Introduction
When preparing a funeral or writing a few words on a condolence card, words often fail us. These 20 verses, quoted in the World English Bible, offer words already there, tested by generations of grieving believers. They move through five facets of Christian hope in the face of death: the promise of eternal life in Christ, God's comfort for broken hearts, the hope of resurrection, the certainty that death does not have the last word, and remembrance filled with gratitude.
The promise of eternal life in Christ
1. John 11:25-26
"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
Jesus speaks these words to Martha, whose brother Lazarus has just died, even before raising him. He does not simply promise a future resurrection; he declares "I am the resurrection and the life." Believing in him changes the very nature of death for the one who dies in him. Read all of John 11.
2. John 14:1-3
"Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also."
Jesus speaks to his disciples the night before his death, while they are troubled. He promises them a place prepared "in my Father's house," and his own return to welcome them there. This promise also speaks to those who today mourn a loved one who believed in him. Read all of John 14.
3. John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life."
This verse, one of the best known in the Bible, sums up why death is not the end for the one who believes. God gave his Son "that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." This life does not begin after death; it is already offered now. Read all of John 3.
4. Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Paul sets a sharp contrast between a wage earned and a gift received. Death is the logical wage of sin, but eternal life in Jesus Christ remains a "free gift," never earned. This difference can bring comfort before a casket: no one receives eternal life by their own strength. Read all of Romans 6.
God's comfort for broken hearts
5. Matthew 5:4
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
In his first great discourse, Jesus begins by blessing those one would think excluded from happiness: "those who mourn." He does not ask them to hide their pain; he promises they "shall be comforted." Grief has its rightful place before God, and his promise of comfort still holds. Read all of Matthew 5.
6. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; 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."
Paul has just come through a trial so hard he despaired of his life. He calls God "the Father of mercies and God of all comfort," who comforts us so that we may in turn comfort others in affliction. This verse explains why a grieving community can itself become a source of comfort. Read all of 2 Corinthians 1.
7. Psalm 34:19
"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but Yahweh delivers him out of them all."
David affirms a truth experience confirms: even the righteous face many afflictions. But he immediately adds that Yahweh "delivers him out of them all." This verse does not deny the pain of grief; it simply assures that God leaves no one alone in the midst of it. Read all of Psalm 34.
8. Psalm 147:3
"He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds."
This psalm praises a God who is both immense, able to name the stars, and attentive to the smallest detail of a broken heart. He "heals the broken in heart" and "binds up their wounds," like a patient caregiver. This image fits those who have just lost someone they love. Read all of Psalm 147.
The hope of resurrection on the last day
9. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
"But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus."
Paul writes to believers worried about their loved ones who have already died. He does not forbid them to grieve, but he refuses to let them grieve "like the rest, who have no hope." Since Jesus died and rose again, God will bring back in the same way those who have died in him. Read all of 1 Thessalonians 4.
10. 1 Corinthians 15:54-55
"But when this perishable body will have become imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?"
Paul concludes a long discussion of the resurrection with a cry of victory borrowed from the prophets. When the mortal body has "put on immortality," death will be "swallowed up in victory." He even dares to challenge it: "Death, where is your sting?" Read all of 1 Corinthians 15.
11. Job 19:25-26
"But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives. In the end, he will stand upon the earth. After my skin is destroyed, then I will see God in my flesh,"
Job speaks these words at the height of his suffering, having lost everything. Yet he affirms a certainty that goes beyond his situation: his "Redeemer lives," and even after his skin is destroyed, he will see God. This hope has lasted through the centuries down to us. Read all of Job 19.
12. Revelation 21:4
"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."
John describes the final scene promised to those who belong to God. He sees God himself wipe away "every tear," and the final disappearance of death, mourning, and pain. This verse does not deny the present reality of suffering; it announces its certain end. Read all of Revelation 21.
Death does not have the last word
13. Romans 8:38-39
"For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 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."
Paul lists a long series of forces that might seem able to separate a believer from God's love, placing death first in order to set it aside all the more clearly. Nothing, "neither death, nor life," can separate us from "God's love which is in Christ Jesus." Read all of Romans 8.
14. Isaiah 25:8
"He has swallowed up death forever! The Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from off all faces. He will take the reproach of his people away from off all the earth, for Yahweh has spoken it."
Isaiah announces a day when God "has swallowed up death forever" and wipes away "tears from off all faces." This promise, spoken centuries before Jesus' resurrection, finds its fulfillment in him and remains a solid hope for those who mourn today. Read all of Isaiah 25.
15. 2 Timothy 1:10
"but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the Good News."
Paul reminds Timothy of the heart of the Gospel: Jesus Christ "abolished death" and brought "life and immortality" to light. Death keeps its apparent power, but in Christ it has already lost its ability to have the last word. Read all of 2 Timothy 1.
16. Philippians 1:21
"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
Paul writes from prison, uncertain of his fate, and sums up his outlook in one dense sentence: "to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." For the believer, death is therefore not an absolute loss, but a passage into an even closer presence with God. Read all of Philippians 1.
Remembering with gratitude and hope
17. Psalm 116:15
"Precious in Yahweh’s sight is the death of his saints."
This psalm affirms a thought that may surprise: "the death of his saints" is precious in Yahweh's sight. It is never insignificant or ordinary to God. Remembering a loved one at a funeral is also remembering that his or her life and death mattered to him. Read all of Psalm 116.
18. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;"
Ecclesiastes observes that everything has "a season," including being born and dying. Far from cold, this observation places death within an order willed by God rather than left to chance. It helps us receive the end of a life as part of a larger story. Read all of Ecclesiastes 3.
19. 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."
David compares life to a walk sometimes crossed by "the valley of the shadow of death." He does not claim there is no danger, but affirms a presence: "you are with me." This verse, read at funerals for generations, comforts those walking through grief. Read all of Psalm 23.
20. 2 Timothy 4:7-8
"I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. From now on, the crown of righteousness is stored up for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day; and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved his appearing."
Paul writes these words near the end of his life, looking back in peace. He sums up his journey in three images: a fight fought, a race finished, a faith kept. This phrase fits well to describe the life of a faithful believer, with the crown promised to him. Read all of 2 Timothy 4.
Further reading
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Bible verses should be read during a funeral service?
Verses on the hope of the resurrection, such as John 11:25-26 or 1 Corinthians 15:54-55, are especially fitting for a service, as is Psalm 23 for its calming strength. Choose one or two short passages, easy to read aloud, rather than a long list that dilutes their impact.
Which verse should I write on a condolence card?
A short, well-known verse is often the most fitting, such as Psalm 34:19, Romans 8:38-39, or 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 on God's comfort. Add a few personal words: the verse alone, without a gesture of presence, rarely says everything you want to express to the family.
Does the Bible say we will see again those we have lost?
It promises the resurrection of those who died in Christ, reunited one day with believers still living, as 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 affirms. It does not detail the actual reunion, but it assures us that death will not end the fellowship of those who belong to God.
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