Lord’s Library editors offer this primer to gluttony in the Bible for your edification, featuring key Bible Scriptures to know.
Gluttony in the Bible is described as a manifestation of the deeper problem of sin; of the flesh ruling where God should reign. The Bible does not treat gluttony lightly and exposes it as evidence of misplaced appetite, spiritual disorder, and a heart that elevates earthly satisfaction above obedience to a holy God. And like every sin Scripture names, gluttony ultimately points us to our need for redemption through the Finished Work of Jesus Christ and His Blood Atonement.
So What Does the Bible Say About Gluttony?
In Scripture, gluttony is consistently associated with rebellion, lack of restraint, and spiritual dullness. In Deuteronomy 21:20, the rebellious son is described as “a glutton, and a drunkard.” See verse: “And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.” Gluttony appears alongside drunkenness for this reason, and not as a trivial excess, but as a symptom of ungoverned appetite and defiance.
Proverbs 23:20–21 warns of gluttony in plain language: “Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.” Here gluttony is connected with waste, sloth, and eventual ruin (damnation). Proverbs 28:7 adds: “Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father.”
The earlier parallel passage identifies these “riotous” men as gluttons. The shame is not a dietary one, but moral. Philippians 3:18-19 brings the issue into sharp spiritual focus: “(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)”
When the belly becomes a god, appetite becomes a form of idolatry. Gluttony, at its root then, is worship misdirected.
Gluttony in the Bible: Key Scriptures to Know
The Old Testament gives sobering historical examples. In Numbers 11, Israel lusted after flesh in the wilderness, despising God’s provision of manna:
- Numbers 11:4: “And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?”
- Numbers 11:5-6: “We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.”
- Numbers 11:18-20: “And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?”
- Numbers 11:31-34: “And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague. And he called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.”
Psalms 78:18-19 recounts it as well: “And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust. Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?” Verse 30-31 continues: “They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths, The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.” Here we see how their craving was not hunger, but it was unbelief. Their appetite revealed a heart dissatisfied with God Himself.
Ezekiel 16:49 identifies one of the sins of Sodom as “fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness.” See verse: “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.”
While Sodom’s wickedness was multi-layered, the passage shows that indulgence and excess were part of a broader spiritual corruption. Gluttony is rarely isolated and grows in soil enriched by pride, ease, and disregard for God’s Word.
The New Testament reinforces the spiritual dimension of appetite. Romans 13:14 commands: “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” Galatians 5:16-17 reminds believers that the flesh is lustful vs. the spirit as well: “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”
Among the works of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19–21 are behaviors rooted in uncontrolled desire: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Titus 1:12 even references the cultural reputation of certain people as “slow bellies,” a phrase indicating laziness and overindulgence. See verse: “One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.”
Yet Scripture also guards against misunderstanding. The Bible does not condemn eating, feasting, or enjoying God’s provision. Ecclesiastes 3:13 acknowledges that it is the gift of God for a man: “And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.” We also think of 1 Timothy 4:4 in this space: “For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:”
The issue is not food but thankfulness for the food in context. See also 1 Corinthians 6:12, which says: “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”
Ultimately, gluttony exposes what every other sin exposes, which is the fallen nature of man. See next Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Whether the sin is gluttony, pride, lust, envy, or unbelief, the verdict is the same. James 2:10 reminds: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Gluttony is not a “lesser” sin because it appears socially acceptable in our modern day. It is evidence that the heart is not perfectly aligned with the Holiness of God.
The Gospel is the Answer to Gluttony in the Bible
The solution to gluttony is not just to eat well, exercise, and remain disciplines (though are all recommended). The real solution is to be born again. The Law exposes sin and the Gospel of Jesus Christ provides a description of how salvation works. 1 Corinthians 15:1–4 showcases the Gospel plainly: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
Jesus Christ shed His Blood for sinners.
Romans 5:8 proclaims, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Ephesians 1:7 affirms, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Gluttony, like every sin, deserves judgment. But 2 Corinthians 5:21 gives the glorious exchange: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” The cross addresses not just isolated behaviors, but the sinful nature itself. Through faith in the finished work of Christ, the believer receives forgiveness, imputed righteousness, and the indwelling Holy Spirit—who produces self-control as fruit (Galatians 5:22–23).
If a man finds himself mastered by appetite, convicted by excess, or aware that his desires rule him more than God does, the answer is not despair. It is repentance and faith. Acts 16:31 says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), not by self-reform. Once saved, the believer is empowered to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” (Romans 12:1).
Gluttony is not merely about food. It is about the throne of the heart. Who sits there—Christ or craving? The Bible is clear that unrestrained appetite is sin. But it is equally clear that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin (1 John 1:7). The call of Scripture is not simply to eat less, but to trust more—to turn from sin and believe the Gospel.
For in the end, the greatest hunger of the human soul is not for bread, but for righteousness. And that hunger is satisfied only in Jesus Christ.
Lord's Library is a Christian resource hub. Our editors use a variety of internet research methods like search engines, audio and video, AI, consultations with ministry leaders in the field, and more. Lord's Library should never be a substitute for reading your Bible daily as the Scriptures are to be our final authority on all matters. Lord's Library participates in affiliate programs. We may make a small commission from products purchased through this resource.
- Gluttony in the Bible: New Testament Scripture Verses & Meaning - June 23, 2026
- Finished Work Theology Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ - May 7, 2026
- The Blood Atonement of Jesus Christ vs. Works Righteousness - May 7, 2026
