The verses in this article teach us the definition of a true friend and motivate us to treat those around us with loyalty, trust, and love.
The Bible is a wealth of wisdom and knowledge, and it contains many lessons on the importance of friendship.
In a world that can sometimes feel lonely and isolating, the Bible’s verses on friendship offer consolation and inspiration by reminding us of the beauty and value of lasting, meaningful relationships.
Bible Verses About Friendship
These verses from the Bible serve as a potent reminder that we were not created to live in isolation but instead to form deep relationships with those around us.
We can enjoy the joy and companionship of living in a community with others by cultivating friendships based on love, trust, and loyalty.
The verses in this article that deal with friendship give us advice on developing these bonds and encourage us to value the gift of friendship that God has given us.
Proverbs 18:24 (ESV) We must be careful of our companion
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
John 15:13 (ESV) One who is a friend should lay down his life for another
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Proverbs 27:17 (ESV) The friends we keep should be able to build us
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
Proverbs 17:17 (ESV) Our friends can be more of a brother
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (ESV) Friendship is necessary, for it helps make one another
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
1 Corinthians 15:33 (ESV) The kind of friends we keep might destroy us
Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV) Friendship requires encouragement
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
Proverbs 27:9 (ESV) The friends we keep can elevate us
Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.
Proverbs 27:6 (ESV) We should be our brother’s keeper
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
Job 6:14 (ESV) God wants us to show love to our friends
“He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
Proverbs 13:20 (ESV)
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Proverbs 16:28 (ESV)
A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.
1 Peter 4:8-10 (ESV)
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:
Proverbs 22:24-25 (ESV)
Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (ESV)
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!
Proverbs 12:26 (ESV)
One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
Proverbs 17:9 (ESV)
Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.
Luke 6:31 (ESV)
And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
James 4:4 (ESV)
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Romans 1:12 (ESV)
That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.
Proverbs 27:5-6 (ESV)
Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
John 15:12-14 (ESV)
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.
Proverbs 22:24-27 (ESV)
Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare. Be not one of those who give pledges, who put up security for debts. If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?
1 John 4:7 (ESV)
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
Proverbs 27:10 (ESV)
Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.
John 15:12-15 (ESV)
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
Bible Verse About Friends
This section reminds us that friends are integral to our lives, offering companionship, support, and love.
The Bible has much to say about friendship; it clarifies what characterizes a true friend and guides how to forge and maintain enduring relationships.
This section of Bible verses about friends also emphasizes the value of having friends who share our joys and sorrows and inspire us to do the same for others.
In a world where loneliness and isolation are common, this section of Bible verses about friends offers hope and inspiration, reminding us of the beauty and value of deep, meaningful relationships.
John 15:13-15 (ESV)
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
Ruth 1:16-17 (ESV)
But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”
Exodus 33:11 (ESV)
Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.
Colossians 3:13 (ESV)
Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Romans 12:15 (ESV)
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
1 John 1:9 (ESV)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Amos 3:3 (ESV)
“Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?
Proverbs 25:17 (ESV)
Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house, lest he have his fill of you and hate you.
Proverbs 16:7 (ESV)
When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
2 Samuel 10:2 (ESV)
And David said, “I will deal loyally with Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the Ammonites.
1 John 4:21 (ESV)
And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Philippians 1:3-4 (ESV)
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,
1 Samuel 18:1 (ESV)
As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
Proverbs About Friendship
The book of Proverbs guides creating and maintaining solid and dependable friendships that honor God and enhance our lives.
Through its teachings on friendship, the book of Proverbs serves as a reminder of the importance of forming relationships based on love, trust, and loyalty.
This section gives us verses of the psalm that warns us against the dangers of fake friendship and encourages us to seek companions who will help us grow in our relationship with God.
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Proverbs 3:27, (NET)
“Do not withhold good from those who need it, when you have the ability to help”
Proverbs 14:21 (NET)
“The one who despises his neighbor sins, but whoever is kind to the needy is blessed”
Proverbs 16:24 (NLT)
“Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body”
Proverbs 17:17 (NLT)
“A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need”
Proverbs 18:24, (NET)
“A person who has friends may be harmed by them, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”
Proverbs 20:6 (NLT)
“Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?”
Proverbs 27:6 (NLT)
“Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy”
Sayings About Friends
sayings that offer insights into what makes a good friend and how to maintain strong and healthy relationships with those we care about
Sayings about friends teach us much about friendship, a crucial aspect of the human experience.
This section of Bible verses offers guidance on how to forge and maintain strong, healthy friendships and avoid toxic and destructive relationships.
Proverbs 13:20 (ESV)
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Proverbs 18:24 (ESV)
Some friendships do not last, but some friends are more loyal than brothers.
Proverbs 17:17 (ESV)
Friends always show their love. What are brothers for if not to share troubles?
Proverbs 24:26 (ESV)
An honest answer is the sign of true friendship.
Proverbs 16:28 (ESV)
A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.
Proverbs 18:24 (ESV)
Some friendships do not last, but some friends are more loyal than brothers.
Proverbs 13:20 (ESV)
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Bible Verses About Choosing Friends
Bible verses about friendship provide guidance and insight into the importance of mingling with godly and uplifted people.
The quality of a person’s friendships, regarded in the Bible as a crucial aspect of human life, can significantly impact their spiritual, emotional, and mental health.
This section instructs us to choose our friends judiciously and purposefully, seeking out those who will bolster and uplift us in our walk with God.
This will enable us to reap the rewards of having real, godly friendships.
1 Corinthians 15:33 (ESV)
Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
Proverbs 13:20 (ESV)
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Proverbs 27:17 (ESV)
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
Proverbs 17:17 (ESV)
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
Proverbs 18:24 (ESV)
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 22:24-25 (ESV)
Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.
John 15:13 (ESV)
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Proverbs 16:28 (ESV)
A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.
Conclusion
This article teaches us to be discerning about the company we keep, choosing wise, trustworthy friends who share our values and beliefs.
They warn against associating with those who may lead us astray or harm our lives.
The passages in the Bible that deal with friendship provide numerous examples of how important it is to cultivate healthy and godly relationships in our lives.
They remind us of the value of friendship in human life and the significant influences charity has on our emotional and spiritual well-being.
