- Proverbs 13:20
- Proverbs 17:17
- Luke 6:31
- Philippians 2:3
- Colossians 3:13
- Galatians 6:2
- Proverbs 18:24
- Proverbs 27:5-6
- Proverbs 27:17
- Proverbs 12:26
- Job 16:20-21
- 1 Samuel 18:4
- James 4:11
- Proverbs 16:28
- 2 Kings 2:2
- Job 2:11
- Proverbs 22:24-25
- Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
- Colossians 3:12-14
- John 15:12-15
- Proverbs 24:5
- Proverbs 24:28
- Psalm 37:3
- Proverbs 19:20
- 1 Corinthians 15:33
Bible is replete with wisdom. Today. We will delve into what the Bible has to say about friendships by studying Bible verses about friendship.
“Oh, the comfort, inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but powering them all out that, just they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them-keep, what is worth keeping- and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away” – George Eliot
Friendship is that special bond with someone who you know is not going to judge you for your shortcomings rather console you when you are sad and rejoice when you’re happy.
Friendship is one thing without which life is truly incomplete. It is like the family out of your house, the core of people that you can’t imagine my life without. “One friend in a lifetime is much: two are many; three are hardly possible.
Friendship needs a certain parallelism of life, a community of thought rivalry of aim.
Aristotle said, “Friendship is like one soul inhabiting two bodies”.
Even the Bible says that “there is a friend that’s sticketh closer than a brother”.
There have been several sayings, quotes, poems, stories, books, and whatnot on the beauty of friendships and so there’s a lot written about friendship in the religious textbooks also. In this article, we have brought to you the various Bible verses about friendship that mention and glorify the beautiful bond of friendship.
Proverbs 13:20
“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffer harm”
— Proverbs 13:20
The above-given proverb is one of the most powerful Bible verses about friendship. It means that you become similar to the people you surround yourself with. You will adopt the habits that your friends have and that your goals will become similar to your friends’ goals.
It is a reminder that you should always distance yourself from unreliable and dishonest people. Surrounding yourself with dishonest people harms the personality and soul.
Proverbs 17:17
“A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity”
— Proverbs 17:17
The above-quoted verse describes that you shall find a friend always standing by your side even in situations when your brother will not support you. This proverb states that your true friend will be the first person to be there for you when you are in need.
A true, hearty, faithful friend, loves in times of adversity, distress as well as in times of prosperity. To no one person can all this be applied with so much truth and exactness as Lord Jesus Christ; he is a “friend”, not of angels only, but of men; more especially of his church and people; of sinful men, of publicans and sinners; as appears by his calling them to repentance, by his receiving them, and by his coming into the world to save them: he “loves” them, and loves them constantly.
Luke 6:31
“Do to others as you would do have them to you”
— Luke 6:31
Among the most popular Bible verses about friendship, the proverb tells that you should treat a person the same way you wish to be treated by others. This is the ‘Golden Rule’ following which you can make this world a better place to live in and so that you establish sweet relationships and bond with a lot of people and create new friendships.
Do not do to others what you don’t want them to do to you. If you don’t like something to be done to you, don’t do it to others as well. The rule is as simple as that. If we followed the Golden Rule of the world religions, it would only stop us from doing harmful things to others.
It would actually help in the betterment of the current status of the world and people will live a happier life than they do now. For instance, We shouldn’t steal, because we don’t like it when others steal from us. We shouldn’t abuse, because we don’t like when others are abusive to us.
We shouldn’t lie to others, because we don’t like to be lied to. We shouldn’t hurt others, because we don’t like to be hurt.
And what does Jesus say? He says, “Do unto others, what you want them to do to you.” This is not a negatively stated command, rather it is positive.
Christ goes way beyond not doing evil intended things to others and raises the bar to doing good things for others.
Sure, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t abuse. But above and beyond that, give open-heartedly to others, be compassionate towards all beings, always tell the truth when you could keep silent, be honest, help others who you see are in need of help, and pray for others.
Do good and don’t mention is what the lord is trying to preach to the world.
Read more: Graceful Predestination Bible Verses
Philippians 2:3
“That do not out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather and humility value others about yourselves”
— Philippians 2:3
The above-quoted proverb teaches us that Jesus showed humility by giving credit for his works to his Father and by using his power to serve and assist others rather than to dominate and suppress them. Appreciating others, more than yourself is the basic definition of true humility.
Paul is saying, do not be stubborn and demand your own way. Think of the needs of others first. He is clarifying to the devout Philippians that believers set priority on the needs of others ahead of theirs. As Jesus taught that, the golden rule is ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.
Colossians 3:13
“Bear with each other forgive one another if any of you have a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgives you”
— Colossians 3:13
The above-quoted proverb teaches us forgiveness, to be kind, to be generous, to be empathetic towards every creation of Lord.
Christ here wants us to be thankful and gracious for our presence. Love will enable us to overlook the shortcomings of others. Some people want to oversee everyone; they want to supervise. We are to overlook their shortcomings and leave.
Galatians 6:2
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ”
— Galatians 6:2
The above-quoted proverb extols the virtue of helping others because by doing so you’ll be obeying the preaching of the Christ.
Christ is only able to bear these burdens, so as to remove them and take them away, which he has done by his blood, sacrifice, and satisfaction.
Saints bear one another’s burdens by comforting them when suppressed with guilt, by sympathizing with them in their sorrow, by praying to God to shower grace to them, and by forgiving them themselves.
Proverbs 18:24
“There are friends who destroy each other but real friends takes loose than a brother”
— Proverbs 18:24
This proverb teaches us that there is a kind of fictitious and fake friendship in the world, that, to show one’s self friendly in it, is very lavish, and in every way utterly unprofitable: it is maintained by expensive parties and show, etc., where the table groans with dainties, and where the conversation is either calumnious; backbiting and scandal, being the general topics of the different squads in the company.
However, real friends will not do such extravagant things for you but are the first ones to help you when you are in need.
Proverbs 27:5-6
“Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted but an enemy multiplies kisses”
— Proverbs 27:5-6
The meaning of this proverb is about the hidden love (speaking of both romantic or divine love), or inexpressible love, or non-profitable, either to the one who loves or to the object of that love.
If you express love for someone in either words or actions, and the person rejects you, then you know where you stand with the person, and it can serve as a starting point for possible reconciliation or further active demonstration of that love on your part.
You can then be free to “move on” rather than continuing to devote time and effort that could be necessarily more productively spent in some other way.
Proverbs 27:17
“Iron sharpens iron and no man sharpens another”
— Proverbs 27:17
This Bible verse about friendship that learned men sharpen one another’s minds, and excites each other to learned studies. Christians sharpen one another’s graces, or stir up each other to the exercise of them, and the gifts which are bestowed on them, and to love and be kind to all living beings.
Proverbs 12:26
“The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray”
— Proverbs 12:26
This verse teaches us that the Poor righteous man is more excellent than his sinful neighbor, though affluent and noble.
Good friends who support God’s way of life can be a tremendous positive influence in our lives.
But friends whose actions and attitudes openly or subtly oppose God’s truth can tear us down and lead us astray.
Read more: Motivating Bible Verses About Tithing And Offerings
Job 16:20-21
“My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God, on behalf of a man he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend”
— Job 16:20-21
1 Samuel 18:4
“Jonathan took of the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow, and his belt”
— 1 Samuel 18:4
This verse portrays the human soul in the various aspects of its development. Divine love (David), human love (Jonathan), and personal will (Saul) are all seen in action here.
The linking of human and divine love is symbolized by the covenant made by Jonathan and David.
James 4:11
“Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against brother or sister or judges them speak against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it but sitting in judgement on it.”
— James 4:11
This verse is very instructive as it asks us to not utter false statements about others. We are unfaithful to God if we speak against our loved ones.
Proverbs 16:28
“A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends”
— Proverbs 16:28
This verse in Proverbs informs us about two ungodly characteristics. It warns that a corrupted man spreads strife. Such a person also indulges in gossips and slander which breaks friendships.
2 Kings 2:2
“Elijah said to Elisha, ‘stay here the LORD has sent me to Bethel. ‘But Elisha said, ‘As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel”
— 2 Kings 2:2
Job 2:11
“When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz, the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar, the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him”
— Job 2:11
This verse places importance on the value of having good, virtuous, and wise friends who are with you during times of sorrow. It instructs us also to seek such friends and also be likewise.
Proverbs 22:24-25
“Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared”
— Proverbs 22:24-25
This proverb so lucidly tells that if you have friends who lose temper easily then eventually, you’ll also acquire the same habit. You should not even get associated with such a person. It is better to stay away from such people as you will entangle yourself in troubles arising from anger.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.”
— Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
This Biblical verse on friendship explains that it is always good to have the company of your friends in life as they will support you in your endeavors as well as help in troubled times. It further adds, “Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. There are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”
A single person can be easily overwhelmed by enemies. A simple example is of a triple-braided rope which is stronger than a single-braid rope and hence, is stronger.
Colossians 3:12-14
“Bear with each other and forgive on another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you and over all these virtues love, which binds them all together in perfect unity”
— Colossians 3:12-14
This verse asks the followers to be compassionate, kind, and humble since they’re God’s chosen ones. You have to be forgiving to others since God also forgave you for your sins.
John 15:12-15
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command”
— John 15:12-15
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
In this verse, Jesus asks his followers to love each other just as he loved them. Jesus understood the meaning of love from Father. He commands his faithfuls to also be ready to lay down their lives for others.
Read more: 60 Bible Verses About Breakups And Heartbreak To Comfort Your Heart
Proverbs 24:5
“The wise prevail through great power and those who have knowledge master their strength”
— Proverbs 24:5
The Strength here refers to is the ability to discern between right and wrong and act accordingly. Only wise have this power.
Proverbs 24:28
“Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, or use your lips to deceive”
— Proverbs 13:20
Neighbors may mean your friends, your close ones and those who live near you. This verse on friendship explains that you should not testify against your close ones without a righteous reason. You should not harm anyone’s reputation with lies and slander.
Many times people spread negative things about a person for their own selfish gains. This is absolutely prohibited as there is no reason for you to do even if you’re speaking the truth.
Psalm 37:3
“Trust in the lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture”
— Psalm 37:3
Lord is your true friend. You should confide in him. You need not worry and be perturbed about bad men who may be rich and happy. You should seek God’s refuge.
Proverbs 19:20
“Listen to advice and accept discipline and at the end you will be counted among the wise”
— Proverbs 19:20
1 Corinthians 15:33
“Do not be misled. Bad Company corrupts good character”
— 1 Corinthians 15:33
The above-quoted proverb warns us against the company of corrupt people. A friendship with such immoral persons will influence your character and mislead you in the wrong direction toward sin and misery.
Friendship is one of the most beautiful and the greatest gift God has given to mankind. However please know that it does not come easy. Life-lasting friendship always requires trust, effort, consistency, and empathy. The rewards of friendship are well worth the efforts you make towards your friend.
