Complete Bible Study Guide

What Does the Bible Say About Theft And Thieves?

70 Scripture references with full text and commentary

Understanding Theft And Thieves in the Bible

Discover 70 Bible verses about theft and thieves. This comprehensive collection of Scripture quotes reveals God's wisdom and guidance on theft and thieves, with verses from across the Old and New Testaments.

70
Total Verses
45
Old Testament
25
New Testament

Top 10 Verses About Theft And Thieves

  1. 1
    Genesis 31:19
    And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's. images: Heb. teraphim
    KJV
  2. 2
    Genesis 31:34
    Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not. searched: Heb. felt
    KJV
  3. 3
    Genesis 31:35
    And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.
    KJV
  4. 4
    Exodus 20:15
    Thou shalt not steal.
    KJV
  5. 5
    Exodus 21:16
    And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
    KJV
  6. 6
    Exodus 22:1
    If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. or a sheep: or, or a goat
    KJV
  7. 7
    Exodus 22:2
    If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.
    KJV
  8. 8
    Exodus 22:3
    If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
    KJV
  9. 9
    Exodus 22:4
    If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.
    KJV
  10. 10
    Exodus 22:10
    If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it:
    KJV

Subtopics of Theft And Thieves

General scriptures concerning
FIGURATIVE
INSTANCES OF
By Rachel, of the household gods (teraphim)
Achan
Micah
The spies of Laish
Judas
Figurative
General references

Old Testament: What Does the Bible Say About Theft And Thieves? (45 Verses)

And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's. images: Heb. teraphim
Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not. searched: Heb. felt
And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.
Thou shalt not steal.
And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. or a sheep: or, or a goat
If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.
If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.
If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it:
Then shall an oath of the LORD be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good.
And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof.
If it be torn in pieces , then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn.
And if a man borrow ought of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof being not with it, he shall surely make it good.
But if the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good: if it be an hired thing, it came for his hire.
If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship , or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour; in fellowship: or, in dealing fellowship: Heb. putting of the hand
Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein:
Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found,
Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering. in the day: or, in the day of his being found guilty: Heb. in the day of his trespass
And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest:
And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.
Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.
Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.
Neither shalt thou steal.
When thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.
When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn.
Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my son.
Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.
When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers. hast: Heb. thy portion was with
Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.
The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law. bands: or, companies
Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them; because they refuse to do judgment. destroy: Heb. saw them, or, dwell with them
For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets,
Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;
And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? which: Heb. whereupon my name is called
The people of the land have used oppression , and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. oppression: or, deceit wrongfully: Heb. without right
Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. blood: Heb. bloods
If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes? some: or, gleanings?
Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not; bloody: Heb. city of bloods
Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it. every one that stealeth: or, every one of this people that stealeth holdeth himself guiltless, as it doth

New Testament: What Does the Bible Say About Theft And Thieves? (25 Verses)

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.
The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: covetousness: Gr. covetousnesses, wickednesses
And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. of all: or, an house of prayer for all nations
And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.
Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein , and them that bought;
Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold , but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth . to give: or, to distribute
Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.
But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

How to Study What the Bible Says About Theft And Thieves

  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 theft and thieves. 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 theft and thieves 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 theft and thieves 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 theft and thieves needs to be applied more consistently. Write a specific, actionable step you can take this week.

  • Share what you have learned about theft and thieves 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 theft and thieves, 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 Theft And Thieves?

You have studied 70 verses about theft and thieves. Now test your knowledge with chapter-by-chapter quizzes covering the books where these verses appear.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Bible say about theft and thieves?
Discover 70 Bible verses about theft and thieves. This comprehensive collection of Scripture quotes reveals God's wisdom and guidance on theft and thieves, with verses from across the Old and New Testaments. The Bible contains 70 key verses about theft and thieves spanning both Old and New Testaments.
How many Bible verses about theft and thieves are there?
There are 70 key Bible verses about theft and thieves compiled in this study guide, drawn from books across both the Old and New Testaments.
What is the best verse about theft and thieves?
One of the most well-known and frequently cited verses about theft and thieves is Genesis 31:19 — "And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's. images: Heb. teraphim"
Where in the Bible does it talk about theft and thieves?
Theft And Thieves is discussed throughout the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments. You can find 70 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 2 related topics:

theft and thieves