Luke 6:38
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Context
Part of Jesus' Sermon on the Plain, immediately following His teaching on not judging and on forgiving; here He extends the principle of measure-for-measure to generosity.
What Does Luke 6:38 Mean?
Jesus promises that generosity returns to the giver in abundance: "Give, and it shall be given unto you." He paints a vivid picture drawn from the marketplace, where grain was poured into the fold of a person's garment. A generous merchant would press the grain down, shake it together to settle it, and keep pouring until it ran over. That overflowing measure is the image of how generosity comes back to those who give freely.
The closing line states the underlying principle: "with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." The standard we use toward others becomes the standard used toward us. This continues the theme of the previous verse, where mercy given opens the way for mercy received. Here the focus is on giving in the broadest sense -- generosity, kindness, and openhandedness. Jesus is not promising a mechanical transaction where we give in order to get rich; rather, He describes the gracious way God and life respond to a generous heart. Those who hold tightly find little flowing back; those who give freely find themselves met with abundance. The verse invites us to live with open hands, trusting that a generous life is a blessed one, both in what we give and in what returns to us overflowing.
In the Original Language
The word metron (measure) refers to a measuring container. The phrase "pressed down, and shaken together, and running over" describes a vessel filled to overflowing abundance.
Cross References
“The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”
- Proverbs 11:25
“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”
- 2 Corinthians 9:6
“He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.”
- Proverbs 19:17
Application
Live with open hands, giving generously and trusting that a generous heart receives abundance in return.