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. Jeremiah 9:17

    “Yahweh of Armies says, “Consider, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for the skillful women, that they may come.”

  2. Jeremiah 12:4

    “How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of the whole country wither? For the wickedness of those who dwell therein, the animals are consumed, and the birds; because they said, “He shall not see our latter end.””

  3. Jeremiah 12:11

    “They have made it a desolation. It mourns to me, being desolate. The whole land is made desolate, because no man lays it to heart.”

  4. Jeremiah 14:2

    ““Judah mourns, and its gates languish, they sit in black on the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem goes up.”

  5. Jeremiah 16:5

    “For Yahweh says, “Don’t enter into the house of mourning, neither go to lament, neither bemoan them; for I have taken away my peace from this people,” says Yahweh, “even loving kindness and tender mercies.”

  6. Jeremiah 16:7

    “neither shall men break bread for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.”

  7. Jeremiah 23:10

    “For the land is full of adulterers; for because of the curse the land mourns. The pastures of the wilderness are dried up. Their course is evil, and their might is not right;”

  8. Jeremiah 31:13

    “Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.”

  9. Jeremiah 48:31

    “Therefore I will wail for Moab. Yes, I will cry out for all Moab. They shall mourn for the men of Kir Heres.”

  10. Lamentations 1:4

    “The ways of Zion mourn, because no one come to the solemn assembly; all her gates are desolate, her priests sigh: her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness.”

  11. Lamentations 2:5

    “The Lord has become as an enemy, he has swallowed up Israel; He has swallowed up all her palaces, he has destroyed his strongholds; He has multiplied in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.”

  12. Lamentations 5:15

    “The joy of our heart is ceased; Our dance is turned into mourning.”

  13. Ezekiel 2:10

    “He spread it before me: and it was written within and without; and there were written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.”

  14. Ezekiel 7:12

    “The time has come! The day draws near. Don’t let the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn; for wrath is on all its multitude.”

  15. Ezekiel 7:16

    “But those of those who escape will escape, and will be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, everyone in his iniquity.”

  16. Ezekiel 7:27

    “The king will mourn, and the prince will be clothed with desolation. The hands of the people of the land will be troubled. I will do to them after their way, and according to their own judgments will I judge them; and they shall know that I am Yahweh.’””

  17. Ezekiel 24:16

    “Son of man, behold, I will take away from you the desire of your eyes with a stroke: yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, neither shall your tears run down.”

  18. Ezekiel 24:17

    “Sigh, but not aloud, make no mourning for the dead; bind your headdress on you, and put your shoes on your feet, and don’t cover your lips, and don’t eat men’s bread.”

  19. Ezekiel 24:23

    “Your tires shall be on your heads, and your shoes on your feet: you shall not mourn nor weep; but you shall pine away in your iniquities, and moan one toward another.”

  20. Ezekiel 27:31

    “and they shall make themselves bald for you, and clothe them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for you in bitterness of soul with bitter mourning.”

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.