Pareto Distribution & The Bible
Analysis and ESV Scripture Examples
Pareto Distribution Explained
The Pareto distribution is a power-law probability distribution that mathematically models the tendency for a large portion of an effect to be caused by a small portion of the input, often referred to as the Pareto Principle or the 80/20 Rule. In this skewed distribution, the majority of the observations are concentrated in the lower range (the "many trivial causes"), while a small number of observations fall into the upper range (the "few vital causes"), where an example is the observation that 80% of a nation's wealth may be owned by 20% of its population.
Examples from the ESV Bible
The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13)
This parable illustrates a clear Pareto-like outcome in the context of receiving the Gospel. Most of the seed (input) is ineffective, falling on the path, rocky ground, or among thorns (representing 80% of the non-fruitful results), while only a small portion falls on good soil (the vital 20%), which then produces wildly disproportionate returns—some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. This shows a very small input segment generating the vast majority of the desired output.
"Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."
Unequal Distribution of Wealth/Possessions
The Bible frequently acknowledges and critiques the reality of stark economic inequality, which is the foundational observation of the Pareto distribution. The concentration of riches in the hands of a few while many are poor is a recurring theme in both the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament.
"The rich and the poor meet together; the LORD is the maker of them all."
The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25)
This parable begins with an unequal distribution of resources (five, two, and one talent), and the results dramatically reinforce the disparity. The two productive servants successfully doubled their initial endowments (5 → 10, 2 → 4), demonstrating disproportionate returns on the initial capital and effort. The servant with the smallest input (one talent) was entirely unproductive, showing how a small portion of the input can generate 0% of the output, further illustrating the highly skewed nature of a Pareto-like result.
"For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."