Short answer: Luke 6:38 says, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again" (KJV). In context, the "giving" Jesus is describing is generous mercy toward others — not judging, not condemning, forgiving — and the promise is that God deals with us in the same open-handed way we deal with people.
The context: mercy, not fundraising
Luke 6:38 comes at the end of a tightly connected paragraph often called the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17–49). The immediate context is Jesus' teaching on loving enemies, lending without expecting return, and being merciful "as your Father also is merciful" (v. 36, KJV).
Verse 37 lists three prohibitions and two promises in parallel: judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. Verse 38 continues the same grammatical pattern — "give, and it shall be given" — and then supplies the principle underneath all of them: the measure you use is the measure you get.
This matters for interpretation. The verse is frequently quoted in fundraising appeals as a promise of financial return on donations. That reading is not impossible — Luke 6:34–35 does mention lending — but it lifts the verse away from its own paragraph, which is primarily about mercy, forgiveness, and refusing to condemn.
What it means, phrase by phrase
"Give, and it shall be given unto you." The verb is general. Give what? In context: mercy, forgiveness, forbearance, and material help offered without calculating the return.
"Good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over." This is a marketplace image. A merchant filling a container with grain could level it off, or he could press the contents down, shake the vessel to settle it, and keep pouring until it spilled. Jesus is describing deliberate, almost excessive generosity.
"Shall men give into your bosom." The "bosom" is the fold of an outer garment gathered at the waist, used to carry loose goods — a pouch formed by the robe. The phrase "shall men give" is one reason some read a horizontal dimension here: generosity often returns through people. Others take "men give" as an idiom equivalent to a passive ("it shall be given"), with God as the ultimate giver.
"With the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." The closing principle. Your standard becomes the standard applied to you. Read alongside verse 37, this is sobering as much as encouraging: a stingy, censorious measure comes back in kind.
Where faithful Christians differ: whether the return promised is primarily material, primarily spiritual, or both. Prosperity-oriented teaching reads a financial guarantee. Most historic traditions read it as describing God's generous character and the general shape of how he deals with the merciful, without treating it as a transaction that obligates God to a specific payout. Both sides cite Luke's wider interest in money — including his sharp warnings about wealth in Luke 12:15–21 and 16:19–31.
Cross-references
- Luke 6:36–37 — be merciful; judge not, condemn not, forgive.
- Matthew 7:1–2 — with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
- Proverbs 11:24–25 — the liberal soul shall be made fat.
- 2 Corinthians 9:6–8 — he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
- Acts 20:35 — "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (KJV).
- Proverbs 19:17 — he that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD.
- Luke 12:33–34 — where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
How to apply it today
First, restore the subject. Before you apply this to your budget, apply it to your judgments. Who are you currently measuring with a tight, unforgiving standard? Verse 38 says that standard is coming back to you.
Second, let the imagery set the tone of your generosity. Pressed down, shaken together, running over — the picture is not calculation but overflow. That applies to money, but equally to time, credit, patience, and second chances.
Third, be careful about motive. If the reason to give is the expected return, the verse has been inverted. Luke 6:35 explicitly commends lending "hoping for nothing again." Jesus promises reward to people who were not giving in order to get it.
Finally, hold the promise honestly. Scripture nowhere guarantees that generous Christians will be wealthy; many faithful givers have not been. What it does insist is that God is not stingy, that nothing given in mercy is lost, and that the merciful will find mercy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Luke 6:38 about money or about something broader? The immediate context (Luke 6:36–37) is mercy, forgiveness, and refusing to judge or condemn, so the primary reference is generous treatment of people. Material giving is a legitimate application, since verses 34–35 discuss lending. But reading the verse as strictly a promise of financial return detaches it from the paragraph it belongs to.
Does this verse promise I will get back more money than I give? Christians disagree. Prosperity teaching reads it as a guaranteed material return. Most historic traditions read it as describing God's abundant character and the general principle that the merciful receive mercy, without treating it as a contract for a specific financial outcome. Passages like Luke 12:15 caution against measuring life by possessions.
What does "pressed down, and shaken together, and running over" refer to? It describes filling a grain container in the ancient marketplace. Rather than leveling the top, a generous seller would compress the contents, shake the vessel so the grain settled, then keep pouring until it overflowed. The image conveys deliberate excess rather than minimum fulfillment.
What is the "bosom" the measure is poured into? It refers to the fold of a long outer garment gathered above the belt, which functioned as a carrying pouch for loose goods like grain. The picture is of someone holding out their robe to receive far more than they can carry in their hands.