Natured, we pass on ten percent of our profits. Find out more about Bible verses about generosity, Bible verses about poverty, and Bible verses about receiving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does it say “It is more blessed to give than to receive”?
In Acts 20:35. Paul quotes a saying of Jesus there that is not preserved in the Gospels.
Do Christians have to give the tithe?
The New Testament does not prescribe a fixed percentage, but emphasizes voluntary, cheerful giving (2 Corinthians 9:7). Many Christians take the tithe from the Old Testament as guidance.








