bible verses about rejection

Bible Verses About Rejection: 12

Bible verses about rejection: 12 Scriptures on being cast off, refused, and received by God when people turn away.

Illustrated portrait of Christopher McAllister

By Christopher McAllister

Founder of theBibleand.Love

Published September 30, 2026Updated October 27, 20265 min readPsalm 27:10 (NIV)

A figure with a lamp walks a ridge path as dawn light arrives among wildflowers.

"Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me."

— Psalm 27:10 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about rejection want Scripture for being cast off, refused, or set aside — not only the loneliness list (feeling 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 loneliness, Bible verses about comfort, Bible verses about grief, Bible verses about healing, Bible verses about hope, Bible verses about strength, and Bible verses about love. Rejection here means being cast off or refused — distinct from loneliness alone when no one has turned you away. He was despised and rejected; that title is gathered in the Man of Sorrows.

Word study (lead theme). In Greek, "reject" / "set at nought" is often ἀθετέω atheteo (Strong's G114; Bible Hub G114) — to do away with, refuse, or make void. Scripture treats rejection as a real casting-off — and as a place where the Lord still receives.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalm 27 presses that when nearest relations fail, the Lord will take up the forsaken — parental forsaking is named so God's receiving can be trusted (Bible Hub commentaries on Psalm 27:10; Bible Hub MHC Psalms 27; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Psalm 27). On Luke 10 he marks that to despise Christ's messengers is to despise him — atheteo lands on the One who sends (Bible Hub commentaries on Luke 10:16; Bible Hub MHC Luke 10).

12 Bible verses about rejection

  1. Psalm 27:10. "Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me." Earthly forsaking is named; the Lord's receiving is the answer when the nearest refuse. See Bible verses about loneliness.

  2. Luke 10:16. "Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me." Rejection of the messenger lands on Christ and the Sender — atheteo is not a small slight. See Bible verses about faith.

  3. Luke 17:25. "But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation." Rejection is named on the way ahead — this generation's refusal does not cancel the path. See Bible verses about grief when the wound is loss of someone to death.

  4. John 1:11. "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." His own did not receive him — refusal at the door of belonging. See Bible verses about love.

  5. Psalm 118:22. "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." Builders' rejection does not cancel God's choice — the refused stone becomes the cornerstone. See Bible verses about hope.

  6. 1 Peter 2:4. "As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him." Rejected by humans and chosen by God can both be true — precious to him names the other verdict. See Bible verses about encouragement.

  7. John 15:18. "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." World-hate is not a surprise path — it hated him first. See Bible verses about strength.

  8. Psalm 94:14. "For the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance." God's people are not cast off by him — will-not-reject is covenant language. See Bible verses about trust.

  9. Isaiah 49:15. "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!" Even if a mother forgets, God will not — remembrance answers forsaking. See Bible verses about comfort.

  10. 1 Samuel 8:7. "And the Lord told him: 'Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.'" Sometimes the refusal aimed at you lands first on God — Samuel is told the rejection is of the Lord as king.

  11. Romans 8:31. "What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" God's "for us" reframes human against-us — rejection is not the last court. See Bible verses about hope.

  12. Matthew 10:14. "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet." Unwelcome is answered with leaving and dust shaken — not with chasing every closed door. See Bible verses about prayer.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse for prayer after a closed door, a card for someone cast off, or teaching that God receives the forsaken — not twelve as a quick fix. If you need though-they-forsake-me, start with Psalm 27:10. If you need rejects-you-rejects-me, start with Luke 10:16. If you need rejected-by-this-generation, start with Luke 17:25. For feeling alone without a casting-off, see Bible verses about loneliness. For comfort language, see Bible verses about comfort. For repair after hurt, see Bible verses about healing. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse for rejection?

Psalm 27:10 (the Lord will receive me), Luke 10:16 (rejects you rejects me), and Luke 17:25 (rejected by this generation) are clear starting places.

How do Bible verses about rejection differ from loneliness verses?

Loneliness pages center feeling alone and God's nearness when company is thin; a rejection page focuses being cast off, refused, or set at nought. Cross-link Bible verses about loneliness.

What does atheteo mean?

Strong's G114 atheteo is to do away with, refuse, or make void — to set aside as nothing, not only to feel distant.

Does God reject his people?

Psalm 94:14 says the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance — human refusal is not God's last word over his own.

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

Start with Bible verses about loneliness, then Bible verses about comfort, Bible verses about hope, and Bible verses about healing.

Sources

A woman with a lamp walks a ridge path at dawn.

Keep reading