'Home' in the Bible

When the boys grew up, Esau became an expert hunter, an outdoorsman, but Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home.

Laban got up early in the morning, kissed his grandchildren and daughters, and blessed them. Then Laban left to return home.

She put Joseph’s garment beside her until his master came home.

When Joseph came home, they brought him the gift they had carried into the house, and they bowed to the ground before him.

If you do this, and God so directs you, you will be able to endure, and also all these people will be able to go home satisfied.”

You are not to have sexual intercourse with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s, whether born at home or born elsewhere. You are not to have sex with her.

Now go to your home! I said I would reward you richly, but look, the Lord has denied you a reward.”

“The officers are to address the army, ‘Has any man built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him leave and return home. Otherwise, he may die in battle and another man dedicate it.

Has any man planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy its fruit? Let him leave and return home. Otherwise he may die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit.

Has any man become engaged to a woman and not married her? Let him leave and return home. Otherwise he may die in battle and another man marry her.’

The officers will continue to address the army and say, ‘Is there any man who is afraid or cowardly? Let him leave and return home, so that his brothers’ hearts won’t melt like his own.’

If your brother does not live near you or you don’t know him, you are to bring the animal to your home to remain with you until your brother comes looking for it; then you can return it to him.

“When a man takes a bride, he must not go out with the army or be liable for any duty. He is free to stay at home for one year, so that he can bring joy to the wife he has married.

He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the one who committed manslaughter may return home to his own city from which he fled.”

The Lord said to Gideon, “I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and hand the Midianites over to you. But everyone else is to go home.”

When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they all went home.

When Jephthah went to his home in Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing! She was his only child; he had no other son or daughter besides her.

The man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to settle wherever he could find a place. On his way he came to Micah’s home in the hill country of Ephraim.

So the Danites sent out five brave men from all their clans, from Zorah and Eshtaol, to scout out the land and explore it. They told them, “Go and explore the land.”They came to the hill country of Ephraim as far as the home of Micah and spent the night there.

While they were near Micah’s home, they recognized the speech of the young Levite. So they went over to him and asked, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is keeping you here?”

So they detoured there and went to the house of the young Levite at the home of Micah and greeted him.

The Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were stronger than he was.

The man got up to go with his concubine and his servant, when his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Look, night is coming. Please spend the night. See, the day is almost over. Spend the night here, enjoy yourself, then you can get up early tomorrow for your journey and go home.”

They stopped to go in and spend the night in Gibeah. The Levite went in and sat down in the city square, but no one took them into their home to spend the night.

He answered him, “We’re traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote hill country of Ephraim, where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I’m going to the house of the Lord. No one has taken me into his home,

“Get up,” he told her. “Let’s go.” But there was no response. So the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.

She said to them, “Each of you go back to your mother’s home. May the Lord show faithful love to you as you have shown to the dead and to me.

But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Am I able to have any more sons who could become your husbands?

Return home, my daughters. Go on, for I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me to have a husband tonight and to bear sons,

I will also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, to perpetuate the deceased man’s name on his property, so that his name will not disappear among his relatives or from the gate of his home. You are witnesses today.”

The next morning Elkanah and Hannah got up early to bow in worship before the Lord. Afterward, they returned home to Ramah. Then Elkanah was intimate with his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her.

Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy served the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.

Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife: “May the Lord give you children by this woman in place of the one she has given to the Lord.” Then they would go home.

Then he would return to Ramah because his home was there, he judged Israel there, and he built an altar to the Lord there.

Samuel proclaimed to the people the rights of kingship. He wrote them on a scroll, which he placed in the presence of the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each to his home.

Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, and brave men whose hearts God had touched went with him.

Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul.

Then the two of them made a covenant in the Lord’s presence. Afterward, David remained in Horesh, while Jonathan went home.

So David swore to Saul. Then Saul went back home, and David and his men went up to the stronghold.

Samuel died, and all Israel assembled to mourn for him, and they buried him by his home in Ramah. David then went down to the Wilderness of Paran.

Then David accepted what she had brought him and said, “Go home in peace. See, I have heard what you said and have granted your request.”

Saul said to him, “You are blessed, my son David. You will certainly do great things and will also prevail.” Then David went on his way, and Saul returned home.

Then he distributed a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake to each one in the entire Israelite community, both men and women. Then all the people left, each to his own home.

When David returned home to bless his household, Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. “How the king of Israel honored himself today!” she said. “He exposed himself today in the sight of the slave girls of his subjects like a vulgar person would expose himself.”

David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. Now she had just been purifying herself from her uncleanness. Afterward, she returned home.

When it was reported to David, “Uriah didn’t go home,” David questioned Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a journey? Why didn’t you go home?”

Then David invited Uriah to eat and drink with him, and David got him drunk. He went out in the evening to lie down on his cot with his master’s servants, but he did not go home.

Then Nathan went home.The Lord struck the baby that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill.

David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted, went home, and spent the night lying on the ground.

Then David got up from the ground. He washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, went to the Lord’s house, and worshiped. Then he went home and requested something to eat. So they served him food, and he ate.

The king told the woman, “Go home. I will issue a command on your behalf.”

So all the people crossed the Jordan, and then the king crossed. The king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and Barzillai returned to his home.

So King Solomon sent for him, and they took him down from the altar. He came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your home.”

He sent 10,000 to Lebanon each month in shifts; one month they were in Lebanon, two months they were at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.

On the fifteenth day he sent the people away. So they blessed the king and went home to their tents rejoicing and with joyful hearts for all the goodness that the Lord had done for His servant David and for His people Israel.

Rehoboam replied, “Go home for three days and then return to me.” So the people left.

‘This is what the Lord says: You are not to march up and fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you must return home, for I have done this.’”So they listened to what the Lord said and went back as He had told them.

Then the king declared to the man of God, “Come home with me, refresh yourself, and I’ll give you a reward.”

Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”

The king of Israel left for home resentful and angry, and he entered Samaria.

So Micaiah said:I saw all Israel scattered on the hillslike sheep without a shepherd.And the Lord said,“They have no master;let everyone return home in peace.”

You have indeed defeated Edom, and you have become overconfident. Enjoy your glory and stay at home. Why should you stir up such trouble that you fall—you and Judah with you?”

So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and left. He returned home and lived in Nineveh.

He slept with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. So he named him Beriah, because there had been misfortune in his home.

So David did not move the ark of God home to the city of David; instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

Then all the people left for their homes, and David returned home to bless his household.

‘This is what the Lord says: You are not to march up and fight against your brothers. Each of you must return home, for this incident has come from Me.’”So they listened to what the Lord said and turned back from going against Jeroboam.

So Micaiah said:I saw all Israel scattered on the hillslike sheep without a shepherd.And the Lord said,“They have no master;let each return home in peace.”

Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned to his home in Jerusalem in peace.

So Amaziah released the division that came to him from Ephraim to go home. But they got very angry with Judah and returned home in a fierce rage.

You have said, ‘Look, I have defeated Edom,’ and you have become overconfident that you will get glory. Now stay at home. Why stir up such trouble so that you fall and Judah with you?”

And let me have a letter written to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to rebuild the gates of the temple’s fortress, the city wall, and the home where I will live.” The king granted my requests, for I was graciously strengthened by my God.

Yet Haman controlled himself and went home. He sent for his friends and his wife Zeresh to join him.

Then Mordecai returned to the King’s Gate, but Haman, overwhelmed, hurried off for home with his head covered.

Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—heard about all this adversity that had happened to him, each of them came from his home. They met together to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.

I have seen a fool taking root,but I immediately pronounced a curse on his home.

You will know that your tent is secure,and nothing will be missing when you inspect your home.

if you are pure and upright,then He will move even now on your behalfand restore the home where your righteousness dwells.

His roots are intertwined around a pile of rocks.He looks for a home among the stones.

If I await Sheol as my home,spread out my bed in darkness,

Nothing he owned remains in his tent.Burning sulfur is scattered over his home.

Where is the road to the home of light?Do you know where darkness lives,

so you can lead it back to its border?Are you familiar with the paths to its home?

I made the wilderness its home,and the salty wasteland its dwelling.

“The kings of the armies flee—they flee!”She who stays at home divides the spoil.

Even a sparrow finds a home,and a swallow, a nest for herselfwhere she places her young—near Your altars, Lord of Hosts,my King and my God.

There the birds make their nests;the stork makes its home in the pine trees.

For the Lord has chosen Zion;He has desired it for His home:

“This is My resting place forever;I will make My home herebecause I have desired it.

The Lord’s curse is on the household of the wicked,but He blesses the home of the righteous;

She is loud and defiant;her feet do not stay at home.

My husband isn’t home;he went on a long journey.

He took a bag of money with himand will come home at the time of the full moon.”

I, Wisdom, share a home with shrewdnessand have knowledge and discretion.

One who listens to life-giving rebukeswill be at home among the wise.

A man wandering from his homeis like a bird wandering from its nest.

Also, they are afraid of heights and dangers on the road;the almond tree blossoms,the grasshopper loses its spring,and the caper berry has no effect;for man is headed to his eternal home,and mourners will walk around in the street;

who turned the world into a wilderness,who destroyed its citiesand would not release the prisoners to return home?”

So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and left. He returned home and lived in Nineveh.

Look down from heaven and seefrom Your lofty home—holy and beautiful.Where is Your zeal and Your might?Your yearning and Your compassionare withheld from me.