What Does the Bible Say About Friendship? 8 Verses and What Each One Means
The main Bible verses about friendship are Proverbs 17:17, Proverbs 18:24, John 15:13 and Ecclesiastes 4:9-10. Proverbs 17:17 is the most quoted: "A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity". Proverbs 18:24 speaks of "a friend who sticks closer than a brother". John 15:13 sets the limit of love between friends: laying down your life for them. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 shows the practical advantage of not being alone. This page collects 8 Bible verses about friendship with the full text, the reference and a one-line explanation for each.
The Bible takes friendship seriously. Proverbs describes the friend who loves at all times, the one who sticks closer than a brother and the one who sharpens the other as iron sharpens iron — friends who make us better, even when they say what we do not want to hear. Ruth chooses to stay with Naomi when no one forced her; David and Jonathan keep their loyalty under political pressure. And Jesus calls the disciples friends, not servants, saying no one has greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. The verses on this page are for thanking a friend, for their birthday, for mending a friendship and for remembering that loneliness is not the last word.
A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity.
Proverbs 17:17A man of many companions may be ruined, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens his friend’s countenance.
Proverbs 27:17Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart; so does earnest counsel from a man’s friend.
Proverbs 27:9No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.
John 15:15Ruth said, “Don’t urge me to leave you, and to return from following you, for where you go, I will go; and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God.
Ruth 1:16
Frequently asked questions
Which verse says a friend loves at all times?
Proverbs 17:17: "A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity".
What does "iron sharpens iron" mean?
Proverbs 27:17 compares friends to two blades: honest company, with advice and even correction, makes both sharper — better.
Which verse works for a friend's birthday?
Proverbs 18:24, Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 and the blessing in Numbers 6:24-26 are good choices for a card or an image.
See also
Scripture text: World English Bible (WEB), public domain. Prayers, introductions and reflections: original text by this site, not affiliated with any denomination. Devotional content; it does not replace medical, psychological or legal advice.