The biblical accounts show older people praying, teaching, giving, accepting changed responsibilities, and trusting God with what comes after them. These accounts have different circumstances, and their differences matter. Read them alongside the commands to older believers and the promises given to those who belong to Christ.
Bring each stage of life to the God who sustains you
You can bring the needs of growing older honestly to God. In Psalm 71:5–9, the psalmist remembers depending on the LORD from youth and being upheld from birth, then asks, “Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.” Earlier experience of God leads to renewed prayer. A long life of faith still includes needing help. Keep asking for his presence, protection, and strength as your circumstances change.
This prayer arises from a real threat. In Psalm 71:10–13, enemies interpret the speaker’s vulnerability as evidence that God has abandoned him and plan to take advantage of it. The psalmist answers by calling on God. In Psalm 71:14–24, hope, remembrance, and praise continue alongside the request for rescue. His troubles have not erased God’s righteousness or the reasons to seek him. Let what you know of God’s faithfulness give direction to your prayer, including when you feel afraid or exposed.
Isaiah 46:1–7 gives another reason for dependence. The idols of Babylon must be loaded onto animals and carried; they cannot save the people who carry them. The LORD addresses the house of Jacob and the remnant of Israel as the people he has carried from birth and will carry even to gray hairs. The contrast rests on who acts: the living God makes, bears, and delivers his people. This is a promise to Israel expressed through the picture of a whole lifetime. It reveals a sustaining God whose faithfulness outlasts human strength, rather than setting a timetable for an individual’s health or longevity.
For those who belong to Christ, Romans 8:31–39 gives direct assurance about God’s love. Paul reasons from the Father’s giving of his own Son, then points to Christ’s death, resurrection, and continuing intercession. He includes distress, persecution, and even death among the things that cannot separate believers from that love. Trust in this care is grounded in what God has done in Christ. As you grow older, return to that foundation and bring the particular needs of your days before him.
Further study: James Limburg · Jerome Creach · New American Bible, Revised Edition translators and annotators · Bob Utley
Seek the fruit that comes from remaining close to God
Expect life with God to remain meaningful and fruitful. Psalm 92:12–15 pictures the righteous as a palm tree and a cedar, planted in the LORD’s house and flourishing in his courts. Their fruitfulness continues into old age. The final verse explains its purpose: to show that the LORD is upright and dependable. The picture directs attention to the God who nourishes his people and to a life that makes his goodness known.
The whole psalm explains that confidence. Psalm 92:1–4 begins with thanksgiving for God’s love, faithfulness, and works. In Psalm 92:7–9, the wicked can spring up like grass, but their success cannot last against the LORD who reigns forever. The enduring trees at the end answer that brief flourishing. The words “fat and flourishing” belong to the picture of living, fruitful trees. They celebrate God’s blessing across a long life; they give no grounds for judging a frail believer’s faith by bodily vigor. Continue in worship, gratitude, righteousness, and testimony to the God the psalm praises.
Jesus explains the source of his disciples’ fruitfulness in John 15:1–8. He is the vine, his Father tends the branches, and the branches live and bear fruit by remaining in him. A branch cannot supply its own life. Jesus also speaks of the Father pruning fruitful branches so that they bear more. Depend on Christ’s care and receive his word, correction, and guidance throughout life. Years of experience never remove the need to remain in him.
Remaining in Christ has a clear direction in John 15:7–17: his words remain in his disciples, they pray, they keep his commandments, and they love one another according to his self-giving love. He intends their fruit to remain and his joy to be in them. Seek that kind of fruit in the responsibilities you have: faithful obedience, love that serves another person, prayer shaped by his words, and conduct that honors the Father. The passage gives fruitfulness a deeper measure than the amount of activity someone can perform.
Further study: W. Dennis Tucker, Jr.
Continue learning and grow in faithful character
Give sustained attention to the person you are becoming. Titus 2:1–2 directs older men to be sober, grave, temperate, and sound in faith, love, and patience. The word “grave” describes dignified seriousness; “charity” means love, and patience here includes endurance. The instruction calls for settled trust, self-control, dependable love, and perseverance. These qualities require continued attention even after many years of Christian life.
Titus 2:3–5 addresses older women as people whose reverent conduct and teaching can help younger women live faithfully. Paul joins holiness of life with truthful speech, freedom from enslavement to wine, and teaching what is good. He names love for husbands and children, purity, kindness, care of the home, and submission to their own husbands among the responsibilities the younger women are to learn. Older women serve by explaining and exemplifying that good conduct. This is a real responsibility in the passage; it does not make the virtues listed for either sex exclusive to that group.
The reason for this continuing formation appears in Titus 2:11–14. God’s saving grace teaches believers to leave ungodliness and live soberly, righteously, and devotedly while awaiting Christ. Jesus gave himself to redeem a people eager for good works; the KJV’s “peculiar people” means a people belonging especially to him. Growth is a response to his grace. Keep receiving instruction and putting it into practice because you belong to the Savior who gave himself for you.
Remain willing to hear correction. Ecclesiastes 4:13–16 prefers a poor, wise youth to an old king who will no longer be admonished, then shows how uncertain even popular acclaim can be. Age and position cannot substitute for wisdom. First Kings 11:1–13 makes the responsibility still more serious: when Solomon was old, his heart turned after other gods, despite the LORD’s earlier appearances and command. The account condemns his choice. Let experience deepen humility and obedience, and keep allowing God’s instruction to correct the direction of your life.
Further study: NET Bible translators
Tell what God has done and help others place their hope in him
Use remembrance to direct attention toward God. In Psalm 71:15–18, the psalmist wants to declare God’s righteousness and saving acts, acknowledges that they are beyond counting, and asks to live long enough to tell another generation of God’s strength. His own long experience serves that larger purpose. Speak truthfully about the Lord’s help and the instruction you have received, so that others can learn to trust him.
Psalm 78:1–8 explains what that sharing should accomplish. God’s works and commandments are to be made known so that those who follow will set their hope in him and keep his commands. The psalm also remembers the failures of earlier generations. Faithful remembrance therefore includes learning from wrongdoing as well as recounting mercy. Make God’s truth and faithfulness the center of what you pass on. This service can reach people beyond your own descendants, as Psalm 71:18 looks toward the generation still to come.
Anna gives a particular example of fruitful devotion in old age. Luke 2:36–38 calls her a prophetess and a woman of great age. After the death of her husband, her life includes sustained worship, fasting, and prayer. When she encounters the child Jesus in the temple, she gives thanks and speaks of him to those awaiting Jerusalem’s redemption. Her worship opens outward into witness. Her particular pattern of life is a narrative, while the faithfulness it displays gives older believers reason to value prayer, thanksgiving, and speaking of Christ.
The surrounding account makes clear whom Anna’s testimony concerns. In Luke 2:25–35, Simeon receives the child and praises God because he has seen the promised salvation, a light for the Gentiles and glory for Israel. He also speaks of opposition and the pain Mary will bear. Luke explicitly states Anna’s advanced age but gives no age for Simeon. Together their words direct hope toward Jesus and the salvation God is accomplishing. Let your encouragement likewise help people know Christ, rather than depend upon your own continued presence.
Further study: James Limburg · Jerome Creach · NET Bible translators
Serve faithfully as your strength and responsibilities change
Use the strength and resources you actually have in faithful service. In Joshua 14:6–15, Caleb is eighty-five and asks for the hill country promised to him. He recalls following the LORD when the other spies discouraged Israel, says that God has kept him alive, and declares that his strength remains sufficient for the task. Even then, he depends on the LORD being with him. His courage answers a particular promise and calling. Receive the example as an encouragement to wholehearted trust and willing service, with gratitude for whatever ability God gives.
Barzillai’s service takes another form. Second Samuel 17:27–29 names him among those who bring food and supplies to David’s hungry, weary company during Absalom’s rebellion. In 2 Samuel 19:31–40, the eighty-year-old Barzillai declines David’s invitation to live at court. He describes limits in his ability to enjoy food and music, asks to return to his own city, and commends Chimham to the king’s care. David accepts his answer, kisses him, and blesses him. The account honors generous service while allowing an older man to acknowledge his limits and choose a different place in the life of the kingdom.
These accounts help you consider service with both willingness and honesty. Caleb’s capacity for war is not promised to every older believer, and Barzillai’s decision does not oblige everyone to withdraw. Give what you can faithfully give, acknowledge tasks you can no longer carry, and welcome the service of others. God’s work includes different people with different strengths; neither man’s particular circumstances become everyone’s assignment.
Numbers 8:23–26 makes a related distinction within Israel’s worship. This instruction assigns the Levites tabernacle service from twenty-five, ends that work at fifty, and retains their assistance to their brothers in keeping the charge. The rule belongs to that Levitical service. It does not establish a retirement age for all believers or a general command to stop serving. It does show that a responsibility can change while meaningful participation continues. Faithfulness concerns the service appropriate to the responsibility given, including when particular duties pass to others.
Samuel also serves through a major change in responsibility. In 1 Samuel 12:1–5, the old and grayheaded prophet stands before Israel with its new king and invites an honest assessment of his conduct; the people acknowledge that he has not defrauded or oppressed them. After recounting God’s acts and confronting Israel’s sin, he promises to continue praying and teaching the good and right way (1 Samuel 12:19–25). His prophetic calling is particular, but the account shows service continuing through prayer, truthful instruction, and concern for the people with a king now leading Israel. Support the good that others must carry forward.
Further study: New American Bible, Revised Edition translators and annotators
Receive care and remain part of the life of God’s people
Allow other believers to share in your needs as well as in your gifts. In 1 Corinthians 12:12–20, Paul explains that the many members belong to one body by the Spirit. The foot and ear do not cease to belong because they differ from the hand or eye. Their place comes from God’s arrangement. As abilities change, your continuing place among Christ’s people rests in belonging to him, not in performing every function you once performed.
The same argument gives the whole church a responsibility. In 1 Corinthians 12:21–27, no member may dismiss another as unnecessary. Members that seem weaker are necessary, and God has arranged the body so that its members care for one another, sharing suffering and joy. Paul is discussing the church’s interdependent life, not assigning an age to a body part. That shared duty includes older members who need help. Receiving their care belongs within Christian fellowship; the call to bear fruit is never permission for the church to neglect someone whose strength is failing.
First Timothy 5:1–8 makes care concrete. Timothy is to address older men as fathers and older women as mothers. Widows in need are to be honored, and children and grandchildren are to put faith into practice through care for their family; the KJV’s “nephews” here refers to grandchildren. First Timothy 5:16 preserves the church’s responsibility for widows without that family support. The passage also recognizes the prayers of the widow who has set her hope on God. A person can receive provision and continue a life of devotion. Make your needs known and receive fitting help with the same gratitude with which you offer help to others.
Older people are to be treated with honor. Leviticus 19:32 tells Israel to rise before the aged and links that respect with fear of God. Proverbs 20:29 recognizes both the strength of the young and the beauty of gray hair. These texts value a stage of life that differs from youth. They support respect, attention, and inclusion while leaving everyone responsible to learn and obey. Give that same honor to other older people and receive it as something consistent with your place among God’s people.
Further study: NET Bible translators
Face frailty with honesty and hope in the resurrection
Scripture gives you words for the losses that can come with later life. Ecclesiastes 11:7–12:7 calls the young to enjoy life responsibly and remember their Creator before difficult days and death arrive. Its poem pictures darkening lights, trembling keepers, diminishing activity, fear, mourners, and finally dust returning to the earth. Some images suggest bodily decline, though the poem does not explain each one. Its movement toward death is clear. Its purpose is to call you to live before God while life is given, with room to acknowledge difficulty honestly.
Remembering your Creator involves the way you live. Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 concludes by calling for fear of God and obedience, because he brings human deeds into judgment. Psalm 90:1–17 also sets passing human days before the everlasting God, acknowledges sin and mortality, and asks him to teach his people wisdom. Its final petitions ask for mercy, gladness, and the establishment of their work. Pray for that wisdom and mercy as you use your days, letting their limits deepen your dependence on God.
Christ’s resurrection gives hope within bodily weakness. In 2 Corinthians 4:7–15, Paul describes the suffering of gospel ministry through the image of treasure carried in fragile earthen vessels. The power belongs to God. Paul continues because the God who raised Jesus will also raise his people. That is the reason he can speak of inward renewal while the outward person is wasting away in 2 Corinthians 4:16–18. He calls present affliction light and momentary in comparison with the surpassing, eternal glory ahead. The comparison expresses the greatness of that hope; it does not require pretending that present suffering is painless.
Paul carries the hope forward in 2 Corinthians 5:1–10. Our present life is like a tent that can be taken down, but God provides an enduring dwelling. Paul groans for mortality to be swallowed up by life, and God gives the Spirit as a pledge of what is coming. Confidence about being with the Lord also leads Paul to seek to please him now, since all must appear before Christ’s judgment seat. Let the promised future give purpose to present faithfulness.
Romans 8:18–27 joins that future hope to present need. Creation groans, and believers who have the Spirit also groan as they await the redemption of their bodies. Possessing the Spirit does not remove every experience of weakness. In that weakness the Spirit helps and intercedes according to God’s will, even when believers do not know how to pray as they ought. Bring the words you have, receive the prayers of others, and trust that God’s care reaches beyond your ability to explain every need.
First Corinthians 15:35–58 gives bodily resurrection its full weight. What is sown in weakness and corruption is raised in power and incorruption; mortality gives way to immortality through God’s victory in Jesus Christ. Paul therefore urges believers to remain steadfast in the Lord’s work, knowing that their labor in him is not empty. The future of the body belongs to God’s redeeming power. Continue in the good he gives you to do, with hope that reaches beyond declining strength and death itself.
Further study: NET Bible translators · Kyle Dunham · Carla Works
Keep following Christ and entrust the future to him
Following Jesus remains the direction of your life to its end. In John 21:15–19, Jesus restores Peter to the work of feeding his sheep and tells him of an old age in which another will lead him where he does not wish to go. John explains that Jesus is speaking about the death by which Peter will glorify God. This is a particular prediction about Peter, not a forecast of every older person’s care needs. Jesus then says, “Follow me.” When Peter asks about another disciple’s future, Jesus returns him to that responsibility (John 21:20–23). Trust Christ with the course of your own life and keep attending to what he gives you to do.
Second Timothy 4:1–8 records Paul urging Timothy to fulfill his ministry as Paul’s own departure approaches. Paul describes his course as finished and his faith as kept, then looks to the righteous Lord for the crown promised to all who love his appearing. He measures the completed course by faithfulness to Christ. The Lord is the judge, and the hope is shared with other believers. Let that purpose guide your remaining years: continue in the faith and the responsibilities Christ entrusts to you.
Paul’s confidence includes ordinary human need. In 2 Timothy 4:9–22, he asks Timothy to come, requests his cloak and books, and wants Mark’s useful help. He remembers abandonment at his defense while testifying that the Lord stood with and strengthened him. His confidence that the Lord will preserve him for the heavenly kingdom appears alongside his expectation of death in 2 Timothy 4:6. Faithfulness can include receiving companionship and practical help, and God’s final deliverance is greater than escaping every earthly loss.
You can also entrust work and promises that extend beyond your lifetime to God. Hebrews 11:8–22 describes people who lived by faith and died still looking toward the fuller fulfillment of God’s promises. Isaac and Jacob bless those who follow them; Joseph speaks of Israel’s future departure and gives instructions concerning his bones. Their hope reaches into a future they will not live to oversee. Continue to worship, encourage those who follow, and commit the outcome to the faithful God in whom their hope rested.
Further study: Jennifer Vija Pietz
Read the passages
Scripture in context
27 contextual selections for this subject, including the passages cited above and further related reading. Every selected range is reproduced in full from the KJV. Context notes identify the setting and kind of evidence.
Israelite covenant command 1 selections
Leviticus 19:32 KJV · In this guide
Context: This is a complete self-contained command within the chapter’s collection of holiness laws, explicitly grounded in fear of the LORD.
19:32 Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.
Covenant service regulation 1 selections
Numbers 8:23–26 KJV · In this guide
Context: A fresh divine speech after the Levites’ purification specifies the ages for this tabernacle service and distinguishes its work from continuing assistance.
8:23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
8:24 This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation:
8:25 And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more:
8:26 But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge.
Particular narrative and promise 1 selections
Joshua 14:6–15 KJV · In this guide
Context: During the land allotment Caleb recalls the spying mission, the promise made through Moses, his preserved life and strength, and the gift of Hebron.
14:6 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadesh-barnea.
14:7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.
14:8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
14:9 And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God.
14:10 And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.
14:11 As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.
14:12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.
14:13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.
14:14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.
14:15 And the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-arba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.
Prophetic address within narrative 1 selections
1 Samuel 12:1–25 KJV · In this guide
Context: Samuel addresses Israel after Saul’s confirmation, accounts for his own conduct, recounts God’s works, confronts the request for a king, and promises ongoing prayer and instruction.
12:1 And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you.
12:2 And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.
12:3 Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.
12:4 And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man’s hand.
12:5 And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.
12:6 And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
12:7 Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.
12:8 When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.
12:9 And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.
12:10 And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.
12:11 And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.
12:12 And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king.
12:13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you.
12:14 If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God:
12:15 But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.
12:16 Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes.
12:17 Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.
12:18 So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.
12:19 And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.
12:20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;
12:21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.
12:22 For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.
12:23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:
12:24 Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
12:25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.
Narrative 2 selections
2 Samuel 17:27–29 KJV · In this guide
Context: David’s company receives food and supplies at Mahanaim during Absalom’s rebellion; the providers explicitly recognize hunger, weariness, and thirst.
17:27 And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,
17:28 Brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentiles, and parched pulse,
17:29 And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.
2 Samuel 19:31–40 KJV · In this guide
Context: As David returns across Jordan, Barzillai’s past provision is remembered, his invitation and response are heard, and David blesses him while taking Chimham onward.
19:31 And Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim, and went over Jordan with the king, to conduct him over Jordan.
19:32 Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even fourscore years old: and he had provided the king of sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim; for he was a very great man.
19:33 And the king said unto Barzillai, Come thou over with me, and I will feed thee with me in Jerusalem.
19:34 And Barzillai said unto the king, How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem?
19:35 I am this day fourscore years old: and can I discern between good and evil? can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king?
19:36 Thy servant will go a little way over Jordan with the king: and why should the king recompense it me with such a reward?
19:37 Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in mine own city, and be buried by the grave of my father and of my mother. But behold thy servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king; and do to him what shall seem good unto thee.
19:38 And the king answered, Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem good unto thee: and whatsoever thou shalt require of me, that will I do for thee.
19:39 And all the people went over Jordan. And when the king was come over, the king kissed Barzillai, and blessed him; and he returned unto his own place.
19:40 Then the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him: and all the people of Judah conducted the king, and also half the people of Israel.
Narrative with explicit moral evaluation 1 selections
1 Kings 11:1–13 KJV · In this guide
Context: The narrator connects Solomon’s foreign marriages, turn to other gods in old age, violated commands, and the announced judgment on his kingdom.
11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
11:2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
11:3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
11:4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
11:5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
11:6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
11:7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
11:8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
11:9 And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,
11:10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.
11:11 Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.
11:12 Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.
11:13 Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.
Prayer and praise 1 selections
Psalms 71:1–24 KJV · In this guide
Context: The whole untitled prayer holds refuge, enemies, lifelong dependence, old age, further witness, and praise together; no named author is asserted.
71:1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.
71:2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.
71:3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.
71:4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
71:5 For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.
71:6 By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.
71:7 I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.
71:8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.
71:9 Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.
71:10 For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,
71:11 Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.
71:12 O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.
71:13 Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.
71:14 But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.
71:15 My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.
71:16 I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.
71:17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.
71:18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.
71:19 Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!
71:20 Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
71:21 Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.
71:22 I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.
71:23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.
71:24 My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.
Instruction introducing historical poetry 1 selections
Psalms 78:1–8 KJV · In this guide
Context: The introductory teaching unit states why Israel’s received history and law are to be handed on before the psalm recounts both mercy and rebellion.
78:1 Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
78:3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
78:4 We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
78:5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:
78:6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
78:7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:
78:8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
Communal prayer 1 selections
Psalms 90:1–17 KJV · In this guide
Context: The complete communal prayer contrasts God’s eternity with human transience and sin, then asks for wisdom, mercy, gladness, and established work.
90:1 Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
90:3 Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.
90:4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
90:5 Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
90:6 In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
90:7 For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.
90:8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
90:9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
90:10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
90:11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
90:13 Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.
90:14 O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
90:15 Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.
90:16 Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.
90:17 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
Thanksgiving and wisdom poetry 1 selections
Psalms 92:1–15 KJV · In this guide
Context: The full psalm moves from praise to the passing prosperity of evildoers and the righteous flourishing in the LORD’s courts.
92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
92:2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,
92:3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.
92:4 For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
92:5 O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.
92:6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.
92:7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:
92:8 But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.
92:9 For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
92:10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
92:11 Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.
92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
92:13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
92:14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
92:15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
Wisdom saying 1 selections
Proverbs 20:29 KJV · In this guide
Context: A complete two-line wisdom saying within an anthology; its contrast sets youthful strength beside the beauty of gray hair.
20:29 The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the gray head.
Wisdom observation 1 selections
Ecclesiastes 4:13–16 KJV · In this guide
Context: The comparison of a poor wise youth with an old unteachable king develops into reflection on unstable popularity and succession.
4:13 Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.
4:14 For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor.
4:15 I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead.
4:16 There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Wisdom exhortation and poetry 1 selections
Ecclesiastes 11:7–12:14 KJV · In this guide
Context: The final appeal concerning joy, youth, and remembrance continues into the poem of mortality and the book’s concluding evaluation and call to fear God.
11:7 Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:
11:8 But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
11:9 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
11:10 Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.
12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
12:2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
12:3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
12:4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;
12:5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
12:6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
12:8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
12:9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
12:10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
12:11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
12:12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Prophetic promise and appeal to Israel 1 selections
Isaiah 46:1–13 KJV · In this guide
Context: The LORD addresses Jacob and Israel amid the contrast with Babylon’s helpless idols and concludes with his saving purpose for Zion.
46:1 Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast.
46:2 They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity.
46:3 Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb:
46:4 And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.
46:5 To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?
46:6 They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship.
46:7 They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.
46:8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.
46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
46:11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.
46:12 Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness:
46:13 I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.
Narrative and prophetic testimony 1 selections
Luke 2:22–40 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus’ presentation, Simeon’s recognition and prophecy, Anna’s worship and testimony, and the family’s return form the complete temple episode.
2:22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;
2:23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)
2:24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
2:26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
2:27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
2:28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
2:29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
2:30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
2:31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
2:32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
2:33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
2:34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
2:35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
2:36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
2:37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
2:38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
2:39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
2:40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
Teaching and command to disciples 1 selections
John 15:1–17 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus’ farewell instruction joins the vine and branches to his words, prayer, the Father’s tending, obedient love, joy, and lasting fruit.
15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
Particular commission and narrative interpretation 1 selections
John 21:15–23 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus’ commission to Peter leads into a prediction of his death, a renewed command to follow, and the correction of speculation about another disciple’s future.
21:15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
21:16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
21:17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
21:18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
21:19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
21:20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
21:21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
21:22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
21:23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?
Apostolic teaching and assurance 1 selections
Romans 8:18–27 KJV · In this guide
Context: Creation’s expectation, believers’ groaning for bodily redemption, patient hope, and the Spirit’s intercession form a connected argument.
8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
8:24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
8:25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Apostolic assurance 1 selections
Romans 8:31–39 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul’s closing assurance reasons from the gift of the Son, justification, resurrection, and intercession to confidence amid suffering and death.
8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Apostolic instruction through analogy 1 selections
1 Corinthians 12:12–27 KJV · In this guide
Context: The complete body comparison explains shared belonging, different functions, mutual need, and care in Paul’s discussion of the Spirit’s gifts.
12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
12:15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
12:16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
12:19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
12:20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
12:21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
12:22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
12:23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
12:24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
12:25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Apostolic resurrection teaching and exhortation 1 selections
1 Corinthians 15:35–58 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul answers how the dead are raised through seed and body comparisons, explains transformation, and concludes with Christ’s victory and steadfast labor.
15:35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
15:36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
15:37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
15:38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
15:39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
15:40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
15:41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
15:43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
15:48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Apostolic testimony and theological argument 1 selections
2 Corinthians 4:1–5:10 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul explains faithful gospel ministry, divine power in fragile vessels, confidence in resurrection, and the enduring dwelling God gives, leading to pleasing Christ.
4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
4:11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
4:12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
4:13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
4:14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
5:2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
5:3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
5:4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
5:9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Apostolic instruction with specific audiences 1 selections
1 Timothy 5:1–16 KJV · In this guide
Context: Respectful family-like address is followed by the full widow-care discussion, including relatives’ responsibility, support criteria, and the church’s provision for those without support.
5:1 Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;
5:2 The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.
5:3 Honour widows that are widows indeed.
5:4 But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.
5:5 Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day.
5:6 But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.
5:7 And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless.
5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
5:9 Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man,
5:10 Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.
5:11 But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;
5:12 Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith.
5:13 And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
5:14 I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.
5:15 For some are already turned aside after Satan.
5:16 If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.
Apostolic charge and personal testimony 1 selections
2 Timothy 4:1–22 KJV · In this guide
Context: The final charge to Timothy, Paul’s approaching departure, personal requests, remembered rescue, and final greetings show ministry, need, and hope together.
4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
4:9 Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me:
4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.
4:11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
4:12 And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus.
4:13 The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.
4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
4:15 Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.
4:16 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
4:17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
4:19 Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.
4:20 Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.
4:21 Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren.
4:22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.
Apostolic instruction 1 selections
Titus 2:1–15 KJV · In this guide
Context: Instructions to different groups, including older men and women, lead into the grace that saves, trains, and forms a people eager for good works.
2:1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:
2:2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.
2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
2:4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
2:5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
2:6 Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.
2:7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,
2:8 Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
2:9 Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again;
2:10 Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.
2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
2:15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
Apostolic exposition of biblical examples 1 selections
Hebrews 11:8–22 KJV · In this guide
Context: The examples of Abraham and Sarah develop into dying in faith, a better homeland, and the forward-looking actions of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.
11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
11:11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
11:12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
11:14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
11:15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
11:18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
11:19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
11:20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
11:21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
11:22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.
Go deeper
Sources & interpretation
The teaching starts with the cited Scripture. These consulted works inform wording, context, and interpretive questions. No qualified human review has been recorded for this guide.
What does fruitfulness in old age promise?
Psalm 92:12–15 pictures righteous people as enduring trees in God’s courts, bearing fruit to declare his uprightness. Psalm 71 also describes failing strength, and Paul describes outward decay with inward renewal.
- Read the tree image as a guarantee of prolonged physical vigor for each faithful individual.
- Receive its assurance of God-given flourishing within wisdom poetry, without assigning every believer the same lifespan, capacity, or visible outcome.
STRONG: the psalm positively celebrates continued flourishing under God’s care. Read with the other linked passages, it does not authorize judging faith from health or requiring a particular level of activity. The guide retains the physical imagery instead of silently replacing it with an entirely unrelated meaning.
Further study: W. Dennis Tucker, Jr. · James Limburg · Carla Works
Further examination: How do the location of the trees, the contrast with grass, and the purpose in verse 15 guide the promise, and how does Psalm 71 qualify the assumptions a reader might bring to it?
How does Isaiah’s promise to Israel encourage an older Christian?
Isaiah 46:3 names Jacob and the remnant of Israel; verses 1–7 contrast idols being carried with God carrying his people. Romans 8:31–39 directly assures believers in Christ of God’s inseparable love.
- Treat Isaiah 46:4 as an individualized guarantee without retaining its corporate addressee.
- Understand the lifetime image first as God sustaining Israel, and draw a qualified Christian application from the character revealed, alongside direct New Testament assurance.
STRONG: retain the explicit corporate address. Utley also offers an individual application, but singular verbs with God as subject do not independently establish it. The article connects personal Christian hope through Romans 8 rather than transferring national circumstances unchanged.
Further study: New American Bible, Revised Edition translators and annotators · Bob Utley
Further examination: Who is speaking and who is being addressed in Isaiah 46:3–4, and what can an individual properly learn from that promise without erasing its setting?
Does Scripture prescribe one pattern of service or retirement for older people?
Caleb reports preserved fighting strength; Barzillai gives generously and declines a court invitation; Samuel continues prayer and teaching. Numbers 8 changes a specified Levitical duty at fifty and retains assistance.
- Turn one account or the Levitical age rule into a uniform life-course requirement for all older believers.
- Distinguish particular gifts, decisions, and covenant regulations while learning willing service, truthful acknowledgment of limits, and support for others.
VERY_STRONG on the distinct addressees; STRONG on the application. Neither a modern retirement model nor a demand for unchanging duties is imposed. The precise practical division of Levitical duties is not reconstructed beyond what verses 25–26 state.
Further study: New American Bible, Revised Edition translators and annotators
Further examination: What does each account actually commend or command, and which details belong to that person’s calling or to Israel’s tabernacle rather than every reader?
How precisely can the images in Ecclesiastes 12 be identified?
The appeal to remember the Creator frames images of darkening, diminished activity, fear, mourners, and death. The NET gives several bodily identifications; Dunham argues for a broader set of images portraying death and its effects.
- Treat the poem as a detailed allegory in which each image corresponds to a specific part or function of an aging body.
- Read the images as overlapping pictures of decline and death, including a household and world brought to an end, without a complete anatomical key.
PROBABLE concerning individual bodily suggestions; STRONG concerning mortality and remembrance. Main teaching states the broad movement and purpose, while preserving uncertainty over the individual images. It does not infer a clinical sequence or say every older person experiences every condition.
Further study: NET Bible translators · Kyle Dunham
Further examination: Which conclusions follow directly from 12:1, 5–7 and 13–14, and which depend on supplying a meaning for an image that the poem does not explain?
What is certain about Anna’s age and example?
Luke 2:36 explicitly calls Anna a woman of great age. The eighty-four years in verse 37 can be related to her age or to the duration of widowhood; the NET favors the latter. Luke does not state Simeon’s age.
- Anna was eighty-four years old.
- Anna had been widowed for eighty-four years and was older than eighty-four.
UNCERTAIN on the exact age; VERY_STRONG on her advanced age, worship, and testimony. The article uses the facts common to both readings and imposes neither her precise age nor her temple routine as an obligation.
Further study: NET Bible translators
Further examination: What does Luke explicitly report about Anna’s devotion and witness, and which conclusions about the two witnesses’ ages go beyond those statements?
- Commentary on Psalm 71:1–6
James Limburg · Working Preacher, Luther Seminary · 2010-01-31
Reads remembered dependence, anxiety, continued praise, and testimony as parts of an older believer’s prayer.
What was reviewed
Entire commentary body, from the opening through “Structure and Genre,” the three whole-psalm divisions, and “Toward a Sermon on this Psalm” (web lines 52–83). Accessed 2026-09-25.
A scholarly pastoral commentary. Its modern anecdotes and its aside about enemies and Matthew 5 are not adopted. No biography of the unnamed psalmist is established.
- Commentary on Psalm 71:1–6
Jerome Creach · Working Preacher, Luther Seminary · 2022-01-30
Helps preserve lament and confidence together and identifies the uncertainty in “wonder” at verse 7.
What was reviewed
Entire commentary body (web lines 57–70), especially petition/trust, the age references, competing senses of verse 7, and communal praise. Accessed 2026-09-25.
The guide does not infer self-loathing from verse 7 or make the suggested liturgical Christological reading control the psalm’s original sense.
- Isaiah 46:1–13 and note on 46:1–4
New American Bible, Revised Edition translators and annotators · United States Conference of Catholic Bishops · 2011 edition; webpage undated
Identifies the contrast between Babylon’s carried gods and the LORD carrying Israel with parental care.
What was reviewed
Chapter text and the footnote on 46:1–4 at the end of the chapter. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
A short translation note, not an extensive commentary. The displayed Scripture in this package remains the pinned KJV.
- Isaiah 46
Bob Utley · Bible Lessons International; Bible.org · 2012-08-06
Connects the carrying image with Israel’s life as a people; also advances an individual application on which the guide retains a scope qualification.
What was reviewed
“Word and Phrase Study” for 46:1–7 (web lines 117–193), surrounding chapter outline, and the author/date information. Other linked special topics were not read. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
His appeal to singular verbs does not by itself establish an individual addressee; the LORD is the singular acting subject and Jacob/Israel is explicitly addressed. Unchecked lexical citations are not independent evidence here.
- The Ordered World of Psalm 92
W. Dennis Tucker, Jr. · Old Testament Essays 32/2 (2019), 358–377 · 2019
Relates the grass/tree contrast and old-age fruit to the righteous person’s nearness to the God whose rule sustains the world.
What was reviewed
Abstract and opening on pp. 358–359; the plant comparison on pp. 366–368; displayed portions of the righteous-tree discussion on pp. 370–373, especially pp. 371–372. Not the complete article. Its Hebrew verse numbering is one higher than the KJV in this psalm. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
The guide does not adopt a reconstructed exilic date, numerical symbolism, or every proposed ancient Near Eastern parallel. Works cited by Tucker were not independently read.
- Titus 2:2 and 2:14: translation and notes
NET Bible translators · Biblical Studies Press / Bible.org · Online edition undated
Checks the older-men instruction and the meaning of a people belonging to Christ in 2:14.
What was reviewed
Titus 2:2 rendering and notes 1–2; Titus 2:14 rendering and notes at https://classic.net.bible.org/verse.php?book=Tit&chapter=2&verse=14, especially note 2; comparison with pinned KJV. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
Only these two scholarly verse pages were inspected; no consulted lexicon or full-letter commentary is claimed.
- Luke 2 notes on Simeon and Anna
NET Bible translators · Biblical Studies Press / Bible.org · Online edition undated
Clarifies the focus on salvation and records the two readings of Anna’s eighty-four years, while retaining certainty about her advanced age.
What was reviewed
Luke 2:22–40 translation on the linked chapter page; notes 80–113, especially 85, 90–92 and 107–112 (web lines 153–209). Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
The NET favors eighty-four years of widowhood; its citations of Bock, Marshall, and BDAG were not independently inspected. No exact age is assigned in the article.
- Numbers 8:23–26: age limits for Levitical service
New American Bible, Revised Edition translators and annotators · United States Conference of Catholic Bishops · 2011 edition; webpage undated
Makes the distinction between ceasing specified work and continuing to assist explicit in a modern rendering.
What was reviewed
Numbers 8:5–26 translation and the displayed notes on 8:6 and 8:21; direct comparison of 8:23–26 with pinned KJV. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
No verse-specific scholarly explanation of 8:25–26 appears on the page. The guide’s refusal to turn the rule into general retirement law is a contextual judgment from the biblical addressee.
- 1 Timothy 5:4–8: translation and notes
NET Bible translators · Biblical Studies Press / Bible.org · Online edition undated
Translation check for the KJV’s “nephews” as grandchildren in the family-care instruction.
What was reviewed
Full 5:4–8 rendering and notes 1–8 on the linked passage page; chapter notes 1–12 at https://bible.org/sites/bible.org/resources/netbible/1ti5_notes.htm, including honor as respect and support. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
The focused translation comparison does not settle the debated nature of widow enrollment in 5:9–12. The article does not prescribe an enrollment policy.
- Ecclesiastes 12 notes
NET Bible translators · Biblical Studies Press / Bible.org · Online edition undated
Explains remembrance as obedient acknowledgment of God and supplies the traditional aging interpretation of several images.
What was reviewed
Notes 1–25 for 12:1–6; also the separate 12:1 verse page, notes 1–3. Particular attention to the command to remember, difficult days, and qualified bodily interpretations. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
Its detailed image identifications and linguistic claims are not all adopted. Cited lexicons were not independently read; the competing death-focused reading is recorded separately.
- Old Age, Death, or Something Else? The Meaning of Ecclesiastes 12:1–7
Kyle Dunham · Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary · 2024-01-15
Provides a substantial alternative to assigning every image to a bodily faculty: varied pictures of death and its effects.
What was reviewed
Entire article body, twelve proposed readings, critique of fixed body allegory, preferred death imagery, and concluding literary argument (web lines 44–68). Accessed 2026-09-25.
A seminary scholar’s article, not a demonstrated consensus. Earlier scholars named in his survey were not independently read. His criticism does not settle every individual metaphor.
- Commentary on 2 Corinthians 4:13—5:1
Carla Works · Working Preacher, Luther Seminary · 2012-06-10
Keeps outward decay and inward renewal within suffering ministry and the God who raised Jesus, preserving bodily redemption.
What was reviewed
Entire commentary body: “Paul’s Risky Mission,” “Certitude in God’s Power,” “Outer versus Inner Nature,” “Building from God,” and “Unwavering Hope” (web lines 57–87). Accessed 2026-09-25.
A focused pastoral commentary, not a full adjudication of the timing or nature of the heavenly dwelling in 5:1–4.
- Commentary on 2 Timothy 4:6–8, 16–18
Jennifer Vija Pietz · Working Preacher, Luther Seminary · 2019-10-27
Relates the completed course and heavenly preservation to the Lord’s enabling strength, rather than guaranteed escape from imminent death.
What was reviewed
Entire commentary body, then explicitly opened and read again (web lines 60–76): the completed course, the Lord’s strengthening, heavenly preservation, and shared hope. Accessed 2026-09-25.
Discusses debated authorship; the guide follows the letter’s presentation of Paul without claiming that this research resolves authorship or all meanings of “kept the faith.”