Funeral scriptures: 20 Bible verses for funerals

Funeral scriptures: 20 Bible verses for funerals

Funeral scriptures: 20 Bible verses for funerals

Published: 12 February 2018

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For those who believe, Bible verses for funerals are the perfect way to acknowledge the loss of someone special while reaffirming faith in Jesus Christ.

These 20 Bible readings for funerals may bring comfort and hope for Christians mourning the death of a loved one, or make for a fitting eulogy.

1. Romans 6:4

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

2. Philippians 3:20-21

But our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself.

3. Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

4. 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.

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5. John 14:1-3

“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.”

6. Psalm 34:18

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

7. Matthew 5:4

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

8. Thessalonians 4:13-14

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

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9. John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

10. Corinthians 5:1

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

11. Romans 14:8

For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

12. John 10:27-29

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”Flower

13. Psalm 34:4-5

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

14. Psalm 46:1-2

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea.

15. Corinthians 15:54-56

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

16. John 11:25-26

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

17. Proverbs 12:28

In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.book

18. Psalm 23:4

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

19. Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…

20. Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Be inspired with funeral hymns and poems to read at a loved one’s funeral.

95 thoughts on “Funeral scriptures: 20 Bible verses for funerals”

      1. I was just looking for the best scripture for my son’s funeral, we lost him to addiction also. I am struggle with what to use. The Beatitudes are speaking to me tonight, Matthew 5, as I learn to mourn my son and find mercy that he is no longer suffering with his own demons and struggles.

        Psalm 34: 19 also speaks volumes to me, reminding me that my son is now at peace.

        I hope this helps you.

        1. Thank you,indeed of great assistants, one always battles with a appropriate bible word,these verse's are very helpful indeed,thank you.

          Th

        2. Benny Northcutt

          I am a Minister. I lost my son to addition as well in 2015. He believed. He wanted to quit but could over come. I had a good friend who is also a minister who knew my son well tell me that sometimes God get tired of satan having his way with His children that sometimes he just takes them on home. I trust his soul to Jesus and believe that I will see him again one day in Heaven

          1. I also lost my grandson in March 2020 from a overdose. I have always felt exactly what you said about your son. The Lord rescued them from Satan’s attacks that they could not fight on their own.

          2. Amen That is so encouraging. I just lost my daughter to Addiction. She was saved and she tried to overcome her addiction. She really suffered mental health issues as well I believed that God called her home. And I do trust my daughter soul to Jesus! Amen.

          3. I really appreciate this comment. Very encouraging to realize that those who suffer from addiction remain in God’s light and love, and God loves them enough to take them away from Satan. Thank you for sharing this. We lost my nephew to Covid last year. His girlfriend overdosed on Fentanyl this year. Please pray for the 2 little ones they left behind. Thank you.

          4. My deepest condolences to you and your family for the loss of your son. After reading your message I’m in tears. Here is the perfect verse of what your minister friend stated

            Psalm 116:15: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His faithful servants.”

        3. I looked up Psalm 34:19 and that is a great verse giving peace to the loved one who had a loved pass away who was struggling with any issue giving them pain and heartache and were a Believer. Thanks for sharing it.

      2. I am so sorry to hear about your friend. All the verses recommended here are very helpful. Revelations 21v1-5 may also bring some comfort. It tells us that there will be a time in the future when God will come to be with His people and ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes’ and ‘There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things will have passed away’. It is a comfort to me to read that God knows the pain of our suffering and loss, that He cares deeply, and will ultimately bring restoration to this world. Also when Jesus, God’s son, heard about the death of his dear friend Lazarus the Bible simply says that ‘Jesus wept’. Our Saviour and God understands our pain.

      3. “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy” Psalm 126.5

        1 Corinthians 13:13
        New International Version
        13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
        So do not worry about those you love passing, God has them and they are loved & they are treasures in heaven for where YOUR treasure is there your heart shall be also & your loved ones are those treasures waiting for you to join them.
        Knowing this has helped me to continue living when I thought I couldn’t. And when the pains tries to return I quickly remember God’s Words & His Son Jesus’s as well. And the fact that God Himself says Love is most important tells me my loving God won’t ever leave us & takes care of us all. His love is so strong & His Lamb Jesus proves this. And Jesus is so so so wonderful & so loving He gave His life so we could live in beautifulness & glory for all eternity is enough to make you sing & dance & praise our Lord’s Holy Name! Hallelujah hallelujah in Christ’s name AMEN! Thanks be to God

  1. Thank you so very much for these Bible verses! My mom died in August at 88. When love is involved age doesn’t matter. She was an invalid for 8 yrs. I am a Christian & love Jesus but I still miss my mom. Thanks for your help!

  2. God is our comforter when in hard situations, he comforts us more than our mothers when we were still toddlers and helpless. read Isaiah 66:12 and 13. Reverend Philimon C Zambo 12.12.2019 Botswana.
    Be blessed, Amen.

  3. I am trying to find the perfect scripture verse for my sister and best friend. She fought a battle with cancer for 14 months and was not ready to die yet. That is what is so difficult for her family , even though she knew she was terminal, she didn’t want to let go. She was 67 years old and so loved by so many. Gods word has to help us all find peace.

    1. She didn’t want to let go, cause we were meant to live forever. We were created with the desire of everlasting life. Adam and Eve were created to live forever, but due to their disobedience they lost that opportunity and passed that sin to us. But in the near future there will be an earthly resurrection John 5:28,29:
      28 Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.
      We were meant to to live on a perfect earth. Please read Isaiah 11:4-9.
      You can read about this early paradise at Isaiah 65:21-25. Revelation 21:3-5 gives us proof that this will soon take place it says: “3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” 5 And the One seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new.” Also he says: “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”
      This is the promise and hope that the Bible, Jehovah’s written word gives us. That soon we will see our loved ones again. In perfect health void of all sickness and imperfections, with an opportunity to live with them forever on a paradise earth.

  4. I have a friend who just delivered a baby this is still born.

    I am searching for a verse that I may use to comfort them. Thank you

  5. My Uncle Forrest passed away and has been fighting cancer and addiction for a few years. I really needed something today to help ease my mind, and so glad I found this post… God Bless

    1. Thank you for this relevant information sometime we are tried to say something as leaders or pastors without prep…. this is very powerful tool ….

    2. “So sorry for your loss. I recenly lost my 54 year old brother to Lung & Throat Cancer due to Alcohol and Cigarette Addiction. I was able to bring him to the Lord the day before his passing…For that I will be forever grateful to my ? blessed Savior…Amen!”

  6. Thank you for these wonderful Bible verses. They are important to me as I try to comfort a mother who just lost her six year old son. God be with us all.

  7. Beautiful words that sooth the sorrow in our hearts and strengthen our soul in the promise of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

  8. I am in need of a verse for my grandmother who had just recently passed away from cancer. She was Catholic

  9. Thank you for these verses . They gave me so much comfort and peace knowing that my mom who just passed away this morning has reunited with her loved ones and is now in the presence of our Lord. I am so grateful to have had my mom for so many years and one day I will be reunited with her. Blessings to all and let’s celebrate a new life of our loved ones.

  10. I’ve been asked to do a talk at a funeral of a young man that died in a car accident. He was not a believer. I did not talk to him about God but he knew I was a believer. I would love tl be able to slip in a verse that both comforts and alerts other people to His love.
    I’m thinking eccl 3: 1-4. Have you got any other suggestions?

    1. That’s the verse I’m leaning toward for the upcoming graveside service for my parents. They were both very old: Mom was almost 97 when she died in 2018, and Dad was 100 when he died this past January. Both were cremated. We had a small memorial gathering at our house after each death, and then COVID got in the way of further arrangements, but now the headstone is in place and we are going to inter the ashes at the cemetery. It will be a joint service, which creates a few problems because Mom was a believer and Dad was not. But Dad appreciated nature and “love your neighbor” and the cycle of life, so I’m looking for verses that express those feelings. I see several in the list above that I can refer to.

      1. Both my parents died last year just 10 months apart. Because of COVID their burial was postponed. Next week their ashes will be placed by my grandparents. It will also be graveside. I’ve been asked to read something but I have no clue as to what would be meaningful. They were very devoted to their church. What did you read? Thanks. Joyce

  11. I am in so much pain and disbelief that my son’s father passed away. Please God comfort us, especially my son. These bible verses help, but what we need the most is to feel the presence of God’s comforting grace in our very beings. How can we attain this?

    1. Praying ??
      God is with you and he will comfort you. Although you feel pain he is comforting you and with him the pain will ease. He is with You and wrapping his warm loving arms around you???? Rest in him. Whom ever is seeking him is at peace.

    2. Hi Ana. I am so very sorry for your loss. What you desire is to feel God’s presence but I just want to remind you that God and the word are one. When you read God’s word and meditate on it then it is the very presence of God that is filling you. Blessings – Craig, Durban.

    3. God is the God of hope, joy and peace. Read Romans 15:13
      God loves you unfailingly, read Isaiah 54:10 and Jeremiah 31:3
      He will comfort you. read Matthew 5:4

  12. Thank you for these scriptures lifted up my soul as was grieving for my grandad who passed on 1 July 2020 after battling cancer and kidney failure May his Soul R.I.P he was such a blessing to me dad figure since cared for me more since childhood but thankful he knew Jesus as his saviour and walked & took the path of righteousness and now no more death to him as he meets our Lord King of kings in Glory ???
    Tricia

    1. God says to you…I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness. I will build you up again. Jeremiah 31:3
      You are never alone….
      “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.’ ” Isaiah 41:13
      He will never leave you, and He will always listen to your grief whether it has been 1 minute since your son died or 40 years. I claim all His promises of comfort for you.

  13. My 45 yr. old son died in a traffic accident along with his best friend. He was a loving son, husband and father to two adorable children, age 6 and 4. I am looking for bible versus that will help me cope with this tragedy. He was exactly where he wanted to be in life. I feel my heart is broken.

    1. “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:45

      It does not matter how fine a person is. My wonderful son also died of traffic accident at 42. My gorgeous
      grandson died at the age of 31 and everyone is asking “Why Him? He is the best of us.”
      Ecclesiastes 9:11 states that ‘Time and Chance” befall all of us. We are mortal and we have free will.
      God is not controlling everything that we do or everything that happens to us on earth.

    1. First off, I pray that you are not asking for yourself. Don’t let this world and all of it’s pain pull you down. You should seek help from a Christian counselor, one who will remind you that God has a plan for you, a plan to prosper you and to give you a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11 loosely translated). Please look up God’s promises for you in His big book. Here are a few to look up: Isaiah 41:10, Deuteronomy 31:6, Psalm 46:1-3, and Joshua 1:9.
      Second, if you are asking for someone that has left you, I am still praying for you. The only way to heaven is through Jesus, and all one must do is accept Jesus as your personal savior because no one is sinless. He was sacrificed for our sins. If your friend asked Jesus into his or her heart, then they will have a home in heaven. That is not something you know for certain though. You have to trust God and let Him do His will.

  14. My great grandpa died today, 2 hours ago. He was the living memory of my grandma who I never met & I am named after. I know that he is happy by her side now. I will always remember the way he talked to me & treated me like i was her, and the stories he told me about her since i was a little girl.

  15. Hi, I am trying to comfort a 95 year old lady whose husband died just over 2 years ago. Is it OK that she still talks to him every day and remembers every date that they did things together. She reminds her neighbours about all the dates and cries all over again. She thinks that he can see her, and that he is is watching her all the time. Evereything she does has to be done perfectly because he had such high standards. Is there a normal time for the mourning to ease up and for the joy of life in the Lord to return? I have looked at Ecclesiates 3:1-4. A time for everything. a time for mourning and a time for dancing. I have suggested to her that she is now in a new season in her life and to enjoy it with her many friends and family.

    1. Dear Alida, friend, please share the scripture Ecclesiastes 9:5 with her, For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they anymore a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
      Please share with your friend the Bible story in which Jesus spoke of the death of Lazarus his friend as sleep, ( John 11:1-45 ). When our bodies die we sleep in the grave, but when Jesus returns in the clouds, we in Christ, will be resurrected to be with him for all eternity, united with our loved ones who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, ( 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 ).
      To God’s glory, may you both be blessed.
      Sincerely, a friend.

  16. I have been a guardian for an 87 year old mentally profoundly challenged lady for over 17 years. She passed this morning and I need scripture and a verse for her graveside that would be appropriate.

  17. My 23 year old nephew was shot to death,I’m trying to find the right words to say from the Bible about him,he said he didn’t want any one to cry or feeling sad for him

  18. My 23 year old nephew was shot to death,I’m trying to find the right words to say from the Bible about him,he said he didn’t want any one to cry or feel sad for him

  19. Having the perfect Bible verses for funerals does not mean that you have to be the one to write and perform them. The best Bible verses for funerals come from God, and they are often called scriptural or biblical funeral songs. There are several websites online today that allow you to download verses for funeral songs free from a wide variety of inspirational authors. It is a good idea to have a collection of these funeral songs in your own collection so that you can play them at the funeral or on special occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries.

    1. Dear friend, the Bible is the best place to learn about death or any other matter. Please pray the Father of light give you the Holy Spirit to guide you in all truth about death and that He give you the understanding.
      Please start with these scriptures on death… Ecclesiastes 9:5, John 11:1-14, and
      1 Thessalonians 4:14-18.
      Friend, continue to believe in God, to trust in God. Please read 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness;
      That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
      Romans 1:16 says, The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God for salvation.
      The Bible book of John 5:1-47 Jesus says to search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me.
      God bless you, I will pray for you to follow the teaching of the Holy Spirit.
      Sincerely, a friend.

  20. Christ did not weep for Lazarus; for He was about to call him from the grave. He wept because many of those now mourning for Lazarus would soon plan the death of Him who was the resurrection and the life.
    But how unable were the unbelieving Jews rightly to interpret His tears! Some, who could see nothing more than the outward circumstances of the scene before Him as a cause for His grief, said softly, “Behold how He loved him!” Others, seeking to drop the seed of unbelief into the hearts of those present, said derisively, “Could not this Man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?” If it were in Christ’s power to save Lazarus, why then did He suffer him to die?
    With prophetic eye Christ saw the enmity of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. He knew that they were premeditating His death.

  21. What’s THE Biblical evidence(s) for BURIAL ceremony. Cos I don’t understand why I will loss someone and still be celebrating by partying, drinking, merry-making and putting on ceremonial dresses e.t.c.
    It sucks to me. Can someone help solve this?

    1. Yes, the next time a Jehovah’s witnesses contacts you, please listen. Valid answers to questions like yours

  22. I thought this was a King James version. John 3 – 16 reads as For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth SHOULD NOT perish, but have everlasting life.

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