
Complete Bible Study Guide
What Does the Bible Say About Wages?
55 Scripture references with full text and commentary
Understanding Wages in the Bible
What does the Bible say about wages? Browse 13 carefully selected verses that illuminate this biblical theme.
Top 10 Verses About Wages
- 1Genesis 29:15
“And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?”
KJV - 2Genesis 29:16
“And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.”
KJV - 3
- 4Genesis 29:18
“And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.”
KJV - 5Genesis 29:19
“And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me.”
KJV - 6Genesis 29:20
“And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.”
KJV - 7Genesis 29:21
“And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.”
KJV - 8
- 9Genesis 29:23
“And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.”
KJV - 10
Subtopics of Wages
Old Testament: What Does the Bible Say About Wages? (33 Verses)
“And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?”
“And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.”
“Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.”
“And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.”
“And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me.”
“And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.”
“And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.”
“And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.”
“And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.”
“And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid.”
“And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?”
“And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. country: Heb. place”
“Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.”
“And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.”
“And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.”
“And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.”
“And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.”
“And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.”
“For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also? increased: Heb. broken forth since: Heb. at my foot”
“And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock:”
“I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.”
“So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. in time: Heb. to morrow”
“And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.”
“And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.”
“Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times.”
“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.”
“Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates:”
“At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee. setteth: Heb. lifteth his soul unto it”
“Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. treadeth: Heb. thresheth”
“Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. them: Heb. the owners thereof”
“Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work;”
“Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. with holes: Heb. pierced through”
“And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. oppress: or, defraud”
New Testament: What Does the Bible Say About Wages? (22 Verses)
“Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. staves: Gr. a staff”
“For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.”
“And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. penny: the Roman penny is the eighth part of an ounce, which after five shillings the ounce is seven pence halfpenny; about fourteen cents”
“And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,”
“And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.”
“Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.”
“And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?”
“They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.”
“So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.”
“And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.”
“But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.”
“And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,”
“Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. have wrought: or, have continued one hour only”
“But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?”
“Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.”
“Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?”
“And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. Do violence: or, Put no man in fear wages: or, allowance”
“And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.”
“Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.”
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
“Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.”
“Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.”
How to Study What the Bible Says About Wages
- 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
Use a concordance or the search tools on this site to find additional passages about wages. Look for patterns across both the Old and New Testaments to gain a complete picture of what God reveals on this subject.
- 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
Memorise at least one key verse about wages 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 wages 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 wages needs to be applied more consistently. Write a specific, actionable step you can take this week.
Share what you have learned about wages 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 wages, 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 Wages?
You have studied 55 verses about wages. Now test your knowledge with chapter-by-chapter quizzes covering the books where these verses appear.
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Topics Included
This page consolidates Bible verses from 2 related topics: