Biblical Words of Sympathy

Verses most often chosen

All quotations are King James Version, public domain.

1. 1 Psalm 34:18 — "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart."
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2. 2 Matthew 5:4 — "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."
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3. 3 Psalm 147:3 — "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds."
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4. 4 Revelation 21:4 — "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."
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5. 5 Psalm 23:4 — "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."
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6. 6 Isaiah 41:10 — "Fear thou not; for I am with thee."
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How to use one without it sounding like a leaflet

1. 7 Put your own sentence first and the verse second: "I am so sorry about your mum. This is the one I keep coming back to —"
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2. 8 One verse. Two is a sermon.
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3. 9 Say why you chose it. "This was read at my father’s funeral and it helped me" does more than the verse alone.
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To a family whose beliefs you do not know

1. 10 Thinking of you, and holding you in my thoughts.
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2. 11 I am so sorry for your loss.
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3. 12 Sending you every good wish I have.
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Questions people actually ask