“Jesus wept.”
Scripture by topic
Bible verses about grief
Ten passages for mourning—honest about sorrow, and anchored in the hope of the resurrection.
01
When sorrow is fresh
Scripture never demands composure. Christ himself wept at a grave, and the psalms speak from the valley without pretending it is elsewhere.
“Yea, even if I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid of evils: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff, these have comforted me.”
“The Lord is near to them that are of a contrite heart; And will save the lowly in spirit.”
02
When you need comfort
The comfort Scripture promises is not distraction. It is God's own consolation, given so that it can be passed to others.
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;”
“He heals the broken in heart, And binds up their wounds.”
03
When you grieve with hope
Christians mourn, but not as those without hope. The final word belongs to the resurrection and the wiping away of every tear.
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.”
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
“He bears our sins, and is pained for us: yet we accounted him to be in trouble, and in suffering, and in affliction.”
Questions readers ask
Grief and Scripture
What does the Bible say about grief?
Scripture treats grief as a real and permitted sorrow. Christ weeps, the psalmists lament, and Saint Paul asks only that Christians grieve with hope, not without it.
Which Bible verses comfort the grieving?
Matthew 5:4, Psalm 22:4, John 11:25, and Revelation 21:4 are read again and again in mourning, and are part of the Church's own funeral prayers.
How does the Orthodox Church pray for the departed?
With memorial services and prayers offered at set intervals after a death, entrusting the departed to God's mercy and keeping the bereaved within the prayer of the whole Church.