A curated set of Bible verses on grief and mourning, organized for quick reference. Each verse is in the King James Version and linked to BibleGateway for the surrounding context. For the longer treatment, see our full article on what the Bible says about grief.
God’s nearness to the grieving
“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” — Psalm 34:18 KJV
“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” — Psalm 147:3 KJV
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” — 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 KJV
“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” — Psalm 55:22 KJV
Psalms of lament
“My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?” — Psalm 42:3 KJV
“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” — Psalm 22:1 KJV
“How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily?” — Psalm 13:1–2 KJV
“Put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” — Psalm 56:8 KJV
“Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD. Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.” — Psalm 130:1–2 KJV
From Lamentations
“Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow.” — Lamentations 1:12 KJV
“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” — Lamentations 3:21–23 KJV
Jesus and grief
“Jesus wept.” — John 11:35 KJV
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” — Isaiah 53:3 KJV
“Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.” — Matthew 26:38 KJV
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” — Matthew 5:4 KJV
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28 KJV
Grief in community
“Weep with them that weep.” — Romans 12:15 KJV
“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” — Galatians 6:2 KJV
“And his three friends…lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.” — Job 2:12–13 KJV
Grief with hope
“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.” — 1 Thessalonians 4:13 KJV
“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” — Psalm 30:5 KJV
“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” — Psalm 126:5 KJV
The promise of comfort
“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” — Isaiah 61:3 KJV
“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.” — Revelation 21:4 KJV
A short word
The Bible does not hurry the grieving. It gives them words (the lament psalms), company (Job’s friends in their best moment), and a long horizon (the resurrection). The God of all comfort sits with the broken in their darkness and promises the morning.
For the longer pastoral walk — the Hebrew and Greek vocabulary for sorrow, the pattern of the lament psalms, Jesus at the tomb, and how to begin grieving with hope — see our full article on what the Bible says about grief. And to hear these verses in context, The Context Bible opens up five lenses on every verse. Open it in your browser or download free.
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” — Matthew 5:4 KJV
