A state of contentment or fulfilment. Only God brings true satisfaction and Scripture advocates that believers should cultivate satisfaction in every situation. Jesus Christ's atoning death was the unique means of satisfying the demands of the law.
Satisfaction of hunger and thirst
Literal
Proverbs 6:30 See also Leviticus 26:26; Deuteronomy 14:29, Deuteronomy 26:12; Job 38:39–41; Psalm 22:26, Psalm 59:15, Psalm 105:40, Psalm 132:15, Psalm 147:14; Ecclesiastes 6:7; Jeremiah 31:25; Hosea 13:6; Joel 2:19; Micah 6:14
Men do not despise the thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger.
Metaphorical
Psalm 104:13 See also Job 38:25–27; Isaiah 66:11; Jeremiah 46:10, Jeremiah 50:19
He waters the mountains from His chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of His works.
Satisfaction in one's work
Ecclesiastes 3:13 See also Ecclesiastes 2:24, Ecclesiastes 5:18
and also that every man should eat and drink and find satisfaction in all his labor — this is the gift of God.
Satisfaction with one's situation
Hebrews 13:5 See also Luke 3:14; Philippians 4:10–13; 1 Timothy 6:6–8
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
Spiritual satisfaction
Found in God
Psalm 17:15 See also Psalm 63:1–5, Psalm 81:13–16, Psalm 90:14; Proverbs 19:23; Isaiah 55:1–2; Luke 6:21; John 4:7–15
As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied in Your presence.
As a result of God's good provision
Psalm 145:16 See also Deuteronomy 8:10, Deuteronomy 11:15; Psalm 91:16, Psalm 107:8–9; Isaiah 58:9–11
You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Jesus Christ satisfies the hungry
Matthew 14:15–20 parallels Mark 6:35–44, Luke 9:12–17 See also Matthew 15:32–37 parallel Mark 8:2–8
When evening came, the disciples came to Him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is already late. Dismiss the crowds so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” “They do not need to go away,” Jesus replied. “You give them something to eat.” “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Bring them here to Me,” Jesus said. And He directed the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He spoke a blessing. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
Dissatisfaction
Riches do not bring satisfaction
Ecclesiastes 5:10 See also Esther 5:10–13; Ecclesiastes 4:8; Ezekiel 7:19; Luke 12:13–21; 1 Timothy 6:7–10; Hebrews 13:5
He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile.
Death is never satisfied
Proverbs 27:20 See also Proverbs 30:15–16; Habakkuk 2:5
Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Jesus Christ's satisfaction of the demands of the law
2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:26–28, Hebrews 9:11–14, Hebrews 9:25–10:10, Hebrews 10:12–14; 1 Peter 3:18
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.