bible verses about mourning

Bible Verses About Mourning: 12

Bible verses about mourning: 12 Scriptures on pentheo, grief seasons, and comfort.

Illustrated portrait of Christopher McAllister

By Christopher McAllister

Founder of theBibleand.Love

Published September 30, 20264 min readMatthew 5:4 (NIV)

A woman sits beside a grieving person on a hillside while a man holds a clay lamp nearby.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

— Matthew 5:4 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about mourning want Scripture on the season and act of mourning — not only the broader grief list or the comfort list alone. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about grief, Bible verses about comfort, Bible verses about hope, Bible verses about peace, Bible verses about rest, and Bible verse of the day. Mourning here means abel / pentheō — weeping, lament, and the Beatitude promise — distinct from general grief themes alone.

Word study (lead theme). In Hebrew, "mourn" often uses אָבַל abal / related forms (Strong's H60; Bible Hub H60) — to mourn, lament. In Greek it is often πενθέω pentheō (Strong's G3996; Bible Hub G3996) — to mourn, grieve, lament. Matthew 5:4 blesses those who mourn; Ecclesiastes 3:4 names a time to mourn. Mourning is honest sorrow before God — not a performance.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 5 marks the blessed mourners as those who sorrow for sin and for the world's misery, and who will be comforted (Bible Hub MHC Matthew 5; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Matthew 5). On Ecclesiastes 3 he presses that there is a season for every purpose under heaven, including a time to weep and a time to mourn (Bible Hub MHC Ecclesiastes 3; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 3). (The broader grief list lives on that page; this list centers mourning itself.)

12 Bible verses about mourning

  1. Matthew 5:4. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Blessed mourners — comforted. See Bible verses about comfort.

  2. Ecclesiastes 3:4. "a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance," A time to mourn. See Bible verses about rest.

  3. Psalm 30:11. "You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy," Mourning turned to dancing. See Bible verses about hope.

  4. Matthew 2:18. "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." Great mourning — refusing to be comforted. See Bible verses about comfort.

  5. Jeremiah 31:13. "Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow." Mourning into gladness. See Bible verses about hope.

  6. John 16:20. "Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy." Weep and mourn — grief turns to joy. See Bible verses about hope.

  7. Luke 6:21. "Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh." Blessed who weep now. See Bible verses about hope.

  8. James 4:9. "Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom." Mourn in repentance. See Bible verses about repentance.

  9. Genesis 50:10. "When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father." Seven days of mourning for Jacob. See Bible verses about grief.

  10. 2 Samuel 1:12. "They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword." David mourns Saul and Jonathan. See Bible verses about grief.

  11. Lamentations 5:15. "Joy is gone from our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning." Dancing turned to mourning. See Bible verses about grief.

  12. Psalm 42:3. "My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, 'Where is your God?'" Tears day and night. See Bible verses about prayer.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse when you need mourning — not twelve as a grind. If you need the Beatitude promise, start with Matthew 5:4. If you need a season named, open Ecclesiastes 3:4. If you need mourning turned, open Psalm 30:11 or Jeremiah 31:13. For the broader grief list, open Bible verses about grief. For comfort, open Bible verses about comfort. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about mourning?

Matthew 5:4 (blessed are those who mourn), Ecclesiastes 3:4 (a time to mourn), and Psalm 30:11 (wailing into dancing) are clear starting places.

How do Bible verses about mourning differ from grief?

The live grief page can cover sorrow broadly. A mourning page centers abel / pentheō as the named season and act — then cross-links grief, comfort, and hope. See Bible verses about grief.

What do abel and pentheō mean?

Hebrew mourning vocabulary around abal (H60) means to mourn or lament. Greek pentheō (G3996) means to mourn, grieve, or lament. Together they name honest sorrow before God.

Does God bless mourning?

Matthew 5:4 says those who mourn are blessed and will be comforted. John 16:20 says weeping and mourning will turn to joy. See Bible verses about comfort.

Where can I read more about grief, comfort, and hope?

Start with Bible verses about grief, then Bible verses about comfort, Bible verses about hope, and Bible verses about peace.

Sources

A hand rests on a shoulder beside wild herbs and an unlit clay lamp.

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