“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
— Psalms 30:5
The Bible's grief verses work because most of them were written by people who were not over it. Psalm 56:8 claims God keeps the mourner's tears in a bottle — an image of inventory, as if grief were too valuable to spill uncounted. John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the English Bible ("Jesus wept") and the loudest argument in it against the idea that faith means grieving less. Isaiah 61 promises the mourner something specific — "the oil of joy for mourning" — an exchange, not a deletion. These fifteen verses, in full KJV text, are for the long goodbye: the first week, the first year, and the anniversaries after.
Quick answer: Psalm 34:18 is the most-quoted grief verse: "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." Matthew 5:4 is the beatitude for mourners — "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted" — and Revelation 21:4 is the end-state it points to: "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.
Psalms 30:5
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.
Psalms 34:18
Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
You count my wanderings. You put my tears into your container. Aren’t they in your book?
Psalms 56:8
From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
From the end of the earth, I will call to you when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
Psalms 61:2
He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.
Psalms 147:3
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Surely he has borne our sickness and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:4
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;
The Lord Yahweh’s Spirit is on me, because Yahweh has anointed me to preach good news to the humble. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to those who are bound,
Isaiah 61:1
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
to proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
Isaiah 61:2
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give to them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, that he may be glorified.
Isaiah 61:3
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Matthew 5:4
Jesus wept.
Jesus wept.
John 11:35
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us.
Romans 8:18
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
2 Corinthians 1:3
Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
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.
2 Corinthians 1:4
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.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more. The first things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:4
Read these in the immediate days after a loss (Psalm 34:18, John 11:35, Matthew 5:4), in the awkward middle months when everyone else has moved on (Psalm 42's honest complaints belong there even though they sit on the depression page), and at the graveside, where Isaiah 61:1-3 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13 are the standard readings. Isaiah 53:3-4 — the "man of sorrows" — is for the griever who needs to know the Messiah's own file includes grief rather than exemption from it. For the practical first steps after a death, the funeral verses list pairs with this one.
Copy the verse that matches the day — the early days need Psalm 34:18; the second year often needs Psalm 30:5 ("weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning") more than anything louder. Each card toggles between the King James Version and the World English Bible; "blessed are they that mourn" is identical in both, but "bindeth up their wounds" gains its literal sense — bandaging — in modern English. Two practices worth borrowing from the psalms themselves: read the verse aloud rather than silently, and let the complaint verses do their work too, because the Bible's grievers argue with God on the page and are not scolded for it.
15 KJV verses on death — Psalm 23:4, John 11:25, 1 Thessalonians 4:13, Revelation 21:4 and more.
15 KJV verses about mourning — Esther 9:22, Psalms 35:14 and more.
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