57 Bible Verses about Restraint

Most Relevant Verses

Matthew 26:52-53

Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place! For all who take up the sword will die by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot call upon my Father, and he would put at my disposal at once more than twelve legions of angels?

Exodus 36:6

And Moses commanded, and they {proclaimed the message} in the camp, saying, "Let no man or woman again make anything for the sanctuary contribution." And so the people were restrained from bringing.

1 Samuel 3:13

I will make him know that I am about to judge his household forever because of the iniquity that he knew, for his sons [were] bringing curses on themselves, but he did not rebuke them.

1 Samuel 24:1-22

When Saul returned from [pursuing the] Philistines, they told him, "Look, David [is] in the wilderness of En Gedi." So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and he and his men went to search [for] David {in the direction of} the Rocks of the Mountain Goats. He came to the sheep pens beside the road, and a cave [was] there. Then Saul went in {to relieve himself}. Now David and his men [were] sitting in the innermost part of the cave.read more.
And David's men said to him, "Look, today [is] the day about which Yahweh said to you, 'See, I am giving your enemy into your hand, and you can do to him {whatever seems good to you}.'" So David got up and secretly cut the hem of Saul's robe. {And then} afterward David {felt guilty}, because he had cut {the hem of Saul's robe}. He said to his men, "Far be it from me in Yahweh, that I do this thing to my lord, to Yahweh's anointed one, by stretching out my hand against him! For he [is] the anointed one of Yahweh." So David rebuked his men with the words and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave, and he went on his way. Then David got up afterward and went out of the cave and called after Saul, "My lord the king!" When Saul looked after him, David knelt down [with his] face to the ground and bowed down. Then David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the words of people who say: 'Look, David [is] {seeking to do you harm}'? Look, this day your eyes have seen that Yahweh gave you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you. But {I took pity} on you and said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, because he [is] Yahweh's anointed one.' Now, my father, see, yes, see, the hem of your robe in my hand! For {when I cut} the hem of your robe I did not kill you. Know and {realize} that there is no evil or rebellion in my hand. I did not sin against you, but you [are] hunting down my life to take it. May Yahweh judge between me and you, and may Yahweh avenge me on you, but my hand will not be against you! Just as the ancient proverb says, 'From the wicked, wickedness goes out,' but my hand will not be against you! After whom did the king of Israel go out? After whom are you pursuing? After a dead dog? After one flea? May Yahweh be [the] judge, and let him judge between me and you, and may he see and plead my case. {May he vindicate me against you}!" When David finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, "[Is] this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. Then he said to David, "You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me the good, but I have repaid you the evil. You have explained to me today that you have dealt well with me, how Yahweh delivered me into your hand but you did not kill me. For a man has found his enemy but sent him on [his] way safely. Now may Yahweh reward you with good in return for this day, for what you have done for me. So now then, look, I know that you will certainly be king and the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. So then, swear to me by Yahweh that you will not cut off my {descendants} after me and that you will not wipe out my name from my father's house." So David swore [this on oath] to Saul, and Saul went to his house, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

1 Samuel 26:1-25

The Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "[Is] not David hiding on the hill of Hakilah opposite Jeshimon?" Then Saul got up and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, and three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. Now Saul was on the hill of Hakilah, which [is] opposite Jeshimon by the road, but David was staying in the wilderness. When he realized that Saul had come to the wilderness after him,read more.
David sent spies, and he learned that Saul had come {for certain}. Then David got up and came to the place where Saul had encamped, and David saw the place where Saul [was] lying down, {as well as} Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. (Now Saul [was] lying in the encampment, and the army [was] encamping around him.) David answered and said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah the brother of Joab, saying, "Who will go down with me to Saul, in the camp?" And Abishai said, "I will go down with you." So David and Abishai came to the army [by] night, and {there was} Saul lying asleep in the encampment with his spear thrust into the ground near his head, and Abner and the army [were] lying all around him. Then Abishai said to David, "God has handed over your enemy into your hand today! So then, {please let me pin him to the ground with the spear} {one time}, and {I will not strike him twice}." But David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him! For who has stretched out his hand against Yahweh's anointed one and remained blameless?" And David said, "{As Yahweh lives}, {certainly} Yahweh will strike him, or his day will come and he will die, or he will go down in the battle and {perish}. {Yahweh forbid me} from stretching out my hand against Yahweh's anointed one! So then, please take the spear that [is] near his head and the jar of water, and let us go." So David took the spear and the jar of water from [near] Saul's head, and they went [away]. {No one saw, no one knew, and no one awakened}, for all of them [were] sleeping because a deep sleep of Yahweh had fallen upon them. Then David went to the other side and stood on the top of the hill at a distance; the distance [was] great between them. David called out to the army and to Abner the son of Ner, "Will you not answer, Abner?" And Abner answered and said, "Who [are] you [that] you call to the king?" So David said to Abner, "[Are] you not a man? And who [is] like you in Israel? Why did you not keep watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came to destroy your lord the king. This thing that you have done [is] not good. {As Yahweh lives}, {surely you people deserve to die} since you have not kept watch over your lord, over Yahweh's anointed one! So then, see where the king's spear [is] and the jar of water that [was] near his head!" Then Saul recognized David's voice and said, "[Is] this your voice, my son David?" And David said, "[It is] my voice, my lord the king." Then he said, "Why [is] my lord pursuing after his servant? For what have I done? And what evil [is] in my hand? And so then, please let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant: If Yahweh has incited you against me, may he delight in an offering; but if {it is mortals}, [may] they be accursed {before} Yahweh, for they have driven me away today from sharing in the inheritance of Yahweh, saying, 'Go, serve other gods!' And so then, do not let my blood fall to the ground {away from} the presence of Yahweh, for the king of Israel has gone out to seek a single flea, as one hunts a partridge in the mountains." Then Saul said, "I have sinned! Come back, David my son, for I will not harm you again, because my life [was] precious in your eyes this day. Look, I have acted like a fool and {have made a terrible mistake}." David answered and said, "Here is the king's spear; let one of the young men come over and take it. Yahweh repays to each [one] his righteousness and his faithfulness, for Yahweh gave you into my hand today, but I was not willing to stretch out my hand against Yahweh's anointed. Look, as your life was precious in my eyes this day, may my life be great in the eyes of Yahweh, and may he rescue me from all trouble." Then Saul said to David, "Blessed are you, my son David; {you will not only do many things, but also will always succeed}!" Then David went on his way and Saul returned to his place.

1 Kings 1:6

His father did not rebuke him {at any time} [by] saying, "Why did you do so?" Now he was also very handsome of appearance; she had borne him after Absalom.

Jeremiah 14:10

Thus says Yahweh concerning this people: "They have loved so much to wander, they have not spared their feet. Therefore Yahweh is not favorable to them, now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins."

2 Peter 2:16

but received a rebuke for his own lawlessness: a speechless donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained {the prophet's madness}.

1 Peter 2:21-23

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his footsteps, who did not commit sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth, who [when he] was reviled, did not revile in return; [when] suffering, he did not threaten, but entrusted [himself] to the one who judges justly,

Matthew 26:62-63

And the high priest stood up [and] said to him, "Do you reply nothing? What are these [people] testifying against you?" But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him, "I put you under oath by the living God, that you tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God!"

Mark 14:60-61

And the high priest stood up in the midst [of them] [and] asked Jesus, saying, "Do you not reply anything? What are these [people] testifying against you?" But he was silent and did not reply anything. Again the high priest asked him and said to him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?"

Matthew 27:12-14

And {when he was being accused} by the chief priests and elders he answered nothing. Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many [things] they are testifying against you?" And he did not reply to him, not even with reference to one statement, so that the governor was very astonished.

Mark 15:4-5

So Pilate asked him again, saying, "Do you not answer anything? See how many [charges] they are bringing against you!" But Jesus did not answer anything further, so that Pilate was astonished.

Exodus 14:21

And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh moved the sea with a strong east wind all night, and he made the sea [become] dry ground, and the waters were divided.

Exodus 15:8

And by the breath of your nostrils waters were piled up; waves stood like a heap; deep waters in the middle of the sea congealed.

Psalm 78:13

He split the sea and caused them to go over, and he caused waters to stand like a heap.

Matthew 8:23-27

And [as] he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, a great storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being inundated by the waves, but he himself was asleep. And they came [and] woke him, saying, "Lord, save [us]! We are perishing!"read more.
And he said to them, "Why are you fearful, [you] of little faith?" Then he got up [and] rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm. And the men were astonished, saying, "What sort of [man] is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?"

Mark 4:36-41

And leaving the crowd, they took him along, as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with him. And a great storm of wind developed, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already being filled [with water]. And he was in the stern sleeping on the cushion, and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, is it not a concern to you that we are perishing?"read more.
And he woke up [and] rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Be quiet! Be silent!" And the wind abated and there was a great calm. And he said to them, "Why are you fearful? Do you not yet have faith?" And {they were terribly frightened} and began to say to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

Luke 8:22-25

Now it happened that on one of the days both he and his disciples got into a boat, and he said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." And they set sail, and [as] they were sailing, he fell asleep. And a storm of wind came down on the lake, and they were being swamped and were in danger. And they came [and] woke him up, saying, "Master, master! We are perishing!" So he got up [and] rebuked the wind and the billowing waves of water and they ceased, and it became calm.read more.
And he said to them, "Where [is] your faith?" But they were afraid [and] were astonished, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water and they obey him?"

Mark 13:20

And if the Lord had not shortened the days, {no human being would be saved}. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he has shortened the days.

2 Kings 19:28

Because you are raging against me, and your arrogance has come up in my ears, I will put my nose ring in your nose and my bridle in your mouth. And I will turn you back on the way that you have come.

Psalm 76:10

For the anger of humankind will praise you. You will put on [the] remnant of anger.

2 Thessalonians 2:6-7

And you know that which restrains [him] now, so that he will be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is at work already; only the one who now restrains [will do so] until he is out of the way,

1 Samuel 25:39

When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, "Blessed be Yahweh who has vindicated the case of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and he has kept back his servant from evil; but Yahweh has returned the evil of Nabal on his [own] head." Then David sent and spoke with Abigail to take her for his wife.

1 Chronicles 4:10

And Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would surely bless me and enlarge my border. And may your hand be with me, that you would keep me from evil so that it might not harm me!" And God granted what he asked.

Psalm 19:13

Also, keep back your servant from arrogant [sins]; let them not rule over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression.

Revelation 7:3

saying, "Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the slaves of our God on their foreheads."

Psalm 78:38

But he [was] compassionate; he pardoned [their] guilt and did not destroy [them]. And many [times] he turned back his anger and did not stir up all his wrath,

Exodus 34:6

And Yahweh passed over before him, and he proclaimed, "Yahweh, Yahweh, God, [who is] compassionate and gracious, {slow to anger}, and abounding with loyal love and faithfulness,

Numbers 14:18

'Yahweh [is] {slow to anger} and great of loyal love, {forgiving} sin and rebellion; but surely he leaves nothing unpunished, visiting the sin of the fathers on the sons to the third and fourth generations.'

Nehemiah 9:17

They refused to listen and did not remember your wonders that you did among them. They stiffened their neck and in their rebellion {determined} to return to their slavery. But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, {slow to anger}, abundant in loyal love, so you did not abandon them.

Psalm 74:11

Why do you draw back your hand, even your right hand? [Take it] from your bosom; destroy [them]!

Psalm 86:15

But you, O Lord, [are] a compassionate and gracious God, {slow to anger} and abundant in loyal love and faithfulness.

Isaiah 48:9

For the sake of my name I {refrain from} my anger, and [for] my praise I restrain [it] for you [so as] not to cut you off.

Jonah 4:2

And he prayed to Yahweh and said, "O Yahweh, [was] this not {what I said} while I was in my homeland? Therefore {I originally fled} to Tarshish, because I knew that you [are] a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger {and having great steadfast love}, and one who relents concerning calamity.

James 3:2-12

For we all stumble [in] many [ways]. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he [is] a perfect individual, able to hold in check his whole body also. And if we put bits in the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we also guide their whole bodies. Behold also ships: [although they] are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot wishes.read more.
So also the tongue is a small member [of the body] and boasts great [things]. Behold how small a fire sets ablaze how great a forest! And the tongue [is] a fire! The world of unrighteousness, the tongue, is set among our members, defiling the whole body and setting on fire {the course of human existence}, being set on fire by hell. For every species of animals and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures, is being tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no human being is able to tame the tongue. [It is] a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these [things] ought not to be so! A spring does not pour forth from the same opening fresh and bitter [water, does it]? A fig tree is not able, my brothers, to produce olives, or a grapevine figs. Neither can a saltwater spring produce fresh water.

Psalm 32:9

Do not be like a horse [or] like a mule, without understanding; [that needs] his tackle--bridle and rein--for restraint [or he would not] come near you.

From Thematic Bible


Seals » Illustrative of » Restraint

Revelation 20:3

and threw him into the abyss, and shut [it] and sealed [it] above him, in order that he could not deceive the nations again until the thousand years are completed. After these [things] it is necessary [for] him to be released [for] a short time.

Job 9:7

[He is the one] who commands the sun, and it does not rise, {and he seals up the stars}.

Job 37:7

{he stops all human beings from working} {so that everyone whom he has made may know it}.

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Theasaurus: Restraint