Contextual topic guide
Thanksgiving Bible Verses
Cultivate a thankful heart with these scriptures about gratitude, thanksgiving, and giving thanks to God.
Giving thanks runs through the whole Bible, from the harvest psalms to Paul's letters written in prison. These verses are grouped for the ways people look for them: calls to give thanks, gratitude in hard seasons, and short verses for grace before a meal.
Thanksgiving verses, grouped by occasion
Thanksgiving Bible verses
Calls to give thanks from the Psalms and Chronicles.
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”
A short psalm that invites worshippers into the temple gates and courts.
“O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
A refrain repeated through the Psalms.
“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.”
From the song sung when the ark was brought to Jerusalem.
“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
The first line of a psalm where every verse ends with the same refrain.
“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.”
The opening of the last of the Hallel psalms (113-118), sung at Jewish festivals.
“This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
The day that the LORD hath made.
“Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.”
An invitation to come before God with thanksgiving.
“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:”
A psalm titled "for the sabbath day."
“I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.”
Thanks with the whole heart.
“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.”
David speaks to his own soul.
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:”
Forget not all his benefits.
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.”
Thanks in song.
Giving thanks in every circumstance
Gratitude that is not only for good days.
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Paul's instruction to a young church facing opposition.
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”
Thanks always, for all things.
“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
Whatever you do, with thanks.
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Prayer with thanksgiving instead of anxiety.
“Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”
A life overflowing with thanksgiving.
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”
And be ye thankful.
“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;”
Prayer kept alert with thanksgiving.
“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
Praise described as a sacrifice.
“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:”
The prophet imagines every harvest failing.
“Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
And still chooses to rejoice.
“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”
Paul says contentment was something he learned.
Verses for a Thanksgiving meal
Short verses for grace before a meal or a harvest table.
“The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.”
From David's psalm of praise; often used as a mealtime grace.
“Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.”
The verse that follows it.
“When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.”
Moses tells Israel to bless God after eating and being satisfied.
“Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.”
A harvest psalm about the year crowned with goodness.
“Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.”
The earth yielding her increase.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
Every good gift is from above.
“For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:”
Received with thanksgiving.
“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”
A one-line thanksgiving.
“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Thanks for victory, closing Paul's chapter on the resurrection.
More Bible verses about gratitude
Further verses from this topic's original selection.
“I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.”
I will praise God with a song of thanksgiving
Thanks in the Psalms
Many psalms of thanks were written for worship together, which is why so many begin with an invitation: O give thanks, enter his gates, let us come before his presence. They suit a family table as well as a church service.
Gratitude that is not only for good days
Paul wrote "in every thing give thanks" to a young church facing opposition, and Habakkuk imagined every harvest failing and still chose to rejoice. Biblical thanksgiving is not denial; it names what is hard and gives thanks anyway.
Questions about gratitude
What is a good Bible verse for Thanksgiving?
Psalm 107:1, Psalm 100:4, 1 Chronicles 16:34 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18 are among the most used Thanksgiving verses.
What Bible verse can I read before a Thanksgiving meal?
Psalm 145:15-16 has long been used as a grace before meals, and Deuteronomy 8:10 speaks of blessing God after eating.