Top 37 Bible Verses About Friendship
When was the last time you saw a close friend? Yesterday? Last week? Last month? Last year? Close your eyes and recall a memory when you laughed with that person. How does it make you feel now? Is a smile creeping on your face? Are you chuckling to yourself? Do you feel the peace and joy that friendship brings?
This small reflection paints a picture of why friends are crucial in our lives. Friendship is foundational and formational, the backbone of a life worth living. In fact, studies show that the secret to a happy life is positive relationships. Conversely, loneliness is killing us, highlighting the fact that community is essential to our well-being.
God made us in His image, and He is a relational God. He thrives on the relationship within the Trinity and with His beloved creations, including us. Since relationships are a core part of His character, He does not leave us without helpful guidelines and counsel on how to foster relationships that glorify Him. The Bible covers this topic extensively, giving every Christian a guiding light for all facets of their friendship.
Bible Verses About the Importance of Friendship
Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls and doesn’t have another to lift him up.
John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Bible Verses About the Benefits of Friendship
Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens his friend’s countenance.
Proverbs 18:24
A man of many companions may be ruined, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do.
Proverbs 24:5-6
A wise man has great power; and a knowledgeable man increases strength; for by wise guidance you wage your war; and victory is in many advisors.
Bible verses about the different types of friends
Proverbs 12:26
A righteous person is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
Proverbs 22:24-25
Don’t befriend a hot-tempered man, and don’t associate with one who harbors anger: lest you learn his ways, and ensnare your soul.
1 Corinthians 15:33
Don’t be deceived! “Evil companionships corrupt good morals.”
Choosing the Right Friends
Proverbs 13:20
One who walks with wise men grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
Psalms 119:63
I am a friend of all those who fear you, of those who observe your precepts.
2 Timothy 2:22
Flee from youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Bible Verses About How to Be a Good Friend
Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity.
Philippians 2:3-4
Doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself; each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.
Colossians 3:12
Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance…
Bible Verses About Communication in Friendship
Ephesians 4:29-32
Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear. Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.
Proverbs 15:28
The heart of the righteous weighs answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes out evil.
Bible Verses About Forgiveness in Friendship
Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Ephesians 4:32
And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
Colossians 3:13 (NIV)
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Bible Verses About Conflict Resolution in Friendship
Matthew 18:15-17
If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother. But if he doesn’t listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector.
Ephesians 4:2-3
With all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Philippians 4:2-3
I exhort Euodia, and I exhort Syntyche, to think the same way in the Lord. Yes, I beg you also, true partner, help these women, for they labored with me in the Good News with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Bible Verses About Friendship During Difficult Times
Proverbs 18:24
A man of many companions may be ruined, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
John 19:26-27
Therefore when Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour, the disciple took her to his own home.
Bible Verses About Friendship During Times of Celebration
Proverbs 11:25
The liberal soul shall be made fat. He who waters shall be watered also himself.
Ecclesiastes 9:7
Go your way—eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.
Romans 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.
Bible Verses About Friendship That Lasts a Lifetime
1 Samuel 18:1-4
When he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Saul took him that day, and wouldn’t let him go home to his father’s house any more. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David with his clothing, even including his sword, his bow, and his sash.
1 Samuel 20:42
Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have both sworn in Yahweh’s name, saying, ‘Yahweh is between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’”
John 15:15
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.
Bible Verses About Love and Friendship
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient and is kind. Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails.
Colossians 3:14
Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection.
John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just like I have loved you, you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 15:12
This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does God say about true friendship?
Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity.” That means true friendship is marked by unconditional love.
Love comes in many forms, including friendship. It isn’t exclusively romantic. Jesus never married, but he maintained deep and loving relationships with many of his disciples (John 13:34-35). Paul didn’t marry either, and we see him expressing his love for his friends in ministry as well (Philippians 1:8, 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8).
Therefore, love that ennobles and uplifts is the mark of true friendship.
What does scripture say about the power of friendship?
Friendship is so potent that it can either refine one’s character or destroy it. The Bible is rife with examples and counsels on how friendship can build us up or lead us to ruin.
Proverbs 12:26 reminds us, “A righteous person is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” A righteous person is careful because they know the eternal impact of a close relationship, for good or evil.
We need each other to get through the trials of this life (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10), but “Don’t be deceived! Evil companionships corrupt good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33).
What does Proverbs 27:9 say about friendship?
Have you ever smelled a fragrant perfume that caught your attention? A delightful smell causes us to focus on the scent and often exclaim, “Do you smell that? It smells amazing!” That joyful, excited feeling is how Proverbs 27:9 describes receiving honest, heartfelt advice from a friend:
“Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart; so does earnest counsel from a man’s friend.”
God Reveals His Love Through Friendship
Throughout scripture, God reveals that friendship is a powerful and important part of the human experience. In the beginning, God said that Adam should not be alone (Genesis 2:18), so He created Eve.
While that verse is generally used to discuss the importance of marriage, not everyone will marry (neither Jesus nor Paul married). Instead, that verse magnifies the value of all our relationships: family and friends. God is a triune being, three equals in constant, loving relationships. That’s how we should be as well.
Take a moment and ask God to bless your friendships or to ask Him to lead righteous friends into your life. God wants all of us to know the closeness of companionship. We aren’t meant to be alone. We are meant for community. We are meant for love.
