Bible Verses About Kindness
Introduction
Kindness is one of those words that can be drained of its power through overuse. It gets reduced to politeness, to pleasantness, to a general disposition toward niceness. The Bible means something far more substantial. The kindness Scripture speaks of is rooted in the character of God himself — a deliberate, costly, often inconvenient choice to act for the good of another person regardless of what they deserve or what they can give in return.
The Hebrew word hesed, often translated as kindness or steadfast love, is one of the richest words in the entire Old Testament. It describes a loyalty that goes beyond obligation, a generosity that persists through disappointment, a love that does not calculate its returns. When the Bible calls people to kindness, it is calling them to reflect something of that character — to be toward others what God has been toward them.
What the Bible Means When It Talks About Kindness
The Old Testament's primary word for kindness is hesed — a term that combines loyalty, love, mercy, and faithful generosity into a single concept. It is almost always used in the context of a relationship, and it describes the quality of staying committed to someone beyond what strict obligation requires. God's hesed toward Israel is the defining thread of the Old Testament story.
The New Testament uses chrestotes, meaning goodness, benevolence, or generosity of spirit. It appears in Paul's lists of the fruit of the Spirit and among the qualities of love in 1 Corinthians 13. In both Testaments, kindness is not a personality trait some people happen to have. It is a practice — something chosen, expressed in concrete action, and modeled first and most fully in the character of God.
Bible Verses About God's Kindness
Psalm 103:8 — ("The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.") The phrase abounding in love translates hesed. God's kindness is not measured out carefully. It overflows.
Titus 3:4-5 — ("But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.") The incarnation of Jesus is described here as the appearing of God's kindness. The motivation for salvation is kindness, not human merit.
Romans 2:4 — ("Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?") God's kindness has a purpose. It is not indulgence. It is the patient, generous pressure that moves a person toward turning back to God.
Psalm 36:7 — ("How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.") The unfailing love is hesed — the kindness that shelters. People do not merely appreciate it. They hide in it.
Jeremiah 31:3 — ("The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.'") God's kindness is the means of drawing people to himself. The attraction is not fear or coercion. It is persistent, everlasting kindness.
Lamentations 3:22-23 — ("Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.") Written from inside devastation, this declaration of God's kindness is among the most remarkable in Scripture. The compassions are new every morning — not a single act but a daily renewal.
Bible Verses About the Call to Kindness
Ephesians 4:32 — ("Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.") The standard for human kindness is God's kindness in Christ. Forgiving as God forgave is the measure. It is an impossibly high bar made possible only by grace.
Colossians 3:12 — ("Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.") Kindness is something put on — a deliberate daily choice, not a spontaneous feeling. It appears alongside humility and gentleness, suggesting that true kindness is inseparable from lowliness of spirit.
Micah 6:8 — ("He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.") The word translated mercy here is hesed. Loving kindness is not optional alongside justice and humility. It is listed as one of the three things God requires.
Proverbs 3:3 — ("Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.") Love and faithfulness together translate hesed and emet — kindness and truth. They are to be worn like a necklace and inscribed on the heart. Kindness is meant to be that close.
Zechariah 7:9 — ("This is what the LORD Almighty said: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.'") The prophetic call to kindness is placed alongside justice. They are not in tension. Genuine kindness requires that justice be done, and genuine justice is animated by compassion.
Bible Verses About Kindness as a Fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22-23 — ("But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.") Kindness is listed among the fruit of the Spirit — not as a human achievement but as something produced in a person by the Holy Spirit's work. The goal is not to try harder to be kind but to remain connected to the one who produces kindness.
2 Corinthians 6:6 — ("In purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love.") Paul lists kindness as one of the marks of authentic apostolic ministry. It is not separate from the Holy Spirit's work. It is named alongside it.
1 Corinthians 13:4 — ("Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.") Kindness is embedded in the definition of love. It is not a peripheral quality. It is one of love's two opening characteristics — patience and kindness together describe how love behaves.
Romans 15:1 — ("We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.") Bearing with the weak is a form of kindness. It chooses inconvenience and patience over the easier path of expecting others to keep up.
Bible Verses About Kindness Toward Enemies and Strangers
Luke 6:35 — ("But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.") God's kindness extends to the ungrateful and wicked. The call to kindness toward enemies is grounded in this reality. It is an imitation of the Father's own character.
Romans 12:20 — ("On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.'") Kindness toward an enemy is not weakness. Paul presents it as a form of moral power — an act that may produce shame and ultimately transformation in the person who receives it.
Proverbs 25:21-22 — ("If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.") The Old Testament origin of Paul's instruction. Kindness toward enemies is not a New Testament novelty. It runs through the wisdom tradition of Israel as well.
Matthew 5:46-47 — ("If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others?") Jesus pushes the boundary of kindness beyond the natural. Kindness extended only to those who return it is not distinctively Christian. The call is to a wider, less reciprocal generosity.
Hebrews 13:2 — ("Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.") Kindness toward strangers carries a particular dignity in Scripture. The stranger may be carrying something — or someone — you cannot see.
Bible Verses About Kindness in Relationships
Ruth 1:8 — ("Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, 'Go back, each of you, to your mother's home. May the LORD show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me.'") Naomi uses the word hesed to describe the loyalty her daughters-in-law have shown. Ruth's subsequent refusal to leave Naomi is one of Scripture's most beautiful expressions of this kind of committed kindness.
2 Samuel 9:3 — ("The king asked, 'Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?'") David's question about Mephibosheth is remarkable. He is not asking who deserves kindness. He is looking for someone toward whom he can express it — for God's sake.
Proverbs 31:26 — ("She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.") The Hebrew behind faithful instruction is literally the Torah of hesed — the teaching of kindness. The woman of noble character is someone whose words are shaped by kindness.
Proverbs 19:22 — ("What a person desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar.") Unfailing love — hesed — is described as what every person fundamentally desires. It is the quality that makes relationships real and trustworthy.
1 Peter 3:8 — ("Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.") The call to compassion and humility in community is the relational expression of kindness. It is not sentiment. It is a shared orientation toward one another's good.
Bible Verses About Kindness and Speech
Proverbs 16:24 — ("Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.") Words shaped by kindness are described as healing. The tongue is one of the primary arenas in which kindness or cruelty is expressed.
Proverbs 12:25 — ("Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.") A kind word does something. It is not merely pleasant. It lifts a weight. Scripture takes seriously the power of speech to affect the inner life of another person.
Ephesians 4:29 — ("Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.") The standard for speech is whether it builds up. Kindness in words is measured by its effect on the listener, not by how it sounds to the speaker.
Proverbs 15:1 — ("A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.") Kindness in response to hostility is not passivity. It is a strategic choice that breaks the cycle of escalation. The gentle answer is an act of quiet power.
Colossians 4:6 — ("Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.") Grace-filled speech is compared to salt — something that preserves and enhances. Every conversation is an opportunity to practice the kindness that characterizes the people of God.
Bible Verses About Kindness Rewarded and Remembered
Proverbs 11:17 — ("Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.") Kindness is not only other-directed. It does something to the person who practices it. Scripture presents it as intrinsically beneficial, shaping the character of the one who gives it.
Proverbs 21:21 — ("Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.") The pursuit of love — hesed — leads to life. Kindness is not a detour from flourishing. It is the path toward it.
Matthew 25:40 — ("The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'") Kindness extended to the vulnerable is received by Jesus as kindness to himself. The stakes of ordinary acts of care are higher than they appear.
Proverbs 14:21 — ("It is a sin to despise one's neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.") Blessing is attached to kindness toward the needy. The one who practices it is not simply doing good. They are living in alignment with the character of God.
A Simple Way to Pray These Verses
Kindness begins in the will before it appears in behavior. These verses can become prayers of reorientation.
Ephesians 4:32 — ("Be kind and compassionate to one another.") Response: "There is someone today I am not naturally inclined toward kindness with. Help me choose it anyway."
Galatians 5:22 — ("The fruit of the Spirit is kindness.") Response: "I cannot produce this on my own. Grow it in me."
Luke 6:35 — ("He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.") Response: "You were kind to me before I deserved it. Let that change how I treat the people who try my patience."
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Bible say about kindness? The Bible presents kindness as one of the defining characteristics of God himself, expressed most fully in the hesed of the Old Testament and in the appearing of Jesus in the New. It calls people to reflect that same kindness toward others — including enemies and strangers — as a fruit of the Spirit and an expression of love. Kindness in Scripture is not a feeling but a choice, expressed in concrete actions and words that act for the good of another.
What is the Hebrew word for kindness in the Bible? The primary Hebrew word is hesed, which is one of the richest words in the Old Testament. It combines loyalty, love, mercy, and generous faithfulness. It almost always appears in the context of a relationship and describes a quality of commitment that exceeds what obligation requires. English translations render it variously as kindness, steadfast love, lovingkindness, mercy, or unfailing love.
Is kindness a fruit of the Holy Spirit? Yes. Galatians 5:22-23 lists kindness among the fruit of the Spirit. This means that genuine, sustained kindness is not primarily a personality trait or a result of moral effort. It is produced in a person by the Holy Spirit's work as they remain connected to Christ. The goal is not to try harder to be kind but to cultivate the relationship with God that produces kindness as its natural fruit.
What does Jesus say about kindness? Jesus extends the call to kindness beyond its natural boundaries. He commands love for enemies (Luke 6:35), identifies himself with the recipient of kindness toward the vulnerable (Matthew 25:40), and grounds the call to kindness in the character of the Father who is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. He also defines neighborly kindness broadly in the parable of the Good Samaritan — it crosses ethnic and religious boundaries and is defined by action, not proximity.
How is kindness different from niceness? Niceness is primarily about social smoothness — avoiding friction, keeping things pleasant, making interactions comfortable. Kindness is more costly and more substantive. It acts for the genuine good of another person even when that requires inconvenience, confrontation, or sacrifice. Jesus was not always nice — he challenged, rebuked, and overturned tables. He was always kind, acting consistently for the true good of those around him. Kindness sometimes looks like niceness and sometimes looks very different from it.
