Planning a funeral is not something to look forward to, however, it is an important opportunity to bring closure to family and friends.
Within the Bible, there are many funeral Scriptures that can help express our thoughts and emotions. The Scriptures provide perspective that only God has. They can give hope to your loved-one, that they may live in eternity beyond their life on Earth.
The 28 funeral Scriptures from the New and Old Testament that follow, offer hope to those in mourning. The verses touch on a variety of themes, such as “God’s promises”, “not fearing death”, and a “time for everything”. There is beauty and comfort in the verses and they provide an important perspective of life and death.
God has a way of providing peace to us even in the most difficult of times and these Bible verses share God’s hope for our loved-ones and for those who have lost their family and friends.
Lean On God After Death
Attending the funeral of a loved-one is among the most difficult things we will do in life. Our close friends and family play an important role in our development and they are people we see frequently.
To think about never seeing them again is painful to think about, and loss brings on emotions that we rarely experience.
In most families of faith, Biblical Scripture will be recited during a funeral. Funeral scripture can help bring peace of mind to friends and family and reassure that their loved one is safe in heaven.
It’s not uncommon to see family members revisit their faith after loss. The experience expands our perspective to think about what happens when we die. God’s wisdom is powerful and comforting (also read my example prayers for blessings).
His Word reminds us that our time on Earth is only a short time compared to the eternity we will spend in heaven.
Old Testament Scriptures For Funerals
1. Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 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. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
2. Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip; he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you, the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm, he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
>> also ready my prayers for adult children
3. Job 19:23-27
Oh, that my words were written. Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! That they were engraved on a rock with an iron pen and lead, forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives and he shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me.
4. Isaiah 35:4-6
Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, fear not. Behold your God will come with a vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert…
5. Psalm 61:1-2
Hear my cry O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
6. Isaiah 57:1-2
The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands they are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.
7. Lamentations 3:32
But though he causes grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
8. Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
9. Ecclesiastes 3:1-4
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.
10. Ecclesiastes 12:7
And the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to the God who gave it.
>> Example Prayers for a Busy Mother
11. Psalm 27:4-5
One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the days of trouble he will keep me safe in his house; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.
12. Revelation 21:4
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or crying or mourning or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
New Testament Scriptures For Funerals
13. 2 Corinthians 5:6-8
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
14. Matthew 25:21
His Lord said unto him, well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord.
15. Romans 14:7
For none of us lives for ourselves alone and none of us dies for ourselves alone.
16. Romans 14:8-9
For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For this very reason Christ died and returned to life, for that he might be the Lord for both the dead and the living.
17. Philippians 3:20-21
But our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord who will change our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself.
18. Luke 23:43
He said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
19. 2 Corinthians 5:1
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
20. Revelation 21:6-7
And he said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. The thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment. He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son.
21. Revelation 21:4
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, nor shall there by mourning, nor crying, nor pain, for the former things have passed away.
22. Romans 8:38-39
For I am sure that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
23. Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
24. John 14:1-4
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.”
25. Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to those that love God, for those who are called according to his purpose
26. 2 Timothy 2:11-13
The saying is sure: If we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him; if we endure, we shall also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny himself
27. John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?
28. Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Funeral Readings From The Bible: Themes
When looking for funeral scriptures in the Bible, we can expect to find several themes. God promises that He will welcome believers to heaven.
He reminds us that we should not worry about our earthly possessions, nor should we fear death. Instead we should celebrate our good work on Earth and gladly join Him in heaven.
Below are a few reminders of what God tells us in various funeral scriptures.
- Upon Death, Life Is Only Beginning
Our time on Earth is temporary and those who are strong in faith have lived their life accordingly. In fact, for believers, life upon death is the start of eternity in heaven.
Eternity amongst other believers, including friends and family. Knowing this should give us hope.
Luke 23:43 Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise
- God Promises
God’s promises never fail and He makes several promises about our lives after death on Earth. He will care for us in heaven and this should give our loved-ones on Earth confidence that death is okay.
Family and friends will struggle to accept loss, however, God’s perspective is so much larger than our own. In Isaiah 25 it states “He will come and save you”.
- Don’t Fear Death
Death is the unknown, however, to a person of strong faith, death is actually the process of being born again – into heaven. In Psalm 121 we are reminded “the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
- There Is A Time For Everything
Ecclesiastes shares one of my favorite verses about life and death. We learn there is a time for everything: “There is a time to be born and to die, a time to plant and to uproot.”
As difficult as it may be to family and friends, we come into this world knowing we will one day pass.
Conclusion
If you’ve attended a funeral, you’ve probably heard the wisdom of God through funeral Scriptures. God’s Word, even to those who don’t believe, is powerful and comforting.
With loss comes uncertainty, and God has a way of putting our mind at ease and reminding us of the promises He has made – that those who have faithfully followed Him will live in eternity with the Lord.
The funeral scriptures we’ve shared offer verses from the Old Testament and the New Testament. Each verse has its own context and knowing its author can help us better understand the meaning.
Psalm 23 is one of the most famous verses in the Bible. It is beautiful, profound, and offers perspective to life and death that only God can provide.
Ecclesiastes 3 is one of my favorites and reminds us there is a “time for everything”. Life is a blessing that God provides, however, we enter this world knowing there will be an end.
If you’ve recently suffered the loss of a loved one, I pray that you find solace in some of the funeral Scriptures I’ve mentioned. Give your worries to God and know that He will provide!
