Scripture teaches that a man is to work and provide for his family. Men are commanded to work and provide for their families. If you know little about your spiritual calling as a man, then the following Bible verses pertaining to man providing for his family will benefit you greatly. These scriptures shed light on a man’s responsibility towards supporting his family, no matter what it costs him. A study of these Bible verses about men being providers for their families will show you how God’s Word calls men to be hard workers who give everything they can so that their families may live full and satisfying lives.
The Bible is full of verses that talk about man providing for his family. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite ones here.
In the book of Proverbs, God tells us to “train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” This can be interpreted as a commandment for men to provide for their families. It’s not just something that’s nice to do; it’s something that God expects from us.
In Matthew 7:9-11, Jesus says: “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? Do you give your children what is good? So then, you will be answerable for their sins.” This passage makes it clear that we should provide for our families because it’s what God expects of us—and because we’ll be held accountable by him later on if we don’t take care of them properly now!
In 1 Timothy 5:8-10 (NIV), Paul writes: “Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for the wrongs he has done,” and “Those who work deserve their pay.”
Right here on Churchgists, you are privy to a litany of relevant information on what a man must provide, when a man can’t provide for his family, bible verse a man who does not provide for his family, and so much more. Take time to visit our website for more information on similar topics.
Bible Verses About Man Providing For His Family
As a man, it’s important that you know your role in the family. You are the provider and protector of your family. The Bible has many verses about man providing for his family, and how he should do so. Here are some great verses to help you better understand your biblical role as a good husband and father:
1 Timothy 5:8
1 Timothy 5:8 says, “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
This verse shows how important it is that a man take care of his family. He should provide them with all they need to live a healthy life. If someone doesn’t do this, then they are not acting as God would want them to act. They’re denying their faith in God by failing to care for their families.
Men also have another responsibility when it comes to providing for their families: leading them spiritually. This can mean several things; however, it usually involves teaching your children about Jesus’ love so that they know who God is and what he wants from us as humans on earth (Matthew 28:19).
Proverbs 22:6
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” This verse is a good example of how you should provide for your family. It also says that you are teaching them something valuable by being a good provider. The Bible says that men are to provide for their families (1 Timothy 5:8). Women can also work outside of the home or stay at home as long as she does not neglect her duties (Titus 2:3-4).
John 15:12
In John 15:12, Jesus teaches us that a man should be the provider and protector of his family. A man should also love his family, as well as be a good example for them. Finally, a man should provide for his wife and children by working hard at a job and earning plenty of money to provide for them financially.
The Bible makes it clear that it is God’s will for men to work hard so they can provide for their families, who in turn rely on them as the head of their household (1 Timothy 5:8). As husbands and fathers ourselves, this verse has been something we’ve tried to live up to in our own lives—not only by providing financially but also by showing our wives affection when we get home from work (Ephesians 5:25-28), spending time with our kids after school each day (Proverbs 6:20-22) and praying regularly over our families’ needs (1 Timothy 2:1-4).
1 Corinthians 16:14
The Bible says, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8) In other words, it’s your responsibility to take care of your family.
What does this look like? It means working hard so that you can provide for them financially (1 Timothy 5:8). It also means being a good steward of your money—not spending it irresponsibly or on frivolous things. And finally, be sure to spend time with your loved ones!
Exodus 20:12
The Bible clearly tells men to work hard and provide for their families. Exodus 20:12 states, “Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.” (NIV) In this verse, God commands us to honor our parents by working hard and providing for them. This commandment also applies to a man’s wife and children because they are part of his household as well. The word honor means “to respect or treat with deferential regard; revere; value; cherish.”
Ephesians 6:1-3, 4-7
A man should provide for his family.
- A man should love his wife.
- A man should be an example to his children, and he should not be a drunkard or a quarreler, but he should be gentle, showing himself worthy of respect. (1 Timothy 3:4-5)
A man is to lead the home as Christ leads the church; therefore, it is important that he has respect among people so that they may see Christ in him and hear about Christ through him. (1 Corinthians 11:1)
The husband is head of the wife just as Christ is head of the church; and He gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by washing with water through the word (Ephesians 5:23).
1 Peter 3:7
If a man is truly providing for his family and protecting them, he will also be setting a good example for them to follow. A man should be the head of his household and take care of business, but he should also be a good husband to his wife and father to his children.
A good husband will provide food, shelter, clothing and education for those that depend on him. He should make sure that everyone knows that they are loved unconditionally by him no matter what happens in life. A good father will teach his children about God through example as well as words so that they may grow up without fear or doubt about His love for them!
James 5:16
James 5:16 says, “The one who hears me, hears God. The one who rejects me, rejects God who sent me.”
God is a refuge for the oppressed. (Psalm 9:9; Proverbs 14:31)
God will judge the oppressor. (Proverbs 28:5; Isaiah 1:17-20)
God will provide for those who are oppressed.
Matthew 25:40
- Matthew 25:40: “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
Do you want to be a man who provides for his family? This verse makes it clear that God cares about what you do to those around you. He wants men to be able to provide for their families, as well as their wives.
Galatians 5:13-14
Galatians 5:13-14
For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
A Man Must Provide
A man should be the provider and protector of his family.
A man should be the provider and protector of his family.
He is the head of his household, and as such he has a responsibility to provide for his family. He should also protect them from evil so that they can live in peace, without fear or danger.
A man who fails to provide for or protect his wife and children will have sinned against them very gravely indeed!
1 Timothy 5:8 ESV / 414 helpful votes
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Ephesians 6:4 ESV / 76 helpful votes
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
1 Peter 3:7 ESV / 71 helpful votes
Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
Proverbs 22:6 ESV / 64 helpful votes
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Genesis 2:24 ESV / 56 helpful votes
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Exodus 20:12 ESV / 53 helpful votes
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Psalm 62:12 ESV / 52 helpful votes
And that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.
Colossians 3:19 ESV / 49 helpful votes
Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.
Psalm 127:3-5 ESV / 45 helpful votes
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
1 Corinthians 11:3 ESV / 40 helpful votes
But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
Proverbs 15:20 ESV / 35 helpful votes
A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother.
Joshua 24:15 ESV / 34 helpful votes
And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Acts 10:2 ESV / 32 helpful votes
A devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.
Ephesians 6:1-2 ESV / 30 helpful votes
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),
Colossians 3:20 ESV / 29 helpful votes
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
Ephesians 5:25 ESV / 29 helpful votes
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
Ephesians 6:1-4 ESV / 28 helpful votes
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Colossians 3:21 ESV / 27 helpful votes
Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
Psalm 128:3 ESV / 27 helpful votes
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
Matthew 15:4 ESV / 26 helpful votes
For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’
Colossians 3:13 ESV / 25 helpful votes
Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
1 John 4:19 ESV / 24 helpful votes
We love because he first loved us.
Ephesians 5:33 ESV / 24 helpful votes
However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Ephesians 3:14-15 ESV / 24 helpful votes
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
Galatians 3:28 ESV / 24 helpful votes
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Acts 16:31 ESV / 24 helpful votes
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Deuteronomy 14:26 ESV / 24 helpful votes
And spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household.
John 3:16 ESV / 23 helpful votes
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
1 Timothy 3:2-5 ESV / 22 helpful votes
Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?
Ephesians 5:22-24 ESV / 22 helpful votes
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
Proverbs 1:8 ESV / 22 helpful votes
Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching,
Genesis 18:19 ESV / 22 helpful votes
For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”
Matthew 7:7 ESV / 20 helpful votes
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Proverbs 11:29 ESV / 20 helpful votes
Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
Genesis 1:28 ESV / 19 helpful votes
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Ephesians 6:1 ESV / 18 helpful votes
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Acts 16:31-34 ESV / 18 helpful votes
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 ESV / 18 helpful votes
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Philippians 4:19 ESV / 17 helpful votes
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Proverbs 6:20 ESV / 17 helpful votes
My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
2 Thessalonians 3:10 ESV / 16 helpful votes
For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.
Luke 12:53 ESV / 16 helpful votes
They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Genesis 3:16 ESV / 16 helpful votes
To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”
Deuteronomy 5:16 ESV / 15 helpful votes
“‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Leviticus 19:3 ESV / 15 helpful votes
Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.
Ephesians 5:28-29 ESV / 14 helpful votes
In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,
Proverbs 12:4 ESV / 14 helpful votes
An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV / 13 helpful votes
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Proverbs 23:24 ESV / 13 helpful votes
The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
Psalm 103:17 ESV / 13 helpful votes
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children,
Psalm 103:17-18 ESV / 13 helpful votes
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.
Job 18:5 ESV / 13 helpful votes
“Indeed, the light of the wicked is put out, and the flame of his fire does not shine.
2 Chronicles 6:36 ESV / 13 helpful votes
“If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to a land far or near,
1 John 3:16-18 ESV / 12 helpful votes
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Ephesians 5:23 ESV / 12 helpful votes
For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
Romans 2:7 ESV / 12 helpful votes
To those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;
Romans 2:6 ESV / 12 helpful votes
He will render to each one according to his works:
Luke 6:35 ESV / 12 helpful votes
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
Matthew 5:17-19 ESV / 12 helpful votes
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Joel 2:1-32 ESV / 12 helpful votes
Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them. Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses they run. As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle. …
Ecclesiastes 1:18 ESV / 12 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
When A Man Can’t Provide For His Family
First, only those who know Jesus and serve Him as their Lord (obey Him) will enter heaven. Matthew 7:21-23, John 3:36, John 17:3, John 5:24, Matthew 5:20. The book of 1 John has many verses that tell who is really saved.
Many will call Him Lord, Lord but not go to heaven because they continued to disobey (sin against) God and Jesus never knew them. In Revelation 21:8 a list of people is given of who will go to the lake of fire. “Unbelievers” is only one of the 8 kinds of people who will go there. Liars, cowards, idolaters and immoral people are some of the others. Many people believe ” love the sinner and hate the sin” is in the Bible, but that is a statement by the unbeliever Ghandi. God hates sin and sends sinners to hell. The gospel includes repentance from sin and dying to self to walk in newness of life that hates sin and wants to live a changed life to forsake sin. This is the regeneration of the heart that only true believers receive when they surrender their lives to Christ as Lord, Ezekiel 36:25-27 and John 3; to be born again.
So I believe that the Word teaches that a husband that does not provide is definitely in danger of hell because unbelievers go to hell. There may be extenuating circumstances that a believer has difficulty providing, but his fervent desire would be to provide and his prayers would be centered on doing that. The Bible has a lot to say about a husband’s responsibilities to love his wife as Christ loves the church. Christ provides for believers and He answers the prayers of the righteous. If a husband is not treating his wife as he should, his prayers are not listened to by God, 1 Peter 3:7.
If the husband is a true believer, he would see this as sin not to provide and would repent and change direction to do everything possible to provide. This would be a step of sanctification—growing in holiness and walking by the Holy Spirit. There is grace for a believer who was providing for his family and has a failure in this area due to job loss or bad health for instance. He should examine himself to see if there is other sin such as unforgiveness, lying, idolatry, hatred, sexual immorality which is causing him to be out of right relationship with Jesus Christ. He should also go to the elders of the church and ask them to pray for him. The elders will be able to help the husband examine his life to repent and be cleansed. The Bible says that the wise person will always seek wise counsel.
The husband has the responsibility to lead the family spiritually too. He should be reading the Bible and praying daily to be equipped to provide spiritually for the family too. Sadly, a lot of people are falsely assured that they are Christians because they made a one-time decision, but that is not the born again life. There is no salvation without repentance, and repentance is not a one-time event for the Christian. The Holy Spirit indwelling convicts a believer of the sin He wants the believer to repent of as the believer is sanctified and growing in holiness.
Also, the wife has responsibility for praying for her husband and being his helpmate. She should examine herself too to see where her sins could be impacting her life and her family.
Conclusion
A man is called to provide and protect his family. He is called to give of himself and sacrifice for the sake of his wife and children. The Bible teaches us that a man should not be selfish, but instead should love his family as Christ loves the church. He should also look after others in need – even when it means sacrificing time with those closest to him (or even losing sleep). This does not mean however that he must always put work before family – on some occasions it may be necessary when dealing with important decisions around finances etc., but at all times he needs balance between time spent at work and home