The Hebrew Scriptures use a variety of words to convey different aspects of grief, and each highlights specific dimensions of the grieving experience. A number of them stem from three Hebrew roots: y‑g‑h, kh‑l‑h and s‑p‑d.

According to the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, the primary meaning of the root y‑g‑h is “mental troubling resulting from affliction.” It emphasizes the psychological aspects of grief, stressing “mental sorrow” as the central component.

Another root, kh‑l‑h, fundamentally means “to become sick or faint.” When used in the context of grief, it suggests becoming ill with mental anguish, drawing a parallel between emotional suffering and physical illness. Isaiah 53:3, which prophetically describes Jesus Christ in terms of a suffering servant, uses this root when stating He was “acquainted with illness” (NET Bible) or “with infirmity” (NRSV). But as many other translations indicate, this likely refers to grief rather than physical ailment. Remarkably, the connection between physical and emotional pain is real. Scientists have found that both have a similar neural signature: Emotional distress can lead to physical pain and vice versa.

A third Hebrew root, s‑p‑d, deals almost exclusively with mourning and grief specifically related to the death of a loved one. It represents both the sorrow felt internally and the formal rituals practiced to express bereavement and mourning.

Sorrow is not incompatible with God’s nature or perfect righteousness. In fact, the Bible presents several instances where the Father and Jesus Christ have experienced grief.

The book of Genesis describes God’s grief over humanity’s wickedness before the Flood, showing divine sorrow over human moral failure.

Genesis 6:5–6 (NRSV)
The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. ⁶And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

God also expresses grief over Israel’s rejection of Him, along with the associated frustration of continually reaching out and being left with no response.

Isaiah 65:1–2 (NRSV)
“I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that did not call on my name. ²I held out my hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices.”

The New Testament presents Jesus as experiencing profound grief on multiple occasions. For instance, when He laments Jerusalem’s rejection of Him, He expresses deep sorrow over the city’s spiritual condition.

Matthew 23:37 (NRSV)
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

Anyone who has lost a dear friend or family member can appreciate the Bible’s simple description of Jesus’ response when His friend Lazarus died:

John 11:35 (NRSV)
Jesus began to weep.

And as Jesus anticipated His impending death, He openly shared His anguish with some of His disciples and explicitly asked them to stay awake with Him.

Matthew 26:37–38 (NRSV)
He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be grieved and agitated. ³⁸Then he said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.”

The Bible acknowledges that grief isn’t only a product of loss. Unfulfilled longing can also produce profound sorrow along with other complex emotions that are common among those grieving. Before conceiving the prophet Samuel, Hannah grieved so deeply because of her childlessness that Eli (the priest) thought she was drunk.

1 Samuel 1:14–16 (NRSV)
So Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.” ¹⁵But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. ¹⁶Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.”

David experienced multiple forms of grief throughout his life, expressing his sorrow in countless psalms. He grieved over the deaths of Abner, Saul and Jonathan; the death of his and Bathsheba’s infant son; and his own moral failures, particularly his affair with Bathsheba (Psalm 51). He also acknowledged his grief over a close friend’s betrayal:

Psalm 55:12–14 (NRSV)
It is not enemies who taunt me—I could bear that; it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me—I could hide from them. ¹³But it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend, ¹⁴with whom I kept pleasant company; we walked in the house of God with the throng.

As we’ve seen, the Bible validates expressing grief in many ways, including in prayer to God. Psalm 88 represents one of the darkest portrayals of grief in Scripture, offering little resolution but demonstrating that raw expressions of pain are acceptable to God. As this psalm demonstrates, the biblical narrative doesn’t suggest that grief must be followed by positive thoughts, nor that it will be quickly resolved. The entire book of Lamentations, in fact, serves as an extended grief response to the destruction of Jerusalem, showing that prolonged mourning over significant losses is biblically legitimate.

The idea of stages of grief isn’t addressed in the Bible (and in fact contemporary grief counselors no longer suggest grief manifests that way), but there are passages that acknowledge the complex nature of human responses to loss. For instance, several Hebrew words used to describe Job’s emotional state during his trial are associated with anger and other emotions as well as grief:

Job 6:2 (NRSV)
“O that my vexation were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances!”

Job 17:7 (NRSV)
“My eye has grown dim from grief, and all my members are like a shadow.”

All of the previous examples (including those of God and Christ) show that grief is neither sinful nor an indication of spiritual weakness. We shouldn’t try rushing it to a resolution or avoid feeling it. Rather, the biblical narrative grants explicit permission to experience grief. It has a proper place and time in our lives.

Ecclesiastes 3:4 (NRSV)
[There is] a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance. . . .

The Bible also emphasizes the importance of community support during these inevitable times of grief. In addition to providing direct instructions to share one another’s grief, it offers multiple examples of this kind of support in action.

John 11:17–19 (NRSV)
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. ¹⁸Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, ¹⁹and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother.

Later, when Mary went to meet Jesus, others accompanied her. Jesus was moved, not only by the grief of the women themselves but also by the grief of those in the community who were consoling and supporting them.

John 11:32–33 (NRSV)
When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.

As we’ve noted, Jesus asked His disciples to stay with Him during His distress before His arrest and crucifixion. But there are many more examples that establish the principle of shared sorrow and the need for companionship during grief. One such account is that of Job’s friends, who initially sat with him in silence for seven days.

Job 2:11–13 (NRSV)
Now when Job’s three friends heard of all these troubles that had come upon him, each of them set out from his home. . . . They met together to go and console and comfort him. ¹²When they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him, and they raised their voices and wept aloud; they tore their robes and threw dust in the air upon their heads. ¹³They sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

Job’s friends initially demonstrated appropriate grief support by sitting in silent solidarity. But as they began to speak, their comments proved increasingly hurtful to Job. Each of his friends in turn offered his unsolicited opinion about why Job was suffering. In doing this, they misjudged the situation entirely and made a number of wrong assumptions about Job’s innocence, as well as about God’s nature and intentions. They falsely assumed Job must have committed a terrible hidden sin, for which God was punishing him. What they didn’t know was that Satan (referred to in Scripture as “the accuser”) had undertaken to test Job’s loyalty to God, specifically because he was such an upright person (Job 1:6–12; 2:1–7). Even after Satan had taken everything he had, however, Job didn’t turn against God.

Job 1:20–22 (NRSV)
Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshiped. ²¹He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” ²²In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.

Not only were Job’s friends wrong in their assumptions about his behavior and God’s, but in offering support for a grieving friend, they also failed miserably. When someone is experiencing grief, it’s not the time to offer unsolicited opinions about what they could have done differently or about how to manage their grief. Job’s response to their lectures makes this clear:

Job 16:2–3 (NRSV)
“I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all. ³Have windy words no limit? Or what provokes you that you keep on talking?”

Later in the book of Job, God Himself admonishes Job’s friends for their behavior:

Job 42:7 (NRSV)
After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.”

While engaging with family, friends and community for the encouragement we need is critical, the Bible also has much to say about the importance of engaging God for support in times of grief. Scripture presents God as actively involved in comforting the grieving.

For instance, Psalm 34:18 assures that “the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (New International Version). And in a poetic metaphor, Psalm 56:8 suggests that God collects the tears of the grieving in a bottle, picturing His attention to and remembrance of human sorrow.

When we’re weighed down by heavy distress, we’re encouraged to take our grief to God:

Psalm 55:22 (NRSV)
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you.

The Bible consistently offers hope to those experiencing grief. Matthew 5:4 promises that “those who mourn . . . will be comforted”; and 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 addresses grief following someone’s death by offering hope based in God’s plan for resurrection and eternal life. The book of Revelation provides the ultimate reassurance in that God will eventually resolve all pain and suffering and grief.

Revelation 21:3–4 (NRSV)
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and be their God; ⁴he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”

When we finally begin to feel relief from grief, the Bible encourages us to recognize God’s role in that restoration. Many psalms express gratitude for God’s comfort and help, while recognizing grief’s relatively temporary nature in the broader context of God’s faithfulness, which lasts forever.

Psalm 30:1–5 (NRSV)
I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and did not let my foes rejoice over me. ²O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. ³O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. ⁴Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. ⁵For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

The Bible doesn’t promise we won’t experience grief, sorrow and other traumatic circumstances during our lives, but it does offer reassurance (again using metaphorical language) that we’re not alone when we do experience it:

Isaiah 43:2 (NRSV)
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”

One way we can make meaning of our grief is by recognizing that the inner growth we’ve gained from our experience can help others. Rather than giving advice about how to grieve, we can support them by recognizing the complexity of grief, and by demonstrating the patience and understanding necessary to allow their grief to unfold uniquely. Having experienced our own need for loving support, and having received the quiet strength of God’s presence and assurances, we’ve grown better equipped to offer our quiet strength, presence and support to others.

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 (NRSV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, ⁴who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.

The biblical perspective suggests that grief is a natural consequence of living in an imperfect world. We aren’t immune to it despite having faith—and strong faith doesn’t preclude intense grief. Instead, we understand that grief is a natural response to the brokenness and loss that permeate the present physical world. Acknowledging this doesn’t mean we lack hope for ultimate restoration.

Examples of faithful followers of God experiencing deep sorrow, as well as the descriptions of divine grief, suggest that grief and faith aren’t contradictory states. Grief does not indicate spiritual weakness or lack of trust in God.

The Bible emphasizes communal support, such as showing compassion for others or visiting those in need. This sets high expectations for how communities should respond to those who grieve. The principle of “mourning with those who mourn” establishes a template for the kind of grief support that requires us to show true compassion in the form of physical presence, patience and practical help.

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to mourn with those who mourn when we’re not aware they’ve suffered a loss, or we assume their loss to be relatively minor. This is often referred to as disenfranchised grief, and it’s experienced when society doesn’t recognize or validate certain types of loss. The Bible’s approach to grief acknowledges multiple forms of loss and sorrow. It recognizes that people may have valid reasons to grieve, even when their loss is overlooked by others or dismissed by society, such as in longing for a child, grief over a personal shortcoming, or physical separation from a homeland or a loved one.

We must also recognize that there are limits in modern society to the emotional support systems that community and family networks can provide in times of grief. Without these networks, or in other difficult circumstances, there may be times when grief becomes complicated or leads to clinical depression. As with any other physical or mental health issue, the biblical perspective supports seeking professional intervention when we need it.

Contemporary grief counselors depend on many principles that are in line with biblical perspectives on grief. They recognize that managing grief requires time, community support, and hope for the future, all of which align with biblical wisdom. Modern understandings of healthy grief-processing also often acknowledge the dimensions of spiritual support and meaning-making—and the biblical narrative has much to say about the overarching meaning of life.

The biblical view of humanity’s purpose balances our present, sometimes grim, reality with a future hope. While acknowledging that grief is inevitable, the biblical narrative consoles us with the assurance that it’s also temporary. This isn’t meant to rush the grieving process but rather to provide the assurance that current suffering won’t last forever.

People grieve different losses in different ways, and the biblical examples we’ve examined demonstrate this without suggesting that it’s somehow wrong. Nowhere does the Bible say we should respond to grief with uniform responses or within a specific timeline.

The Bible presents grief as a legitimate and clearly difficult—though mercifully temporary—part of the human experience. It contains a wealth of scriptures that offer comfort for those experiencing grief, as well as guidance for those looking for ways to better support the grieving.

The ultimate message is that we can acknowledge the very real pain of grief while maintaining confidence in the certainty of eventual healing and complete restoration.