Bible Verses and Quotes
About Friends and Friendship

Here are some short inspirational bible verses about friendship.


Some of the best friendship quotes are found in the bible.


King Solomon, one of the wisest people to ever live, made a collection of wise sayings for his people, and for all time.


Today we know it as the Book of Proverbs.



Jesus is our best friend. He also told us how we can be his true friend.

A true friend is not just someone who makes you feel good to be around. A real friend is someone who will get you where you need to be going. In turn, you can be a real friend to them and hold them accountable to where they need to be going.

Together, you can form the best friendship, one that leads both of you to the greatest destiny - a happy eternity together in Heaven.


Best Friendship Quotes from Jesus

I recommend you look these quotes up in your favorite Bible translation.

At the Last Supper, the night before he died, Jesus talked about friendship. He gave us some very important principles regarding friends and friendship. This is what he told his followers:

"There is no greater love than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

"You are my friends if you do the things I command you." (John 15:14)

"I no longer call you servants (or slaves), because a master does not confide in his servants (slaves). You are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me." (John 15:15)


Some More Examples from Jesus about Friendship

Jesus called Lazarus his friend. (John 11:11)

Even when Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, Jesus called him friend, with the hope of giving him every chance to repent of his sins. (Matthew 26:50) How hurt Jesus must have been, to be betrayed by Judas, who was his companion for several years. Because of greed for a little money, Judas destroyed his friendship with the best friend of all.

Jesus taught us to make friends with our worldly goods and resources. "Make friends with your resources." (Luke 16:9)

After all, people are always more important than stuff.


Friendship Verses in the Book of Proverbs

There are many other references in the bible to friends and friendships. The beautiful story of the friendship between David and Jonathan. God called Abraham his friend. The Apostles in the Epistles wrote many times addressing them to their friends.

However, for the rest of this page, I will give some verses about friendship taken from the Book of Proverbs in the Old Testament of the Bible.


What is the Book of Proverbs?

The Book of Proverbs was written and composed by Solomon, with inspiration from the Holy Spirit.

Solomon was given great wisdom by God. One of his projects was to collect many wise sayings and quotes in one place. Today, we call this collection, found in the Old Testament of the Bible, the book of Proverbs.

The book of Proverbs was basically a manual to bring the economy of a whole nation from a time of fighting their enemies, through a time of restoring their homes and families and planting fields, to a time of great economic, political, educational and artistic prosperity.

Even today, the book of Proverbs is a wise guide how to behave and interact with others, with many warnings on actions and people to avoid, and the actions and people that will prosper us and bring us success.

Again, you may want to look up these in your favorite translation. In many cases, the word friend may be translated as neighbor.


Bible Verses on Friendship with God

Proverbs 3:23 God offers his friendship to the upright.

• What a privilege to be God's friend! It's better to have God as a friend, than anyone in the whole rest of the world, because God infinitely outweighs all the rest.

Proverbs 22:11 Whoever loves a pure heart and gracious speech will have the king as a friend.

• Jesus also said, Blessed are the pure (or clean) in heart, for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:8) Heaven is the destined place for all God's family and friends.

Bible Verses on "So-called" Friends

Proverbs 14:20 The poor are despised even by their neighbors, while the rich have many “friends.”

• Money is never a good reason to be a "friend" with someone. What's more important is the values inside a person.

Proverbs 19:4 Wealth makes many “friends”; poverty drives them all away.

• This is a bit sarcastic. When the money is gone, the so-called friends suddenly disappear! I wonder if they even showed real appreciation.

Proverbs 19:6 Many seek favors from a ruler; everyone is the friend of a person who gives gifts!

• So many people looking for a hand-out will say or do anything to butter themselves up.

More Bible Verses on "Fair-Weather" Friends

Proverbs 19:7 The relatives of the poor despise them; how much more will their friends avoid them! Though the poor plead with them, their friends are gone.

• Think how many people will never be the friends of Jesus because he is just too poor for them. Many poor people are dear and close friends of God, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and Joseph, his foster-father. Joseph was a poor carpenter who struggled very hard to support his wife and son.

• When Jesus came on earth, he was the friend of the poor and the friend of sinners, because they could best see how much they needed the help of Jesus. Other people were too rich or too "smart" in their own eyes, and always criticized what Jesus did and said.

Bible Verses on Making and Keeping Friends

Proverbs 11:30 The seeds of virtue (good habits) are a tree of life; a wise person wins friends.

• In the bible, wisdom does not mean intellectual knowledge. It means to act with good behavior. Even today in the French language, when a parent says, "Sagez vous!" to a child, this literally translates as. "Be wise", but it actually means "Behave!"

• Just as people are attracted to the beautiful fruits hanging on a tree, so are true friends attracted to those who lead a good life and perform good deeds.

Proverbs 12:26 Godly persons give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.

• How important to discover what people are really like before you choose them for your friends!

• If you're a true friend, you'll warn your friend of danger, and give them good guidance and direction.

Bible Verses on What Separates Friends

Proverbs 16:28 A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.

• This quote reminds us we have to cultivate our friendships carefully. It's easy to lose our friends when we don't watch our tongues.

• It's a warning to be very careful what we say about other people, and to whom we say it. If there is a real problem, it should be reported to the person or to the proper authority in the situation, such as a parent, teacher, civil or church authority.

Proverbs 17:9 Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.

• This reminds us to not always bring up past faults of our friends in conversation.

Bible Verses on Losing Friendship

Proverbs 18:19 An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city.

• This reminds us of the ironic saying, "Sticks and stones can hurt my bones, but words will never harm me." We must avoid hurting our friends without a good reason.

Proverbs 18:19 Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.

• If we argue, let's make sure it's over serious principles, not just petty stuff. Arguments and fighting often show a spirit of distrust and anger, which can lead to worse things, including danger to life and limb.

• Sometimes we must face the issue. And sometimes it's just better to leave.

Proverbs 11:9 With their words, the godless would ruin their friends, but the just person wisely escapes (their snares of destruction).

• Yes, sometimes we must leave a "friend" who is not really a friend, such as a person trying to get us to commit a crime. They are not a true friend, and if we follow them, we can get ourselves into a lot of trouble, and acquire bad habits that may be very hard and even impossible to break.

A Good Friendship can be Stronger than Family

Proverbs 17:17 A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.

• It's a great blessing to have a faithful friend, who stands by you in hard times. If you don't have such a friend, pray to God for this blessing. And remember, the greatest friend of all is Jesus, who will stand by each of his friends even in the most difficult circumstances.

Proverbs 18:24 There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.

• The last half of this verse is often quoted, especially in Christian circles, because it's true.

Some Biblical Precautions about Friendship

Proverbs 17:18 It is foolish to guarantee another person’s debt or put up security for a friend.

• Just because it's a friend, doesn't mean you have to go against good judgment and common sense. We should never enable another to take advantage of us. We most hold even our close friends accountable. They must be responsible to their own commitments, just like we must be to our own.

Proverbs 20:6 Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?

• Jesus says, By their fruits, you will know them. Just like it takes time for a tree to grow before you find out how good the fruit is, often it takes some time to find out what a person is really like. It's what they do, and not just what they say. Being able to trust each other is an important part of friendship.

Proverbs 24:26 An honest answer is like a kiss of friendship.

• Honesty, even with our friends, and especially with our friends, is the best policy.

Proverbs 26:18-19 Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon is someone who lies to a friend and then says, “I was only joking.”

• It's easy to "let your hair down" and have fun with your friends. But even the best friendships won't continue for very long if one or both keep lying, cheating, stealing, etc.

Proverbs 29:5 To flatter friends is to lay a trap for their feet.

• Flattery is very dangerous. It is undeserved, excessive, or insincere praise. It's hypocritical, and in a way, it's a lie. It's usually given with a selfish motive in mind, which is why it's compared to a trap that can keep the other person from walking the right path.

Some Benefits of True Friendship

Proverbs 27:6 Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.

• Sometimes our friends will tell us things that we need to change, that nobody else will.

• And sometimes we need to have the courage to tell our friends that what they're doing is wrong, or they need to be doing something they're not, or else there will be consequences down the road.

• A true friend helps his or her friend avoid danger to body, mind, and soul. An example is to tell someone how wrong and dangerous drinking and drugs are, especially because they easily become bad habits and they destroy a person's health and life.

Proverbs 27:9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend gladdens the heart; it is as sweet as perfume and incense.

• So many people today have an independent spirit. They don't want to listen to anybody. They don't want anybody to tell them what to do. It's simply pride and arrogance. They're not willing to learn from good sources, and they end up paying for it. It's like a person who wants to drive a car without taking instruction, which can end up in an accident, with injury and death. And yes, they'll eventually learn, but they'll learn the hard way.

• What a blessing to have a true friend step in and give good advice, good guidance, good direction. Much long term pain can be avoided, and many good things can happen.

What True Friends Do for One Another

Proverbs 27:10 Never abandon a friend — either yours or your father’s. When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance. It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.

• Friendship is a 2-way street. We can receive much good from a friend, but we have to be a good friend ourselves, especially in difficult times.

• Also, don't burn bridges to a true friendship. Losing a good friend through your own fault is not something you want to experience.

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

• Good friends spur each other to greatness, to do good things, to be a useful tool for the work of God.

• A good friend will also help chip away things that aren't good in our lives.

A Bible Verse Warning about Bad Companions

Proverbs 28:7 The youthful who follow the law are wise; those with wild friends bring shame to their parents.

• The idea of wild friends is found in some translations as those who party, drink, are gluttons, and are "living it up." They are bad companions whom we must avoid.

• It's so important to get early into the habit of choosing your friends wisely and with great care.

Good Friends are a Blessing

We should be thankful to God for the blessings of good friends and friendships.

And we should thank our friends for the blessings they bring.

Thank your stars!


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