48 Bible Verses about Greed
Most Relevant Verses
So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
Greed takes away the lives of its possessors.
And the dogs are greedy; they never have enough.
They are shepherds who have no understanding;
They have all turned to their own way,
Each one to his unlawful gain, without exception.
For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.
He who has an evil and envious eye hurries to be rich
And does not know that poverty will come upon him.
But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and plate [as required by tradition]; but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
not meaning the immoral people of this world, or the greedy ones and swindlers, or idolaters, for then you would have to get out of the world and human society altogether!
“For from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Everyone is greedy for [unfair] gain;
And from the prophet even to the priest
Everyone deals deceitfully.
And in their greed they will exploit you with false arguments and twisted doctrine. Their sentence [of condemnation which God has decreed] from a time long ago is not idle [but is still in force], and their destruction and deepening misery is not asleep [but is on its way].
Then He said to them, “Watch out and guard yourselves against every form of greed; for not even when one has an overflowing abundance does his life consist of nor is it derived from his possessions.”
But sexual immorality and all [moral] impurity [indecent, offensive behavior] or greed must not even be hinted at among you, as is proper among saints [for as believers our way of life, whether in public or in private, reflects the validity of our faith].
He who profits unlawfully brings suffering to his own house,
But he who hates bribes [and does not receive nor pay them] will live.
“Therefore I will give their wives to others
And their fields to new owners;
Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is greedy for [unjust] gain;
From the prophet even to the priest
Everyone practices deceit and deals in corruption.
nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers [whose words are used as weapons to abuse, insult, humiliate, intimidate, or slander], nor swindlers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God.
For as you well know, we never came with words of flattery nor with a pretext for greed—God is our witness—
“Because of the wickedness of his unjust gain I was angry and struck him;
I hid My face and was angry,
And he went on turning away and backsliding, in the way of his [own willful] heart.
So put to death and deprive of power the evil longings of your earthly body [with its sensual, self-centered instincts] immorality, impurity, sinful passion, evil desire, and greed, which is [a kind of] idolatry [because it replaces your devotion to God].
shepherd and guide and protect the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not [motivated] for shameful gain, but with wholehearted enthusiasm;
acts of greed and covetousness, wickedness, deceit, unrestrained conduct, envy and jealousy, slander and profanity, arrogance and self-righteousness and foolishness (poor judgment).
But actually, I have written to you not to associate with any so-called [Christian] brother if he is sexually immoral or greedy, or is an idolater [devoted to anything that takes the place of God], or is a reviler [who insults or slanders or otherwise verbally abuses others], or is a drunkard or a swindler—you must not so much as eat with such a person.
And they, [the ungodly in their spiritual apathy], having become callous and unfeeling, have given themselves over [as prey] to unbridled sensuality, eagerly craving the practice of every kind of impurity [that their desires may demand].
The leech has two daughters,
“Give, give!”
There are three things that are never satisfied,
Four that do not say, “It is enough”:
The righteousness of the upright will rescue them,
But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.
For be sure of this: no immoral, impure, or greedy person—for that one is [in effect] an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God [for such a person places a higher value on something other than God].
He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its gain. This too is vanity (emptiness).
They come to you as people come, and they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not practice them; for with their mouth they express loving devotion, but their heart goes after their (unlawful) gain.
An arrogant and greedy man stirs up strife,
But he who trusts in the Lord will be blessed and prosper.
All these evil things [schemes and desires] come from within and defile and dishonor the man.”
Deacons likewise must be men worthy of respect [honorable, financially ethical, of good character], not double-tongued [speakers of half-truths], not addicted to wine, not greedy for dishonest gain,
when Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “My master has spared this Naaman the Aramean (Syrian), by not accepting from him what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
He is like a lion eager to tear [his prey],
And like a young lion lurking in hiding places.
They have eyes full of adultery, constantly looking for sin, enticing and luring away unstable souls. Having hearts trained in greed, [they are] children of a curse.
Behold now [listen very carefully], I have stretched out My hand against you, reduced your portion, and handed you over to the desire of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your infamous behavior.
So that place was named Kibroth-hattaavah (the graves of greediness), because there they buried the people who had been greedy [for more than the manna that God provided them].
The king establishes (stabilizes) the land by justice,
But a man who takes bribes overthrows it.
until they were filled (permeated, saturated) with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice and mean-spiritedness. They are gossips [spreading rumors],
The Lord will protect him and keep him alive;
And he will be called blessed in the land;
You do not hand him over to the desire of his enemies.
Do not desire his delicacies,
For it is deceptive food [offered to you with questionable motives].
His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.
“Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and robbery and self-indulgence (unrestrained greed).
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder [unrest, rebellion] and every evil thing and morally degrading practice.
“Because he knew no quietness or calm within him [because of his greed],
He does not retain anything he desires.
The rabble among them [who followed Israel from Egypt] had greedy desires [for familiar and delicious food], and the Israelites wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat?
Behold, this was the sin of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters (outlying cities) had arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy.
Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So Gehazi departed from his presence, a leper as white as snow.
From Thematic Bible
balaam » besetting sin » greed
Abandoning the straight road [that is, the right way to live], they have gone astray; they have followed the way of [the false teacher] Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the reward of wickedness;
greed » General references to
His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.
He who profits unlawfully brings suffering to his own house,
But he who hates bribes [and does not receive nor pay them] will live.
Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe,
Her priests teach for a fee,
And her prophets foretell for money;
Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,
“Is not the Lord among us?
No tragedy or distress will come on us.”
And the dogs are greedy; they
They are shepherds who have no understanding;
They have all turned to their own way,
Each one to his unlawful gain, without exception.
For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.
greed » Misery of
Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up your treasure in the last days [when it will do you no good].
He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its gain. This too is vanity (emptiness).
But those who [are not financially ethical and] crave to get rich [with a compulsive, greedy longing for wealth] fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction [leading to personal misery].
And throwing the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary, he left; and went away and
So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
Greed takes away the lives of its possessors.
greed » Avaricious men, examples of » Judas
And said, What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you? And they weighed out for and paid to him thirty pieces of silver [about twenty-one dollars and sixty cents]. And from that moment he sought a fitting opportunity to betray Him.
Now he said this, not because he cared about the poor [for he had never cared about them], but because he was a thief; and since he had the money box [serving as treasurer for the twelve disciples], he used to pilfer what was put into it.
greed » Avaricious men, examples of » Achan
when I saw among the spoils [in Jericho] a
And the dogs are greedy; they
They are shepherds who have no understanding;
They have all turned to their own way,
Each one to his unlawful gain, without exception.
greed » Avaricious men, examples of » The jews
Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe,
Her priests teach for a fee,
And her prophets foretell for money;
Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,
“Is not the Lord among us?
No tragedy or distress will come on us.”
“These who pant after (long to see) the dust of the earth on the head of the helpless [as sign of their grief and distress]
Also turn aside the way of the humble;
And a man and his father will go to the same
So that My holy name is profaned.
greed » Results of » Disappointment
He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its gain. This too is vanity (emptiness).
greed » Results of » Family trouble
He who profits unlawfully brings suffering to his own house,
But he who hates bribes [and does not receive nor pay them] will live.
greed » Results of » Apostasy
For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.
greed » Results of » Folly
“Like the partridge that hatches eggs which she has not laid,
So is he who makes a fortune in ways that are unjust.
It will be lost to him before his days are over,
And in the end he will be [nothing but] a fool.”
greed » Avaricious men, examples of » The people of tyre
For Tyre built herself an [impregnable] stronghold [on an island offshore],
And she has heaped up silver like dust
And gold like the mire of the streets.
greed » Avaricious men, examples of » balaam
Abandoning the straight road [that is, the right way to live], they have gone astray; they have followed the way of [the false teacher] Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the reward of wickedness;
greed » Instances of » The descendants of joseph
The tribe of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, Why have you given [us] but one lot and one portion as an inheritance when [we] are a great [abundant] people, for until now the Lord has blessed [us]? Joshua replied, If you are a great people, get up to the forest and clear ground for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the Ephraim hill country is too narrow for you. The Josephites said, The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who dwell in the valley have iron chariots, both those in Beth-shean and its villages and in the Valley of Jezreel. read more.
And Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and to Manasseh, You are a great and numerous people and have great power; you shall not have only one lot But the hill country shall be yours; though it is a forest, you shall clear and possess it to its farthest borders; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong.
greed » Avaricious men, examples of » The masters of the philippian damsel
But when her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the market place [where trials were held],
greed » Avaricious men, examples of » Governor felix
At the same time he was also hoping to get money from Paul [as a bribe]; so he continued to send for him quite often and talked with him.
greed » Results of » Misery
Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up your treasure in the last days [when it will do you no good].
Home » Family » Hard to bear causes of » greed
He who profits unlawfully brings suffering to his own house,
But he who hates bribes [and does not receive nor pay them] will live.
Judas » greed » Protest » Breaking » Ointment
But Judas Iscariot, the one of His disciples who was about to betray Him, said, Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii [a year's wages for an ordinary workman] and that [money] given to the poor (the destitute)? Now he did not say this because he cared for the poor but because he was a thief; and having the bag (the money box, the purse of the Twelve), he took for himself what was put into it [pilfering the collections].
Judas » greed » His apostasy
Judas (jude) » Surnamed "iscariot." » greed » By his bargaining to betray jesus for a sum of money
It was during supper, when the devil had already put [the thought of] betraying Jesus into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son,
Then one of the Twelve [apostles], who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests And said, What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you? And they weighed out for and paid to him thirty pieces of silver [about twenty-one dollars and sixty cents]. And from that moment he sought a fitting opportunity to betray Him.
Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the Twelve [apostles], went off to the chief priests in order to betray and hand Him over to them. And when they heard it, they rejoiced and were delighted, and they promised to give him money. And he [busying himself continually] sought an opportunity to betray Him.
But [then] Satan entered into Judas, called Iscariot, who was one of the Twelve [apostles]. And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and captains how he might betray Him and deliver Him up to them. And they were delighted and pledged [themselves] to give him money. read more.
So he agreed [to this], and sought an opportunity to betray Him to them [without an uprising] in the absence of the throng.
Repression of evil » Seven evils to be repressed » greed
Seven » Evils to be repressed » greed
worldly Snares » greed
But those who [are not financially ethical and] crave to get rich [with a compulsive, greedy longing for wealth] fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction [leading to personal misery].
Temptation » Special sources of worldly snares » greed
But those who [are not financially ethical and] crave to get rich [with a compulsive, greedy longing for wealth] fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction [leading to personal misery].
Topics on Greed
Greed, Believers' Response To
Proverbs 28:6
Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than he who is crooked and two-faced though he is rich.
Greed, Condemnation Of
Psalm 10:3
For the wicked boasts and sings the praises of his heart’s desire,
And the greedy man curses and spurns [and even despises] the Lord.
The Misery Of Greed
Proverbs 1:19
So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
Greed takes away the lives of its possessors.