38 Bible Verses about Abstinence

Most Relevant Verses

1 Corinthians 7:5

Do not defraud one another, except perhaps by agreement, for a time, in order that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and [then] you should be {together} again, lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self control.

Acts 27:21

And [because] many were experiencing lack of appetite, at that time Paul stood up in their midst [and] said, "Men, [you] ought to have followed my [advice] not to put out to sea from Crete, and [thus] avoided this damage and loss!

Leviticus 10:8-10

Then Yahweh spoke to Aaron, saying, "You and your sons with you may not drink wine or strong drink when you come to [the] tent of assembly, so that you will not die--[it is] a lasting statute for your generations-- and to distinguish between the holy and the unholy, as well as between the unclean and the clean,

Numbers 6:3-4

he will abstain from wine and fermented drink; he will not drink wine vinegar or vinegar of fermented drink; he will not drink the fruit juice of grapes or eat fresh or dry grapes. All the days of his separation you will not eat from anything that is made from the grapevine, from sour grapes to the skin [of grapes].

Judges 13:13-14

And the angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, "Let the woman be attentive to all that I said. She should not eat of anything that comes from the vine, or drink wine or strong drink, or eat anything unclean; she should keep all that I commanded."

Esther 1:8

There were no restrictions on the drinking, for the king had instructed every official of his palace to do as each one pleased.

Proverbs 23:31-32

Do not look at wine when it is red, when it {sparkles} on the cup, going down smoothly. {In the end}, it will bite like a serpent, and it will sting like an adder.

Proverbs 31:4

[It is] not for the kings, O Lemuel; drinking wine [is] not for the kings, nor [is] strong drink for rulers.

Jeremiah 35:6-8

But they answered, "We will not drink wine, for Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our ancestor, commanded us, {saying}, 'You shall not drink wine, you or your children, {forever}. And you shall not build a house, and you shall not sow seed, and you shall not plant a vineyard, and it shall not be for you, but in tents you shall live all your days, so that you may live many days on the surface of the land where you [are] dwelling as aliens.' And we obeyed the voice of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our ancestor, in all that he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters,

Jeremiah 35:14

"The words of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, that he commanded his descendants to not drink, have been carried out, and they have not drunk until this day, for they have obeyed the command of their ancestor. But {I have spoken to you over and over again}, and you have not listened to me.

Deuteronomy 29:6

You have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine and strong drink, so that you may know that I [am] Yahweh your God.

Judges 16:17

So {he confided everything to her}, and he said to her, "A razor {has never touched} my head, for I [am] a {Nazirite of God} {from birth}. If I am shaved my strength will leave me, and I will become weak, like everyone else.

Judges 13:3-5

And an angel of Yahweh appeared to the woman, and he said to her, "Behold, you [are] infertile and have not borne [children], but you will conceive and bear a son. So then, be careful and do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, because you [will] conceive and bear a son. No razor {will touch} his head, because the boy will be a {Nazirite of God} {from birth}. And it is he who will begin to deliver Israel from [the] hand of [the] Philistines."

Daniel 1:8

Now {Daniel resolved} that he would not defile himself with the fine food of the king, and with {the wine that he drank}, and [so] he requested from the commander of the court officials [permission so] that he would not defile himself.

Daniel 1:12

"Please test your servants [for] ten days, and let them give us {some of the vegetables}, and let us eat and let us drink water.

Jeremiah 35:6-14

But they answered, "We will not drink wine, for Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our ancestor, commanded us, {saying}, 'You shall not drink wine, you or your children, {forever}. And you shall not build a house, and you shall not sow seed, and you shall not plant a vineyard, and it shall not be for you, but in tents you shall live all your days, so that you may live many days on the surface of the land where you [are] dwelling as aliens.' And we obeyed the voice of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our ancestor, in all that he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters,read more.
and not to build houses [for] our living, and there is not vineyard, or field, or seed for us. But we have lived in tents, and we have obeyed, and we have done all that Jehonadab, our ancestor, commanded us. {But then} at the coming up against the land of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, then we said, 'Come and let us go [to] Jerusalem {before} the army of the Chaldeans, and {before} the army of the Arameans.' That is why we are living in Jerusalem." And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, {saying}, "Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Go and say to the people of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, "Can you not learn a lesson to listen to my words?" {declares} Yahweh. "The words of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, that he commanded his descendants to not drink, have been carried out, and they have not drunk until this day, for they have obeyed the command of their ancestor. But {I have spoken to you over and over again}, and you have not listened to me.

Leviticus 10:9

"You and your sons with you may not drink wine or strong drink when you come to [the] tent of assembly, so that you will not die--[it is] a lasting statute for your generations--

Numbers 6:3

he will abstain from wine and fermented drink; he will not drink wine vinegar or vinegar of fermented drink; he will not drink the fruit juice of grapes or eat fresh or dry grapes.

Proverbs 23:31

Do not look at wine when it is red, when it {sparkles} on the cup, going down smoothly.

Jeremiah 35:6

But they answered, "We will not drink wine, for Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our ancestor, commanded us, {saying}, 'You shall not drink wine, you or your children, {forever}.

Daniel 10:3

I had not eaten [any] choice food, and meat and wine did not enter my mouth, and {I did not use any ointment} {until the end of three whole weeks}.

1 Corinthians 8:13

Therefore, if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat {forever}, in order that I may not cause my brother to sin.

Jeremiah 35:5-8

Then I {set} {before} the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine and cups, and I said to them, "Drink wine." But they answered, "We will not drink wine, for Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our ancestor, commanded us, {saying}, 'You shall not drink wine, you or your children, {forever}. And you shall not build a house, and you shall not sow seed, and you shall not plant a vineyard, and it shall not be for you, but in tents you shall live all your days, so that you may live many days on the surface of the land where you [are] dwelling as aliens.'read more.
And we obeyed the voice of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our ancestor, in all that he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters,

Acts 15:29

[that you] abstain from food sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. [If you] keep yourselves from {these things} you will do well. Farewell.

Deuteronomy 23:22

And {if you refrain from vowing}, {you shall not incur guilt}.

From Thematic Bible


Abstinence » Total abstinence » Strong Drink » Law from the nazarites

Numbers 6:3

he will abstain from wine and fermented drink; he will not drink wine vinegar or vinegar of fermented drink; he will not drink the fruit juice of grapes or eat fresh or dry grapes.

Deuteronomy 29:6

You have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine and strong drink, so that you may know that I [am] Yahweh your God.

Abstinence » Total abstinence » Strong Drink » Daniel's temperance principles

Daniel 1:8

Now {Daniel resolved} that he would not defile himself with the fine food of the king, and with {the wine that he drank}, and [so] he requested from the commander of the court officials [permission so] that he would not defile himself.

Daniel 10:3

I had not eaten [any] choice food, and meat and wine did not enter my mouth, and {I did not use any ointment} {until the end of three whole weeks}.

Abstinence » Total abstinence » Strong Drink » Brotherly love demands

1 Corinthians 8:13

Therefore, if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat {forever}, in order that I may not cause my brother to sin.

Abstinence » Total abstinence » Strong Drink » Encouraged upon the priests

Leviticus 10:9

"You and your sons with you may not drink wine or strong drink when you come to [the] tent of assembly, so that you will not die--[it is] a lasting statute for your generations--

Abstinence » Total abstinence » Strong Drink » The wise man's injunction

Proverbs 23:31

Do not look at wine when it is red, when it {sparkles} on the cup, going down smoothly.

Abstinence » Total abstinence » Strong Drink » The law of the rechabites

Jeremiah 35:6

But they answered, "We will not drink wine, for Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our ancestor, commanded us, {saying}, 'You shall not drink wine, you or your children, {forever}.

Abstinence » Total abstinence » Strong Drink » Rule for kings

Proverbs 31:4

[It is] not for the kings, O Lemuel; drinking wine [is] not for the kings, nor [is] strong drink for rulers.

Abstinence » Total abstinence » Strong Drink » John the baptist a total abstainer

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Leviticus 7:22-27

Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

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