Bible Verses to Help You Through the Death of a Loved One

man holding a rose at a funeral
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As we mourn and try to cope with the death of a loved one, such as a father, mother, child or close friend, we can rely on God's word to get us through some of the toughest and most trying times we may have ever faced. The Bible offers comfort, because God knows and understands what we're going through in our grief, and he stands by us and is with us through it all. The Bible also reminds us that death is not the end for us but a start of a new and better life.

Following each verse is the abbreviation of the Bible translation where the verse came from, such as: the New Living Translation (NLT), New International Version (NIV), New King James Version (NKJV), the Contemporary English Version (CEV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), or the English Standard Version (ESV).

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who do not have hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words." (NLT)

Romans 6:4
"For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives." (NLT)

Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." (NLT)

Romans 8:38–39
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NIV)

1 Corinthians 6:14
"By his power, God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also." (NIV)

1 Corinthians 15:26
"And the last enemy to be destroyed is death." (NLT)

1 Corinthians 15:42–44
"It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies." (NLT)

2 Corinthians 5:1–3
"For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this, we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked." (NKJV)

John 5:28–29
"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned." (NIV)

Psalm 30:5
"For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning." (NASB)

Isaiah 25:8
"He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken." (ESV)

Matthew 5:4
"God blesses those people who grieve. They will find comfort!" (CEV)

Ecclesiastes 3:1–2
"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest." (NLT)

Isaiah 51:11
"Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness." (NLT)

John 14:1–4
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." (NIV)

John 6:40
"For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day." (NIV)

Revelation 21:4
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." (NLT)

Edited by Mary Fairchild

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Mahoney, Kelli. "Bible Verses to Help You Through the Death of a Loved One." Learn Religions, Sep. 7, 2021, learnreligions.com/bible-verses-death-of-loved-one-712358. Mahoney, Kelli. (2021, September 7). Bible Verses to Help You Through the Death of a Loved One. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/bible-verses-death-of-loved-one-712358 Mahoney, Kelli. "Bible Verses to Help You Through the Death of a Loved One." Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/bible-verses-death-of-loved-one-712358 (accessed March 19, 2024).