Complete Bible Study Guide

What Does the Bible Say About Holy Spirit?

319 Scripture references with full text and commentary

Understanding Holy Spirit in the Bible

Explore what the Bible says about the holy spirit. This collection of 18 key Scripture passages reveals God's wisdom and guidance on this important theme.

319
Total Verses
82
Old Testament
18
New Testament

Top 10 Verses About Holy Spirit

  1. 1
    Genesis 1:2
    And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
    KJV
  2. 2
    Genesis 6:3
    And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh : yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
    KJV
  3. 3
    Genesis 19:13
    For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
    KJV
  4. 4
    Genesis 19:24
    Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
    KJV
  5. 5
    Genesis 19:25
    And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
    KJV
  6. 6
    Genesis 41:38
    And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?
    KJV
  7. 7
    Exodus 31:3
    And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
    KJV
  8. 8
    Exodus 35:31
    And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;
    KJV
  9. 9
    Numbers 11:17
    And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.
    KJV
  10. 10
    Numbers 14:26
    And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
    KJV

Subtopics of Holy Spirit

the fruit of the spirit
the fruits of the spirit
blasphemy against the holy ghost
receiving the holy ghost
the holy ghost
baptism of the holy spirit
blaspheming the holy spirit
filling of the holy spirit
gifts of the holy spirit
loosing the holy spirit
temple of the holy spirit
General scriptures concerning
INSPIRATION OF
INSTANCES OF
Joseph
Bezaleel
The seventy elders
Balaam
Joshua
The Judges

Old Testament: What Does the Bible Say About Holy Spirit? (82 Verses)

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh : yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?
And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;
And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.
And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;
And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us? befall: Heb. find
And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?
And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim. came: Heb. was Mesopotamia: Heb. Aram
But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him. came: Heb. clothed gathered: Heb. called
Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.
And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol. the camp: Heb. Mahanehdan
And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house. spoil: or, apparel
And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.
Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high. on high: Heb. in the high places
But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. Here: Heb. behold me
And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.
Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:
Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.
Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? his: Heb. man of his counsel
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:
And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.
Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.
I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;
And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. lift: or, put him to flight
As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted , to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.
Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him? shepherd: or, shepherds
As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.
Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.
And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the LORD'S house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.
Afterwards the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me.
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. wind: or, breath
And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.
Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying,
Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.
Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with shame do love, Give ye. sour: Heb. gone rulers: Heb. shields
They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.
Though they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them, that there shall not be a man left: yea, woe also to them when I depart from them!
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly? straitened: or, shortened? uprightly: Heb. upright?
But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.
According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.
In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,
And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,
And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: a bowl: Heb. her bowl seven pipes: or, seven several pipes to the lamps
And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. might: or, army
Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

New Testament: What Does the Bible Say About Holy Spirit? (18 Verses)

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. conceived: Gr. begotten
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teach: or, make disciples, or, Christians of all nations
And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: opened: or, cloven, or, rent
But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:
For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool .
But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

How to Study What the Bible Says About Holy Spirit

  1. 1

    Begin by reading through every verse listed on this page, noting which ones speak most directly to your current season of life. Write them down and revisit them throughout the week.

  2. 2

    Use a concordance or the search tools on this site to find additional passages about holy spirit. Look for patterns across both the Old and New Testaments to gain a complete picture of what God reveals on this subject.

  3. 3

    Study the context of each verse. Read the surrounding chapter to understand who was speaking, who the audience was, and what circumstances prompted the passage. Context prevents misapplication.

  4. 4

    Memorise at least one key verse about holy spirit and meditate on it daily. Scripture memory transforms thinking and equips you to apply God's Word in real-time situations.

Practical Application

Studying what the Bible says about holy spirit is only the beginning. Scripture is meant to be lived out in daily obedience and faith. Here are practical steps to apply these truths:

  • Identify one area of your life where the biblical teaching on holy spirit needs to be applied more consistently. Write a specific, actionable step you can take this week.

  • Share what you have learned about holy spirit with a fellow believer or in a small group setting. Teaching others solidifies your own understanding and encourages mutual growth.

  • Pray through the key verses about holy spirit, asking God to reveal how His Word applies to your relationships, decisions, and daily habits.

How Well Do You Know What the Bible Says About Holy Spirit?

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Bible say about holy spirit?
Explore what the Bible says about the holy spirit. This collection of 18 key Scripture passages reveals God's wisdom and guidance on this important theme. The Bible contains 319 key verses about holy spirit spanning both Old and New Testaments.
How many Bible verses about holy spirit are there?
There are 319 key Bible verses about holy spirit compiled in this study guide, drawn from books across both the Old and New Testaments.
What is the best verse about holy spirit?
One of the most well-known and frequently cited verses about holy spirit is Genesis 1:2 — "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."
Where in the Bible does it talk about holy spirit?
Holy Spirit is discussed throughout the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments. You can find 319 references to this topic across multiple books including the Psalms, Proverbs, the Gospels, and the Epistles.

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Topics Included

This page consolidates Bible verses from 7 related topics:

fruit of the spiritfruits of the spiritgifts of the spiritholy ghostholy spiritthe holy spirit