Friendship is one of life’s greatest treasures. When you think about the people who’ve shaped your journey, chances are a few close friends come to mind. The kind who show up when everyone else walks away. The ones who celebrate your wins like they’re their own and sit with you in the mess without trying to fix everything.
The Bible has so much to say about friendship because God knows we weren’t designed to do life alone. Scripture shows us that genuine friendships aren’t just nice to have, they’re essential for our spiritual growth and emotional wellbeing. From David and Jonathan’s legendary bond to the way Jesus called His disciples friends, the Bible paints a picture of what authentic connection looks like.
These verses reveal that true friendship goes deeper than shared interests or convenient proximity. It’s about loyalty when things get tough, honest words even when they sting a little, and the kind of love that sharpens us into better versions of ourselves. Whether you’re thanking God for the friends you have or asking Him to bring the right people into your life, these scriptures remind us that friendship is a gift worth cherishing and a calling worth pursuing.
Bible Verses About Friendship
- Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
- Proverbs 18:24
One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
- Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
- Proverbs 27:6
Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.
- John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
- John 15:15
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.
- Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
- Proverbs 27:9
Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
- 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.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33
Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.
- Proverbs 13:20
Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.
- Proverbs 27:10
Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family, and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you; better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.
- Job 6:14
Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
- Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
- 1 Samuel 18:1
After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.
- Galatians 6:2
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
- Colossians 3:13
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
- Proverbs 16:28
A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.
- James 4:4
You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
- John 15:12-14
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.
- Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
- Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
- 1 John 4:7
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
- Proverbs 12:26
The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
- Amos 3:3
Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?
- 1 Peter 4:8
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
- Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
- Proverbs 20:6
Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?
- Ruth 1:16
But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”
- 2 Corinthians 6:14
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
- Proverbs 17:9
Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
- 1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
- Matthew 18:20
For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.
- Ecclesiastes 4:12
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Our Summary on What The Bible Says About Friendship
The Bible doesn’t sugarcoat friendship. It presents it as something beautiful but also something that requires intention, wisdom, and sometimes tough decisions. Real friendship, according to Scripture, isn’t about having someone to hang out with when it’s convenient. It’s about commitment that lasts through the hard seasons.
One theme that shows up repeatedly is the idea that friends shape us. Proverbs warns us multiple times to choose our companions carefully because we become like the people we spend time with. If you surround yourself with people who love God and pursue wisdom, you’ll find yourself growing in those directions too. But keep company with folks who are reckless or ungodly, and you’ll likely pick up their habits without even realizing it.
The Bible also emphasizes that true friends tell you the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. That verse about wounds from a friend being trustworthy? That’s powerful. A real friend won’t just tell you what you want to hear. They’ll love you enough to call you out when you’re headed down the wrong path. That kind of honesty might sting in the moment, but it’s evidence of genuine care.
What really stands out is how Scripture connects friendship with sacrifice and service. Jesus set the ultimate standard by calling His disciples friends and then laying down His life for them. That’s the model we’re called to follow. Friendship isn’t about what we can get from someone else. It’s about showing up, carrying burdens together, encouraging each other toward what’s good and right.
The verses about companionship in hard times hit differently when you’ve actually been through something difficult. There’s that passage in Ecclesiastes about two being better than one because when one falls, the other can help them up. Life knocks all of us down sometimes. Having someone there to pull you back up, to remind you of truth when you’ve forgotten it, to pray with you when you don’t have the words yourself, that’s not just nice. It’s necessary.
God designed us for connection. The Trinity itself is a picture of perfect relationship and community. When we invest in godly friendships, when we love sacrificially and speak truth wrapped in grace, when we sharpen each other and point each other back to Jesus, we’re reflecting something of God’s own nature. That’s why friendship matters so much in Scripture. It’s not secondary to the Christian life. It’s central to how we grow and how we reveal God’s love to the world.
Say This Prayer for Friendship
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of friendship and for the people You’ve placed in my life who love me well. Help me to be the kind of friend who reflects Your love, speaking truth with grace and showing up even when it’s inconvenient.
Give me wisdom to choose companions who will draw me closer to You and courage to be honest when it matters most. When my friends are struggling, help me carry their burdens without trying to fix everything.
Teach me to celebrate their victories like they’re my own and to point them back to You in every season. Bring godly friendships into my life, and make me faithful to nurture the ones I already have. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
