This list gives you Bible verses about love to read, share and pray over on Valentine’s Day, whether you are celebrating a spouse, dating someone new, thinking of a friend, or spending the day alone. The verses point past romantic feeling to the steady, self-giving love that God shows and asks us to practice. Each group below looks at a different side of that love: the love God gives first, the love we show at home, the patient love that holds through hard seasons, and the love we extend to people who are not easy to love.
Verses on the Love God Gives First
Before any card or gift, Valentine’s Day points back to the source of love. These verses remind you that love begins with God’s choice to love you, which means your worth does not rise or fall with how the day goes.
1 John 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us.
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John says we love because God loved us first, so your capacity to love does not depend on being loved well in return. Before you write your card, take a minute to thank God for a specific way he has loved you this week.
Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from God’s love, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Paul lists the powers that cannot separate us from God’s love, from death to present troubles. If the day brings loneliness or disappointment, say the names of two or three things that feel most like a threat, then declare that none of them has the final word.
Ephesians 3:17-19
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, 19 and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
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Paul prays that believers would grasp how wide and long and high and deep this love is. Choose one person who needs to feel loved today and pray this prayer over them by name.
Verses for Love at Home
Romance and daily faithfulness meet in ordinary places: the kitchen, the car, the bedroom at night. These verses describe what love looks like when it is practiced over years, not just on a single holiday.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
4 Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, 5 doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; 6 doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
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This passage is often read at weddings, but it is a daily checklist: patient, kind, not keeping score. Pick one phrase from it and look for a chance to live it out at dinner tonight, even in a small way.
Colossians 3:12-14
12 Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do. 14 Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection.
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Paul asks believers to clothe themselves with compassion, kindness and humility, with love as the belt that holds it all together. Consider writing one of these qualities on the card you give, naming how you have seen it in the person receiving it.
Proverbs 31:10-12
10 Who can find a worthy woman? For her price is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband trusts in her. He shall have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
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This passage describes a wife of noble character whose husband trusts her and is never without good. Whatever your relationship, use the passage as a prompt to name something good your partner brings to your life, and say it out loud.
Song of Solomon 8:6-7
6 Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for love is strong as death. Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a very flame of the LORD. 7 Many waters can’t quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned.
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The Song describes love as strong as death and waters that cannot quench it. Tell someone you are committed to them in a plain sentence today, without needing a dramatic gesture to make it count.
Verses for Love That Waits and Endures
Not every Valentine’s Day feels warm. Some people are grieving, single by longing rather than choice, or struggling in a marriage. These verses speak to love that keeps going through silence, distance and disappointment.
Lamentations 3:22-23
22 It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail. 23 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
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In the middle of a book of grief, the writer remembers that God’s steadfast love never ends and his mercies are new each morning. If the day hurts, read these two verses slowly once in the morning and once at night.
Psalm 136:1-3
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his loving kindness endures forever. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods; for his loving kindness endures forever. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords; for his loving kindness endures forever…
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This psalm repeats one refrain after every line: his love endures forever. Try reading it aloud today, letting the repetition steady you when feelings are unpredictable.
Isaiah 54:10
For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my loving kindness will not depart from you, and my covenant of peace will not be removed,” says the LORD who has mercy on you.
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God tells his people that his unfailing love will not be removed even if mountains move. Write this verse on a card and keep it somewhere you will see it when the day feels heavy.
Hosea 2:19-20
19 I will betroth you to me forever. Yes, I will betroth you to me in righteousness, in justice, in loving kindness, and in compassion. 20 I will even betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know the LORD.
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God promises to betroth Israel forever in righteousness and faithfulness, even after long unfaithfulness. If a relationship has been strained, pray these words over it and ask God to restore what is broken.
Verses for Loving Those Who Are Hard to Love
Valentine’s Day can make us focus only on the people we already love. Jesus pushes the circle wider, and these verses call us to show love to friends who disappoint us, neighbors who irritate us and strangers in need.
John 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
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Jesus gives his disciples a new command to love one another as he has loved them, and says this will mark them as his. Think of one person in your church or workplace who is easy to overlook, and send them a small, unexpected note of encouragement.
1 John 3:18
My little children, let’s not love in word only, or with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.
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John urges us not to love only in word or talk but in deed and truth. Choose one practical act of love you can do today for someone who will not expect it, such as buying a meal for a coworker.
Matthew 5:44
But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you…
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Jesus tells his listeners to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. Even if you cannot yet feel warmth toward a difficult person, you can pray for their good today, and let that prayer soften your heart over time.
1 Peter 4:8
And above all things be earnest in your love among yourselves, for love covers a multitude of sins.
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Peter writes that love covers a multitude of sins. When someone has hurt you recently, decide to extend grace in one specific situation this week, even if the hurt has not fully healed.
How to Use These Verses
Write two or three of these verses on a card for your spouse, a friend or a family member, adding one sentence about why it fits them. You can also tuck a verse into a lunch box, a text message or a note on the bathroom mirror, so the words meet people in ordinary moments rather than only on the holiday itself.
Read one verse each morning this week and carry it into your conversations and decisions. If you pray with a partner or a small group, take turns reading a verse and naming one way God has shown love to you that week. Let the verses shape the day rather than simply decorate it.
A Short Prayer for Valentine’s Day
Father, thank you that love began with you, long before any of us knew how to love well. On this day, help me to receive your love first, so that I do not depend on the feelings of the people around me to know I am cherished. Teach me patience and kindness at home, faithfulness through the hard seasons, and generosity toward those who are difficult to love. Where my heart is lonely or grieving today, remind me that your love endures forever. Make me a channel of that love to someone who needs it. Amen.
