This list gives you Bible verses about comforting others, for anyone who wants to sit beside a grieving friend, encourage a struggling family member, or steady someone through a hard season. The verses below show that comfort is something God gives us and then asks us to pass along. Together they describe a God who comforts his people so that they can comfort one another.
Verses for Sitting With Someone Who Is Grieving
Grief often leaves people with no words at all, and the first act of comfort is simply staying present. These verses speak to the moment when someone you love has lost a person, a dream, or a sense of safety, and you are trying to figure out what to say or do.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; 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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Paul describes God as the source of every comfort, and he says that the comfort we receive equips us to comfort others. Before your next visit to a grieving friend, pray that God would make you a channel of his comfort rather than a fixer of their pain.
Romans 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.
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This short command asks you to enter into other people’s emotions, celebrating when they celebrate and mourning when they mourn. Practically, this might mean sending a text on the anniversary of a loss instead of waiting for them to reach out.
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.
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The psalmist assures us that the Lord draws near to the brokenhearted, which gives you a model for your own nearness. When you feel unsure whether your presence helps, remember that God’s closeness is the pattern you are following.
Verses for Encouraging a Friend Who Feels Discouraged
Discouragement is quieter than grief but can wear a person down just as deeply. These verses address the friend who feels overlooked, tired, or ready to give up, and they show how words of truth can lift someone’s head again.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do.
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Paul tells the church to encourage one another and build each other up, which is exactly what discouraged people need. Look for one specific thing to affirm in a struggling friend this week, such as their patience with their kids or their faithfulness at work.
Isaiah 40:29-31
29 He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might. 30 Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall; 31 But those who wait for the LORD will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
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Isaiah speaks to people who are weary and faint, reminding them that strength comes from the Lord. You can share this passage with a worn-out coworker by writing it on a card or simply reading it aloud over coffee.
Galatians 6:2
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
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Bearing one another’s burdens means taking on some of the weight alongside someone rather than only offering advice. Ask a discouraged friend what one task you could take off their plate this week, and then follow through.
Proverbs 12:25
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a kind word makes it glad.
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This proverb observes that anxiety weighs a person down, while a good word lifts the heart. Choose your words carefully when someone is anxious, and try to speak something hopeful and true instead of adding to their worry.
Verses for Standing With Someone in a Hard Season
Some seasons last months or years, such as illness, unemployment, caregiving, or a prodigal child. These verses speak to long-haul support, the kind of faithfulness that keeps showing up after the initial crisis has passed.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up.
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The Teacher notes that two people accomplish more than one, and that a companion can help when the other falls. Consider setting up a regular rhythm, like a weekly call or meal, so your friend knows they do not walk through this season alone.
Hebrews 10:24-25
24 Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching.
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The writer urges believers to consider how to spur one another toward love and good works, and not to neglect meeting together. If someone is going through a long trial, invite them to a church gathering or small group, and offer them a ride if needed.
Matthew 25:35-36
35 For I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. 36 I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.’
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Jesus lists practical acts of care, including feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, and welcoming strangers, and he says they are done to him. Identify one practical need in a struggling household and meet it, whether that is groceries, childcare, or a ride to an appointment.
Romans 15:1
Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
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Paul asks the strong to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please themselves. When someone in a hard season disappoints you with their moods or limits, practice patience and remember that you are not their judge.
Verses for Offering Comfort With Your Words
Sometimes the most healing thing is the right sentence spoken at the right time. These verses guide how you speak, encouraging you to use words that build up rather than tear down, and to trust that God can use your simple sentences.
Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.
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Paul asks that no corrupting talk come from our mouths, only what is good for building others up and meets their needs. Before you speak to a hurting person, ask yourself whether your words will help them or simply fill an awkward silence.
Colossians 4:6
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
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Paul writes that our speech should always be gracious and seasoned with salt, so that we know how to answer each person. Think about what each friend needs to hear, since a word that comforts one person may not comfort another.
Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
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A gentle answer turns away wrath, which is especially useful when a hurting person lashes out at you. When someone says something harsh in their pain, take a breath and respond softly, knowing that their words are often about their grief rather than about you.
How to Use These Verses
Write a few of these verses on cards or in a note on your phone, and keep them where you will see them before visiting or calling someone who is struggling. Reading one verse aloud before a difficult conversation can calm your nerves and center your heart on God’s care rather than your own worry.
You can also pray these verses over the people you are comforting. Turn a verse like Psalm 34:18 into a prayer for a specific name, asking God to draw near to them today, and then tell them you have been praying for them. Scripture shared in prayer often lands more gently than advice.
A Short Prayer for Others
Father, you are the God of all comfort, and you meet us in our darkest days. Make me a channel of your comfort to the people around me who are grieving, discouraged, or worn down by long seasons of trouble. Give me patient ears, gentle words, and willing hands. Help me notice the friend who is quietly struggling and open my heart to them with your love. Let them feel your nearness through my presence, and use my simple faithfulness to point them back to you. Amen.
