Biblical hospitality is welcoming others, especially strangers and people in need, as God has welcomed us. Peter wrote, "Use hospitality one to another without grudging" (1 Peter 4:9), and Moses told Israel, "Love ye therefore the stranger" (Deuteronomy 10:19). Jesus said that when you make a feast, you should "call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind" (Luke 14:13).
Thanksgiving and Christmas fill our homes and tables, and with them come both joy and pressure: the cooking, the cleaning, the seating plan, the relative who always argues. The Bible's idea of hospitality is simpler and deeper than impressive entertaining. The New Testament word means love of strangers. It is about making room: at your table, in your home and in your life, for family, friends, newcomers and people who have nowhere else to go. These twelve King James verses show what Scripture asks of hosts, tell the stories of open doors in the Bible, and point to the table Jesus sets for us. For kindness to neighbours, see loving thy neighbor; for a welcoming family life, see home.
What Scripture asks of hosts
1. 1 Peter 4:9
"Use hospitality one to another without grudging."
Peter wrote to Christians scattered and under pressure, and in the same breath as "the end of all things is at hand" (1 Peter 4:7) he tells them to open their homes. Without grudging means without grumbling. Hospitality can be tiring, and it is honest to admit that. But a simple meal shared gladly is better than a perfect one served with resentment.
2. Mark 9:41
"For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward."
Hospitality does not have to be grand. Jesus says even a cup of water given in His name will not go unrewarded. In a hot, dry land, water at the door was the most basic welcome. A cup of coffee for a neighbour, a spare chair at Thanksgiving, a lift for someone without a car: small welcomes matter to God.
3. Deuteronomy 10:19
"Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt."
Israel was to love the stranger, the foreigner living among them, for a simple reason: ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. They knew what it felt like to be outsiders. The verse before says God Himself "loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment" (Deuteronomy 10:18). Remembering when you were new, lonely or far from home makes it easier to welcome others.
4. Job 31:32
"The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveller."
In defending his integrity, Job lists the ways he had lived rightly, and this is one of them: no traveller had to sleep in the street, because I opened my doors. In the ancient world, travellers depended on the kindness of strangers for safety. Job counted an open door as part of a godly life, alongside honesty, purity and care for the poor (Job 31:16-20).
Open doors in the Bible
5. Genesis 18:5
"And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said."
Three visitors appeared at Abraham's tent at Mamre in the heat of the day. He ran to meet them and offered a morsel of bread, and then served a feast: fresh cakes, a tender calf, butter and milk (Genesis 18:6-8). As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the LORD Himself had come to visit (Genesis 18:1, 18:13). Hebrews recalls this when it says some "have entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2).
6. 2 Kings 4:10
"Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither."
A well-to-do woman in Shunem noticed the prophet Elisha passing by often, so she and her husband built him a small guest room with a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick. Simple furniture, thoughtfully prepared. Hospitality often begins with noticing someone's need and then making a small, practical space for them in your life.
7. Acts 16:15
"And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us."
Lydia, a businesswoman who sold purple cloth, is often called the first recorded believer in Europe. Her first response to the gospel was to open her house: come into my house, and abide there. She constrained us, insisting until Paul and his companions agreed. Her home became a meeting place for the young church in Philippi (Acts 16:40).
8. Luke 19:6
"And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully."
Jesus invited Himself to the home of Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector despised by his neighbours, and Zacchaeus received him joyfully. The crowd grumbled that Jesus had gone "to be guest with a man that is a sinner" (Luke 19:7). That meal changed Zacchaeus' life and his generosity (Luke 19:8). Sometimes hospitality means being willing to be a guest at an unlikely table.
The table Jesus sets
9. Luke 14:13-14
"But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just."
Jesus was at a dinner party where guests jostled for the best seats, and He told the host to invite people who could never invite him back: the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. The reward is not a return invitation but God's blessing at the resurrection of the just. Is there someone who rarely gets invited anywhere who could join your holiday table? See the poor.
10. Luke 15:2
"And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them."
The religious leaders meant it as an insult: This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. Jesus took it as a description of His mission and answered with the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son (Luke 15:3-32). Eating together in that culture meant acceptance. The gospel is good news for people who expect to be left off the guest list. See the prodigal son.
11. Psalms 23:5
"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over."
In Psalm 23 the Shepherd becomes the Host. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: God welcomes David and protects him as an honoured guest. Anointing a guest's head with oil was an ancient sign of welcome (Luke 7:46), and a cup that runneth over means more than enough. Every act of hospitality we offer is a small echo of the way God welcomes us.
12. Revelation 19:9
"And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God."
The Bible ends with a wedding feast. Those called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb are blessed: the great banquet God has been preparing from the beginning (Isaiah 25:6). Every Thanksgiving dinner, church potluck and simple family meal is a foretaste. One day the whole family of God will sit down together at His table.
A short prayer
Father, thank You for welcoming me to Your table when I was a stranger. Make my home and my table places of welcome this season and all year long. Free me from the pressure to impress and from grumbling about the work. Open my eyes to the lonely, the new and the overlooked, and give me the courage to invite them in. Let every meal I share point to the great feast You are preparing. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
Pick one verse above and write: - Scripture: copy the verse by hand. - Observation: what does it say? Who is speaking, to whom? - Application: what does it mean for you today? - Prayer: turn it into a two-line prayer.
New to this method? See our Bible study guide or pick a Bible reading plan.
Print our free Thanksgiving printable for your table · Download free Christmas Bible verse printables for place cards · Give the Starter Bundle to a new believer or a new neighbour
Frequently asked questions
What does the Bible say about hospitality?
The Bible calls all believers to practise hospitality: "Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality" (Romans 12:13), and "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2). It is especially concerned with strangers, the poor and travellers, and it presents God as the ultimate host who welcomes sinners to His table.
What is the difference between hospitality and entertaining?
Entertaining often focuses on the host: the menu, the decorations, the impression made. Biblical hospitality focuses on the guest: their welcome, comfort and need. A bowl of soup shared with real attention is true hospitality. As Proverbs puts it, "Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith" (Proverbs 15:17).
What are good Bible verses for hosting Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner?
Psalm 23:5 ("my cup runneth over") and 1 Peter 4:9 make lovely table cards, and Luke 14:13-14 is a good challenge as you plan your guest list. For grace before the meal, many families read Psalm 107:1 or Psalm 136:1. See Thanksgiving and our free Thanksgiving printable.
Is hospitality required for church leaders?
Yes. Paul lists it among the qualifications for elders: a bishop must be "given to hospitality, apt to teach" (1 Timothy 3:2), and "a lover of hospitality" (Titus 1:8). But it is not only for leaders. Peter tells every believer to use hospitality "one to another" (1 Peter 4:9), each using the gifts God has given (1 Peter 4:10). See church.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Loving thy neighbor · Home · Kindness · Thanksgiving · Helping other people · The poor · The bread of life · Christmas
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