Losing someone you love is one of the heaviest things you will ever carry. In seasons like this, many people reach for the King James Version — the Bible their grandmother read, the words they heard at church as a child. There is something steadying about those old, familiar phrases.
But the KJV was translated more than 400 years ago, and some of its language can feel distant when your heart is already tired. That is why this collection does something a little different. Below you will find 30 KJV Bible verses about death and grief, organized by situation, and each one comes with a short “In plain words” note that gently explains what the old language means.
This page is a curated resource — a place to find the right scripture for a funeral program, a sympathy card, or a quiet moment alone. Take what you need, and return whenever you need it again.
Comfort When Your Heart Is Broken
Grief is not a sign of weak faith. Scripture never asks you to pretend you are fine. These verses meet you exactly where you are.
1. Psalm 34:18
“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
In plain words: “Nigh unto” simply means near to. God stays close — closest of all — to people whose hearts are broken.
2. Matthew 5:4
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
In plain words: Jesus promises that mourning is not the end of the story. Comfort is coming, even if you cannot feel it yet.
3. Psalm 23:4
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
In plain words: Even in the darkest valley a person can walk through, you do not walk it alone. The shepherd’s rod and staff were tools of protection and guidance — a picture of God actively watching over you.
4. Psalm 147:3
“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”
In plain words: “Bindeth up” is what a physician does with a wound — cleaning and wrapping it so it can heal. God treats grief as a real wound, and He tends it with care.
5. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 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.”
In plain words: “Tribulation” means deep trouble or suffering. God is called the God of all comfort — no grief is outside His reach. And the comfort you receive today may one day help you comfort someone else.
6. Psalm 46:1
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
In plain words: “Very present” means right here, right now — not distant, not delayed. This is one of the most quoted verses at memorial services for good reason.
KJV Verses for the Loss of a Mother
The Bible uses a mother’s comfort as one of its tenderest pictures of God’s own care.
7. Isaiah 66:13
“As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”
In plain words: God compares His comfort to a mother’s comfort — the most instinctive, gentle care most of us have ever known. If you are grieving your mother, this verse says God Himself will take up that role of comforting you.
8. Proverbs 31:28
“Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.”
In plain words: “Arise up and call her blessed” means her children stand and publicly honor her. This verse is often read at funerals as a tribute to a godly mother’s life.
9. Psalm 116:15
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”
In plain words: “Saints” here means all who belong to God, not a special class of people. Her passing was not overlooked by heaven — it was precious to God, who received her.
KJV Verses for the Loss of a Father
10. Psalm 68:5
“A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.”
In plain words: “Habitation” means dwelling place. When an earthly father is gone, God promises to stand in that place — a father to those who have lost theirs.
11. Psalm 103:13
“Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.”
In plain words: “Pitieth” here means has tender compassion on — the way a good father softens toward his own child. The verse honors what a father’s love looks like, and points to its source.
12. Psalm 103:15-17
“As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him.”
In plain words: Human life is brief, like grass and wildflowers. But God’s mercy toward those who trusted Him has no end — it was there before your father’s life began, and it continues after.
KJV Verses for Funerals, Sympathy Cards, and Obituaries
These verses are short enough to fit a card or a funeral program, and familiar enough to bring immediate comfort. (A note on using them is included after the FAQ below.)
13. 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.”
In plain words: “The former things” means this present world of loss and pain. God promises a day when death itself is finished — no more funerals, ever.
14. John 14:1-3
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
In plain words: “Mansions” in 1611 English meant dwelling places or rooms, not luxury houses. Jesus is saying: there is room prepared for you in my Father’s home, and I will personally bring you there.
15. Numbers 6:24-26
“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
In plain words: “Countenance” means face. This ancient blessing asks God to turn His face toward you in favor and peace — a beautiful closing line for a service or card.
16. 2 Timothy 4:7
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”
In plain words: “Course” means the race set before someone — their life’s journey. This verse is often chosen for the obituary of a believer who lived their faith to the end.
17. Psalm 23:6
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”
In plain words: The final line of the most beloved funeral psalm. “Dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” means living in God’s presence eternally.
18. Isaiah 57:2
“He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.”
In plain words: “Rest in their beds” is a gentle picture of death for the righteous — not an ending in fear, but an entering into peace. This is the scripture behind the phrase “rest in peace.”
The Hope of Eternal Life
For the believer, death is not a wall. It is a doorway. These verses hold the heart of the Christian hope.
19. John 11:25-26
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”
In plain words: Jesus spoke these words to Martha at her brother’s grave. He does not merely promise resurrection — He says He is the resurrection. Then He asks her, and every reader since: do you believe this?
20. John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
In plain words: “Only begotten” means one and only. The most famous verse in the Bible is, at its center, a promise about death being overcome by everlasting life.
21. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57
“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In plain words: Paul taunts death like a defeated enemy. Its “sting” — its power to truly harm the believer — has been removed by Christ’s resurrection.
22. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.”
In plain words: “Asleep” and “sleep in Jesus” are the New Testament’s gentle way of describing believers who have died — because for them, death is temporary. Christians grieve, but never as people without hope.
23. Romans 8:38-39
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
In plain words: “Principalities and powers” means spiritual forces of every kind. Paul lists everything imaginable — including death itself — and declares that none of it can cut you off from God’s love.
24. 2 Corinthians 5:1
“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
In plain words: A “tabernacle” was a tent — temporary by design. Paul compares our earthly bodies to tents, and promises a permanent, eternal home from God.
25. 2 Corinthians 5:8
“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
In plain words: For the believer, to be “absent from the body” is to be “present with the Lord.” This verse is one of the clearest comforts about where a believing loved one is now.
26. Philippians 1:21
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
In plain words: Paul could call death “gain” because it meant being with Christ. Just six words in the second half — and often chosen for headstones and memorial cards for exactly that reason.
Peace and Strength for the Days Ahead
Grief does not end after the funeral. These verses are for the long weeks and months that follow.
27. 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.”
In plain words: The world’s comfort fades; the peace Jesus gives is His own. This was part of His farewell to His disciples the night before His death.
28. Psalm 73:26
“My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.”
In plain words: “Portion” means inheritance — your share, what is truly yours. Even when body and heart give out, God Himself remains yours forever.
29. Isaiah 41:10
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
In plain words: “Dismayed” means overwhelmed with fear or discouragement. Notice the three promises stacked together: I will strengthen, I will help, I will uphold.
30. Romans 14:8
“For whether we live therefore, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”
In plain words: In life and in death, the believer belongs to the Lord. Nothing — not even dying — changes whose we are.
How to Use These Verses in a Sympathy Card
If you are writing to someone who is grieving, a short verse often says what your own words cannot. A simple pattern that works well:
Open with one or two sentences of your own (“I am so sorry for the loss of your mother. She was deeply loved.”). Then add a short verse — Psalm 34:18, Revelation 21:4, and Numbers 6:24-26 are gentle choices that fit almost any situation. Close with the reference written out (for example, “— Psalm 34:18, KJV”) so the family can find it again later. For a funeral program or obituary, shorter verses like 2 Timothy 4:7 or Philippians 1:21 fit naturally beneath a name and dates.
FAQ on Bible Verses About Death
Which KJV verse is best for a sympathy card?
Psalm 34:18 (“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart”) is short, tender, and fits nearly every loss. Revelation 21:4 is another widely loved choice because it points to the day when death and sorrow end.
What does “asleep” mean in verses about death?
In verses like 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, “asleep” is the New Testament’s gentle description of believers who have died. It pictures death as temporary for those in Christ — they will be raised, just as a sleeper wakes.
What KJV verse is read most often at funerals?
Psalm 23 is read at more funerals than any other passage — especially verse 4 (“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”) and verse 6. John 14:1-3 and Revelation 21:4 are also very common.
Is it wrong to grieve if I believe in eternal life?
No. Jesus Himself wept at the grave of His friend Lazarus (John 11:35), even knowing He was about to raise him. Scripture says believers grieve — but “not as others which have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Faith and tears can live in the same heart.
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