Looking kindly upon someone or treating someone with special regard. Favour can be gained by means of good character, gifts, service or through the intervention of God. Scripture warns against undue favouritism.
Examples of those who were regarded with favour by others
OT characters
1 Samuel 2:26 Samuel; 1 Samuel 16:18, 1 Samuel 16:21–22, 1 Samuel 18:6–7, 1 Samuel 20:3; Esther 2:15, Esther 2:17; Daniel 1:9 Daniel
Jesus Christ
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
The first Christians
See also Acts 2:47; Romans 14:18
Finding favour can lead to being treated with special regard
Ruth 2:13–16 See also Proverbs 16:15, Proverbs 19:12
“My lord,” she said, “may I continue to find favor in your eyes, for you have comforted and spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your servant girls.” At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here; have some bread and dip it into the vinegar sauce.” So she sat down beside the harvesters, and he offered her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left over. When Ruth got up to glean, Boaz ordered his young men, “Even if she gathers among the sheaves, do not insult her. Rather, pull out for her some stalks from the bundles and leave them for her to gather. Do not rebuke her.”
Being held in favour can create an opportunity for a request to be made
Nehemiah 2:5 See also Genesis 30:27, Genesis 47:29–30, Genesis 50:4–6; Numbers 32:5; Ruth 2:2; 1 Samuel 20:28–29, 1 Samuel 27:5; Esther 7:3, Esther 8:5
and answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city where my fathers are buried, so that I may rebuild it.”
Finding favour with others
Through good character
Proverbs 3:3–4 See also Proverbs 13:15, Proverbs 28:23; Ecclesiastes 9:11; Philemon 1:14
Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will find favor and high regard in the sight of God and man.
Through the giving of gifts
Genesis 32:5, Genesis 33:8–11, Genesis 33:15, Genesis 34:11–12; Psalm 45:12; Proverbs 19:6; Ezekiel 16:33–34
Through service rendered
Genesis 39:3–4 See also 2 Samuel 14:19–22; Ephesians 6:6 parallel Colossians 3:22
When his master saw that the LORD was with him and made him prosper in all he did, Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with everything he owned.
Through the intervention of God
Genesis 39:21; Exodus 3:21, Exodus 11:3, Exodus 12:36; Nehemiah 1:11
Warnings against favouritism
Leviticus 19:15; 1 Timothy 5:21 See also Exodus 23:3; Deuteronomy 1:17; Job 13:10; Proverbs 24:23–25; Malachi 2:9; James 2:1–4, James 2:9
You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to maintain these principles without bias, and to do nothing out of partiality.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.