If you are looking for Bible verses about a broken heart in the King James Version, this list gives you fifteen passages from Scripture, shown in the KJV, chosen for people who are grieving, disappointed, betrayed, or simply worn down by sorrow. Each verse is paired with a short reflection and one practical way to carry it through the day. The passages share a common thread: God draws near to the hurting, he binds wounds, and he does not waste our tears.
Verses for the Morning After Bad News
Some mornings the heartache arrives before you have finished your first cup of coffee. The verses in this group speak to the moment when you wake up and remember what has changed. They are meant to be read slowly, before the day begins to pull at you.
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
(KJV)
This verse says the Lord is close to people whose hearts are crushed, not distant from them. When the news is still fresh, try saying the first half aloud as you get dressed, letting it be the first true thing you hear about your situation.
Psalm 147:3
He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
(KJV)
The psalmist names two things God does: he heals the broken in heart and he binds up their wounds. Tape a note with this verse to your bathroom mirror, and when you see it, pause long enough to hand one specific wound to God.
Lamentations 3:22-23
22 It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
(KJV)
Lamentations was written in ruin, yet this passage announces fresh mercy every morning. Before you check your messages or your inbox, recite these two verses to yourself, reminding your heart that today’s mercy is new even when yesterday’s pain is not.
Verses for Times of Loss and Grief
Grief does not follow a schedule, and it often returns at the strangest moments. These passages speak to loss in its many forms, whether you have lost a person, a relationship, a dream, or a version of your life you thought you would keep.
Psalm 56:8
Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
(KJV)
This verse pictures God keeping track of your sorrow, down to the tears you have shed. When you cry in the car or in the shower, you can imagine that moment being noticed and remembered by someone who cares for you deeply.
Revelation 21:4
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.
(KJV)
This passage looks ahead to a time when God wipes every tear from every eye and death, sorrow, and crying are no more. On hard evenings, write the words “no more sorrow” on a card and keep it near your bed as a reminder of where your story is heading.
Matthew 5:4
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
(KJV)
Jesus speaks this blessing in the middle of his most famous sermon, promising comfort to those who mourn. Give yourself permission to mourn rather than rushing past it, and when you do, ask God to fulfill this promise in the specific place where you feel most empty.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
(KJV)
Jesus gives his peace to his followers in the hours before his own suffering, and he says it is not the kind of peace the world offers. When your mind races at night, breathe slowly and name the thing you are worried about, then hand it over to the peace he has promised.
Verses When Betrayal or Disappointment Cuts Deep
Some wounds come from people we trusted. These verses address the particular ache of betrayal, rejection, and hopes that did not come true, reminding you that God understands these pains from the inside.
Psalm 55:12-14
12 For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: 13 But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. 14 We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.
(KJV)
David describes the pain of a close friend turning against him, a wound that hurts more than an open enemy could. Name the specific betrayal in your own life before God, since the psalms teach us that honest words are welcome in prayer.
Psalm 62:8
Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
(KJV)
This verse invites you to pour out your heart before God, trusting him as a refuge. Try writing a letter to God that lists everything you are feeling, with no editing, and leave the page with him rather than carrying it alone.
Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound…
(KJV)
This passage describes a commission to bind up the brokenhearted and proclaim liberty to the captives. Notice that God’s healing is announced as good news, and consider one small step this week that moves you toward the freedom it describes.
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
(KJV)
Paul writes that God works all things together for good for those who love him. This does not mean your pain is good in itself, but it does mean God is not absent from it. Revisit this verse when you feel the disappointment is only a dead end.
Verses for Rebuilding Hope
A broken heart is not the end of the story. These final verses look toward restoration, strength returning slowly, and the steady faithfulness of God across seasons of recovery.
Psalm 30:5
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
(KJV)
This verse contrasts a night of weeping with a morning of joy, though the morning may take longer than you want. Let the image of dawn encourage you on the nights that feel longest, and resist deciding too soon that the night will last forever.
Isaiah 40:29-31
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
(KJV)
Isaiah says God gives strength to the weary and renews those who wait on him. When you feel completely drained, take one small step of rest or prayer instead of demanding a big recovery, trusting that strength returns in quiet increments.
Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
(KJV)
The psalmist admits that his flesh and heart may fail, yet God remains the strength of his heart. This is a helpful verse for the stage of healing when your own resources feel thin, so rest in the fact that God does not depend on your heart to stay strong.
How to Use These Verses
Choose two or three verses from this list rather than trying to memorize all fifteen at once. Write them on index cards, in a journal, or in the notes app on your phone, and place them where you will see them during your hardest moments, such as your commute, your lunch break, or your bedside table at night. Reading one verse slowly and repeatedly is often more helpful than reading many quickly.
Pray the verses back to God in your own words rather than treating them as a checklist. If Psalm 147:3 says God binds up wounds, ask him to bind up the specific wound you carry today. Share a verse with a trusted friend or pastor who can pray with you, since a broken heart often heals best in community.
A Short Prayer for a Broken Heart
Lord, my heart feels heavy and bruised, and I do not know how to carry all of it on my own. Thank you that you are close to the brokenhearted and that you see every tear I have cried. Bind up the places in me that are torn, and give me the strength to take the next small step. Help me to rest in your steady mercy, which comes new each morning, and remind me that you are working even in the parts of my story I cannot yet understand. Amen.
