'Need' in the Bible

Laban asked, “What should I give you?”And Jacob said, “You don’t need to give me anything. If you do this one thing for me, I will continue to shepherd and keep your flock.

Please take my present that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have everything I need.” So Jacob urged him until he accepted.

Make an appeal to Yahweh. There has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t need to stay any longer.”

You are to hold a sacred assembly on the first day and another sacred assembly on the seventh day. No work may be done on those days except for preparing what people need to eat—you may do only that.

it is a chronic disease on the skin of his body, and the priest must pronounce him unclean. He need not quarantine him, for he is unclean.

the priest is to examine the person. If the scaly outbreak has spread on the skin, the priest does not need to look for yellow hair; the person is unclean.

Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him enough for whatever need he has.

“Peace to you,” said the old man. “I’ll take care of everything you need. Only don’t spend the night in the square.”

She and her daughters-in-law prepared to leave the land of Moab, because she had heard in Moab that the Lord had paid attention to His people’s need by providing them food.

The Lord paid attention to Hannah’s need, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.

Saul told David, “Here is my oldest daughter Merab. I’ll give her to you as a wife, if you will be a warrior for me and fight the Lord’s battles.” But Saul was thinking, “My hand doesn’t need to be against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”

“Notice I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the Lord—3,775 tons of gold, 37,750 tons of silver, and bronze and iron that can’t be weighed because there is so much of it. I have also provided timber and stone, but you will need to add more to them.

Also, the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the equipment for its service”—

We will cut logs from Lebanon, as many as you need, and bring them to you as rafts by sea to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem.

God does not need to examine a person further,that one should approach Him in court.

and your poverty will come like a robber,your need, like a bandit.

and your poverty will come like a robber,your need, like a bandit.

If you find honey, eat only what you need;otherwise, you’ll get sick from it and vomit.

The one who gives to the poorwill not be in need,but one who turns his eyes awaywill receive many curses.

Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.Give me neither poverty nor wealth;feed me with the food I need.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question.

The Lord has removed your punishment;He has turned back your enemy.The King of Israel, Yahweh, is among you;you need no longer fear harm.

But John tried to stop Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me?”

Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him.

For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

But when He heard this, He said, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do.

“They don’t need to go away,” Jesus told them. “You give them something to eat.”

Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? Look, now you’ve heard the blasphemy!

When Jesus heard this, He told them, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do need one. I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

He said to them, “Have you never read what David and those who were with him did when he was in need and hungry—

Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses?

Jesus replied to them, “The healthy don’t need a doctor, but the sick do.

For the Gentile world eagerly seeks all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who don’t need repentance.

He then told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not become discouraged:

“Why do we need any more testimony,” they said, “since we’ve heard it ourselves from His mouth?”

“Who are you, then?” they asked. “We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself?”

and because He did not need anyone to testify about man; for He Himself knew what was in man.

“One who has bathed,” Jesus told him, “doesn’t need to wash anything except his feet, but he is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.”

Since Judas kept the money-bag, some thought that Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the festival,” or that he should give something to the poor.

Now we know that You know everything and don’t need anyone to question You. By this we believe that You came from God.”

They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need.

and laid them at the apostles’ feet. This was then distributed for each person’s basic needs.

So the eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”

But our presentable parts have no need of clothing. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable,

On the first day of the week, each of you is to set something aside and save in keeping with how he prospers, so that no collections will need to be made when I come.

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some, letters of recommendation to you or from you?

at the present time your surplus is available for their need, so their abundance may also become available for our need, so there may be equality.

And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.

I beg you that when I am present I will not need to be bold with the confidence by which I plan to challenge certain people who think we are behaving in an unspiritual way.

When I was present with you and in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my needs. I have kept myself, and will keep myself, from burdening you in any way.

The thief must no longer steal. Instead, he must do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need.

No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.

But I considered it necessary to send you Epaphroditus—my brother, coworker, and fellow soldier, as well as your messenger and minister to my need—

I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.

For even in Thessalonica you sent gifts for my need several times.

For the Lord’s message rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything,

About brotherly love: You don’t need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.

About the times and the seasons: Brothers, you do not need anything to be written to you.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.

And our people must also learn to devote themselves to good works for cases of urgent need, so that they will not be unfruitful.

Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food.

If then, perfection came through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there for another priest to appear, said to be in the order of Melchizedek and not in the order of Aaron?

For this is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day, as high priests do—first for their own sins, then for those of the people. He did this once for all when He offered Himself.

For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised.

The anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, His anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as He has taught you, remain in Him.

If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need—how can God’s love reside in him?

Because you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked,

The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God’s glory illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

Night will no longer exist, and people will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever.