What Does The Bible Say About Agism? (35 Bible Verses)
Ageism—the prejudice or discrimination against individuals based on age—is a pervasive issue, but what does the Bible say about it? Let’s delve into scripture to uncover the principles of love, compassion, and respect that call us to honor and value people of all ages, recognizing the wisdom and experience that each generation brings to our communities and society.
What Does The Bible Say About Agism
Leviticus 19:32 – Respecting The Elderly
“Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear your God. I am the Lord.”
Proverbs 16:31 – Honor the Aged
“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.”
Job 12:12 – Wisdom Comes With Age
“Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.”
1 Timothy 5:1-2 – Treating Older Men and Women
“Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.”
Proverbs 20:29 – Strength in Old Age
“The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.”
Psalm 92:14 – Still Bearing Fruit in Old Age
“They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green.”
James 2:1-4 – No Partiality
“My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ while you say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there,’ or, ‘Sit down at my feet,’ have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”
Deuteronomy 32:7 – Learning from the Elders
“Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.”
1 Peter 5:5 – Humility Among Leaders
“Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”
Titus 2:2-3 – Elderly Being Examples
“Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good.”
Psalm 71:9 – Not Forsaken in Old Age
“Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent.”
Isaiah 46:4 – Sustained in Old Age
“Even to your old age, I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.”
Psalm 71:18 – Declaring God to the Next Generation
“So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.”
James 1:27 – Care for Widows
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
Job 32:7 – Age Should Speak
“I said, ‘Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.’”
Genesis 25:8 – Abraham Died in a Good Old Age
“Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.”
Ruth 4:15 – Boaz and the Elderly
“He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
Psalm 90:10 – Our Days Are Limited
“The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.”
Job 30:1 – Disrespect from the Young
“But now they laugh at me, men who are younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock.”
Proverbs 23:22 – Listening to Your Father in Old Age
“Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”
Proverbs 23:24 – The Joy of Parenting
“The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.”
Matthew 25:40 – Serving the Least
“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”
Psalm 46:1-3 – God Our Refuge
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.”
Ecclesiastes 12:1 – Remember God in Your Youth
“Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, ‘I have no pleasure in them.’”
Psalm 127:3 – Children are a Heritage
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.”
Matthew 7:12 – The Golden Rule
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
Colossians 3:21 – Fathers, Provoke Not Your Children
“Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”
Psalm 145:4 – Praising God for His Works
“One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.”
Titus 2:6-8 – Young Men Being Self-controlled
“Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.”
Psalm 103:17-18 – His Love for Those Who Fear Him
“But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.”
1 Corinthians 1:27-28 – God’s Choice of the Weak
“But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are.”
Leviticus 25:17 – Not Exploiting Others
“You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the Lord your God.”
Proverbs 3:1-2 – Keeping Wisdom and Instruction
“My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11 – Encouraging One Another
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
Romans 12:16 – Live in Harmony
“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.”
Psalm 92:12-14 – Flourishing Like a Palm Tree
“The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green.”
1 Peter 5:6 – Humble Yourselves
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.”
Job 32:9 – Age Doesn’t Define Wisdom
“It is not the old who are wise, nor the aged who understand what is right.”
James 3:17 – Wisdom From Above
“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”
Proverbs 10:7 – The Memory of the Righteous
“The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.”
1 Peter 3:8 – Unity of Mind and Sympathy
“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”
Psalm 71:17 – Praising God’s Wondrous Deeds
“O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.”
