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The Bible condemns gluttony in plain terms, though the word is rare: forms of glutton appear in only 6 verses of the World English Bible and 4 of the King James Version. Proverbs 23:20-21 warns against joining those who gorge on meat because the glutton comes to poverty, and Paul describes people whose god is their belly (Philippians 3:19). Jesus was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard for eating with sinners (Matthew 11:19), which shows the label could be a smear. Scripture treats food as a good gift (1 Timothy 4:4, Ecclesiastes 5:18) and puts the problem in a lack of self-control, which Paul lists as fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23). The verses below cover the warnings, the gift and the discipline.
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"Don’t be among ones drinking too much wine, or those who gorge themselves on meat: for the drunkard and the glutton shall become poor; and drowsiness clothes them in rags."
"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."
"When you sit to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before you; put a knife to your throat, if you are a man given to appetite. Don’t be desirous of his dainties, since they are deceitful food."
"When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat."
"Have you found honey? Eat as much as is sufficient for you, lest you eat too much, and vomit it."
"Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it."
"It is not good to eat much honey; nor is it honorable to seek one’s own honor."
"It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory."
"Whoever keeps the law is a wise son; but he who is a companion of gluttons shames his father."
"Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father."
"The righteous one eats to the satisfying of his soul, but the belly of the wicked goes hungry."
"The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want."
"He who loves pleasure shall be a poor man. He who loves wine and oil shall not be rich."
"He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich."
"A full soul loathes a honeycomb; but to a hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet."
"The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet."
"They shall tell 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.”"
"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."
"For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, as the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who think about earthly things."
"(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.)"
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are expedient. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be brought under the power of anything. “Foods for the belly, and the belly for foods,” but God will bring to nothing both it and them. But the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.
"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. Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body."
"Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s."
"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s."
"Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts."
"But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof."
"for God’s Kingdom is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit."
"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."
"One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and idle gluttons.”"
"One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies."
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
"Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge; and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control perseverance; and in perseverance godliness;"
"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;"
"Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your princes eat in the morning! Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!"
"Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!"
"The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”"
"The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children."
“‘“Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters. She also didn’t strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
"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."
“So be careful, or your hearts will be loaded down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day will come on you suddenly.
"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares."
"and behold, joy and gladness, killing cattle and killing sheep, eating meat and drinking wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die.”"
"And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die."
"For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with thanksgiving. For it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer."
"For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."
"Behold, that which I have seen to be good and proper is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labor, in which he labors under the sun, all the days of his life which God has given him; for this is his portion."
"Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion."
"Like a city that is broken down and without walls is a man whose spirit is without restraint."
"He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls."
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible and the King James Version (both public domain), checked word for word against the full text. Updated October 3, 2026.
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Yes, the Bible treats habitual overindulgence as sin. Proverbs 23:20-21 and 28:7 warn against gluttons, Deuteronomy 21:20 pairs glutton with drunkard, and Paul says those whose god is their belly are headed for destruction (Philippians 3:18-19). Christian tradition later listed gluttony among the seven deadly sins. The Bible's emphasis is on being mastered by appetite, not on how much any one meal weighs (1 Corinthians 6:12).
Forms of the word glutton appear in 6 verses of the World English Bible (Deuteronomy 21:20, Proverbs 23:21, 28:7, Matthew 11:19, Luke 7:34, Titus 1:12) and 4 verses of the King James Version, which uses winebibber in the Gospels. Related passages on excess, self-control and appetite are far more numerous.
Yes. Jesus says people called him a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 11:19, Luke 7:34). He was contrasted with John the Baptist, who fasted. The charge was false, and it shows that opponents used the word as an insult for anyone who enjoyed a meal with the wrong company.
Paul says the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and tells believers to glorify God in it (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and to do everything, even eating and drinking, to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Proverbs 25:16 says to eat only as much as you need, lest you vomit. None of these verses set a diet, and they frame eating as an act of self-control and gratitude.
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