Bible Verses by Topic
Bible Verses About Friendship
A key Bible verse about friendship is Proverbs 17:17: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of trouble.” Scripture honors loyal friends, shows two people stronger than one, remembers David and Jonathan, and records Jesus calling his followers friends. Below are the verses on faithful friends, on being better together, on friends in the Bible and on friendship with Jesus, each word for word in Father’s Heart Bible™ and linked into the chapter so you can read Proverbs 17 free and hear it.
A friend loves at all times
Scripture prizes the friend who stays.
Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of trouble.
Read & listen to Proverbs 17Proverbs 18:24
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Read & listen to Proverbs 18Proverbs 27:6
A friend's wounds are faithful, but an enemy's kisses are deceitful.
Read & listen to Proverbs 27Better together
We were made for company, and good friends carry us.
Ecclesiastes 4:9–10
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If one falls, the other lifts him up. But pity the one who falls alone, with no one to help him up.
Read & listen to Ecclesiastes 4Ecclesiastes 4:12
One alone can be overpowered; two can resist. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Read & listen to Ecclesiastes 4Galatians 6:2
Carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Read & listen to Galatians 61 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
Read & listen to 1 Thessalonians 5Friends in the Bible
David and Jonathan show loyalty that lasts.
1 Samuel 18:1
When David finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan's soul was tied to David's, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
Read & listen to 1 Samuel 181 Samuel 18:3
Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.
Read & listen to 1 Samuel 18Proverbs 27:9
Oil and incense gladden the heart, and the sweetness of a friend comes from heartfelt counsel.
Read & listen to Proverbs 27Proverbs 13:20
Whoever walks with the wise grows wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm.
Read & listen to Proverbs 13Jesus calls us friends
The Son has made us friends of our Father.
John 15:13
No one has greater love than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.
Read & listen to John 15John 15:15
I no longer call you servants—a servant doesn't know what his master does. I call you friends, since I've made known to you everything I heard from my Father.
Read & listen to John 15Hebrews 10:24–25
And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good works, not giving up meeting together, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other—even more as you see the Day approaching.
Read & listen to Hebrews 10Romans 12:10
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Read & listen to Romans 12A friend loves at all times: Proverbs 17
Proverbs 17 holds the best-known line on friendship. Read or hear the chapter below, then follow it to the full chapter.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Bible verse about friendship?
Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of trouble.”
What does the Bible say about true friends?
Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” A true friend is measured by staying close, not by how many there are.
Why are two people better than one?
Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If one falls, the other lifts him up. But pity the one who falls alone, with no one to help him up.”
Does Jesus call us friends?
Yes. In John 15:15 he says, “I no longer call you servants—a servant doesn't know what his master does. I call you friends, since I've made known to you everything I heard from my Father.”
How does the Bible say friends should treat each other?
Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Keep going: read Ecclesiastes 4 or John 15, browse more Bible verses by topic, see the verses on love, the verses on family or the verses on forgiveness.
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