Bible Verses

Topical Study

Bible Verses About Grief

Verses for grief and loss — when sorrow has made itself at home.

13 verses · curated by hand

Psalms 23:4

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

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Matthew 11:28

"“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest."

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Psalms 34:18

"Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit."

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John 11:25

"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies."

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Revelation 21:4

"He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”"

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Psalms 30:5

"For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning."

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Matthew 5:4

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

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Romans 8:18

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us."

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Job 1:21

"He said, “Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. Yahweh gave, and Yahweh has taken away. Blessed be Yahweh’s name.”"

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2 Corinthians 1:3

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort;"

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2 Corinthians 1:4

"who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

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Psalms 126:5

"Those who sow in tears will reap in joy."

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Revelation 7:17

"for the Lamb who is in the middle of the throne shepherds them, and leads them to springs of waters of life. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”"

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From the wider Bible

More verses about grief in Scripture

142 passages mentioning “mourn” across WEB & KJV — beyond the curated set above.

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  1. Ecclesiastes 12:5

    “yes, they shall be afraid of heights, and terrors will be on the way; and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goes to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets:”

  2. Isaiah 3:26

    “Her gates shall lament and mourn; and she shall be desolate and sit on the ground.”

  3. Isaiah 16:7

    “Therefore Moab will wail for Moab. Everyone will wail. You will mourn for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth, utterly stricken.”

  4. Isaiah 19:8

    “The fishermen will lament, and all those who fish in the Nile will mourn, and those who spread nets on the waters will languish.”

  5. Isaiah 22:12

    “In that day, the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, called to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to dressing in sackcloth:”

  6. Isaiah 24:4

    “The earth mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The lofty people of the earth languish.”

  7. Isaiah 24:7

    “The new wine mourns. The vine languishes. All the merry-hearted sigh.”

  8. Isaiah 29:2

    “then I will distress Ariel, and there will be mourning and lamentation. She shall be to me as an altar hearth.”

  9. Isaiah 33:9

    “The land mourns and languishes. Lebanon is confounded and withers away. Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.”

  10. Isaiah 38:14

    “I chattered like a swallow or a crane. I moaned like a dove. My eyes weaken looking upward. Lord, I am oppressed. Be my security.””

  11. Isaiah 51:11

    “Those ransomed by Yahweh will return, and come with singing to Zion; and everlasting joy shall be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy. Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

  12. Isaiah 57:18

    “I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts to him and to his mourners.”

  13. Isaiah 59:11

    “We all roar like bears, and moan bitterly like doves. We look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.”

  14. Isaiah 60:20

    “Your sun will not go down any more, nor will your moon withdraw itself; for Yahweh will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will end.”

  15. Isaiah 61:2

    “to proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;”

  16. Isaiah 61:3

    “to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give to them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, that he may be glorified.”

  17. Isaiah 66:10

    ““Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her. Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn over her;”

  18. Jeremiah 4:28

    “For this the earth will mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and I have not repented, neither will I turn back from it.””

  19. Jeremiah 6:26

    “Daughter of my people, clothe yourself with sackcloth, and wallow in ashes! Mourn, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation; for the destroyer shall suddenly come on us.”

  20. Jeremiah 8:21

    “For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt: I mourn; dismay has taken hold on me.”

Frequently asked

Questions about grief in the Bible

What does the Bible say about grief?
The Bible is unusually honest about grief. Jesus himself wept at Lazarus's tomb (John 11:35) even though he knew the resurrection was minutes away — grief is not a failure of faith. Psalm 34:18 promises that "Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 names God as "the Father of mercies and God of all comfort" — a God who comforts so that the comforted can later comfort others. Mourning is not the opposite of faith; sometimes it is the form faith takes.
Which Bible verses help with loss of a loved one?
Three passages return again and again at funerals and quiet moments of memory. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 — believers grieve, but "not as the rest, who have no hope" — naming both the sorrow and the resurrection promise. Psalm 23, particularly verse 4, "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." Revelation 21:4 — God will "wipe away every tear from their eyes," and there will be "no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, nor pain." None of these remove grief; they accompany it.
How should I pray when I am grieving?
Pray honestly. The Bible records grief prayers that complain, protest, and even argue with God — Job, Jeremiah, the Psalms of lament. Psalm 13 is a template: it begins "How long, O Yahweh?" and ends, after several verses of struggle, "I will sing to Yahweh, because he has been good to me." You don't need to manufacture trust before you can pray. Bring the grief honestly, name what is lost, and let God carry it.