Overview
The Bible addresses avarice across 11 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Joshua, Ecclesiastes and 1 Timothy. Closely related themes include Canaanites, Riches, Bishop and Commandments. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Joshua.
Key Bible verses about avarice
Old Testament
Joshua
And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?
And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee. giants: or, Rephaims
And the children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are of Bethshean and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel.
And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only:
But the mountain shall be thine; for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the outgoings of it shall be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.
Ecclesiastes
Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun.
There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?
New Testament
1 Timothy
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; of good: or, modest
Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; given: or, ready to quarrel, and offer wrong, as one in wine
People in the Bible and avarice
Biblical figures whose stories intersect with this theme.
In the Bible dictionary
Studying avarice for yourself
- Begin with Joshua 17:14, then read the passages below in canonical order.
- Compare how Joshua, Ecclesiastes and 1 Timothy each treat the theme.
- Consider the lives of Joshua and how their stories intersect with it.
- Widen the study to related themes: Canaanites, Riches, Bishop and Commandments.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Bible say about avarice?
The Bible addresses avarice across 11 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Joshua, Ecclesiastes and 1 Timothy. Closely related themes include Canaanites, Riches, Bishop and Commandments. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Joshua.
How many Bible verses are about avarice?
The Bible references avarice in 11 verses (King James Version).
Where does the Bible first mention avarice?
In canonical order, the first of these passages is Joshua 17:14: “And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?”
Which people in the Bible are associated with avarice?
Joshua.
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