Luke 6:38 — Bible Verse Meaning & Context

Luke 6:38 reads: "“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you.”" — from the New Testament, Luke (Gospel). The full verse is shown above with both the World English Bible (WEB) and King James Version (KJV) translations side by side.

Luke 6:38 is in the book of Luke, traditionally attributed to Luke, the physician and travelling companion of Paul and written around c. 60–62 AD. Luke is gospel in the New Testament, originally addressed to Theophilus and Gentile Christians broadly. Best known for the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son.

Luke 6:38 is primarily a Bible verse about Gratitude. Within Luke, Luke, the only Gentile biblical author, wrote the longest Gospel as a historically careful account for outsiders. Read the full passage above with surrounding context.

Luke 6:38 in the World English Bible (WEB) reads: "“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you.”". The King James Version (KJV) reads: "Give1325, and2532 it shall be given1325 unto you5213; good2570 measure3358, pressed down4085, and2532 shaken together4531, and2532 running over5240, shall men give1325 into1519 your5216 bosom2859. For1063 with the same846 measure3358 that3739 ye mete withal3354 it shall be measured488 to you5213 again488.". The WEB is a modern public-domain translation that updates the KJV's 1611 English while keeping a similar formal-equivalence style. Both render the same underlying Greek or Hebrew text.

Luke 6:38 is 36 words in the WEB translation (192 characters), broken into 7 clauses. It is a longer verse, often broken into smaller phrases for memorisation. Estimated reading time is about 11 seconds.

To memorise Luke 6:38, split it into its 7 natural clauses and learn one at a time. Repeat the full verse out loud five times, then write it from memory. Saving the verse as a photo wallpaper using our verse image studio helps daily review — the visual association with a memorable background dramatically improves recall.

Luke, the only Gentile biblical author, wrote the longest Gospel as a historically careful account for outsiders. He uniquely records the parables of the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, and the rich man and Lazarus; the Magnificat and Benedictus; and Jesus' special concern for women, the poor, and the marginalised. Luke 6:38 sits within this larger story — Luke as a whole emphasises saviour for all, compassion, prayer.

Many readers use Luke 6:38 as a daily reminder verse — saving it as a phone wallpaper, sharing it on Pinterest, or memorising it for prayer. The verse studio on this page lets you download Luke 6:38 on 52 different backgrounds for free. Pair the verse with the surrounding chapter context shown above to understand its full meaning before applying it.