There are many Bible verses about death found throughout the Scriptures. What does the Bible teach us about the nature of dying and the afterlife?
We have focused on those passages that convey the most meaning for either individual study or sermon preparation. These quotes about death explore the very nature of death, what happens after someone dies, and the relationship that death has with this life.
There are enough significant verses here to get you started in understanding what God has to say about death.
If you are looking specifically for scripture for funeral readings or obituaries, please see these Bible Verses for Funerals.
Scripture About Death
1.
“And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”
[English Standard Version,
Ecclesiastes 12:7]
2.
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
[
Matthew 10:28]
3.
“When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.”
[
Psalm 146:4]
4.
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned””
[
Romans 5:12]
5.
“For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.”
[
Ecclesiastes 9:5]
6.
“If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my service I would wait, till my renewal should come.”
[
Job 14:14]
7.
“For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”
[
1 Thessalonians 4:14]
8.
“For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”
[
Romans 14:8]
9.
“They are dead, they will not live; they are shades, they will not arise; to that end you have visited them with destruction and wiped out all remembrance of them.”
[
Isaiah 26:14]
10.
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
[
Revelation 21:4]
11.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
[
Psalm 23:4]
12.
“and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
[
John 11:26]
13.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
[Hebrew 4:12]
14.
“Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
[
2 Corinthians 5:8]
15.
“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, ”
[
Genesis 20:17]
16.
“As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand.”
[
Ecclesiastes 5:15]
17.
“When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.”
[
Psalm 104:29]
18.
“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
[
Romans 8:13]
19.
“The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence.”
[
Psalm 115:17]
20.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
[
Romans 6:23]
What do these bible verses teach us about death?
These death Bible verses really stress the finality of death and how our ability to act in this world ceases once we pass on to the other side. Whatever we are going to do in this world, we need to do now before we die. The quotes about dying make it clear that death came to all of us because of the sin of Adam and that when we die, our body will return to the dust from which we were made.
The passages further stress that we came into the world naked without anything and that we will leave the same way.
Though death of the body is final, it is not the end of hope in the afterlife. One verse about death above tells us there is a judgment sometime after death. And we are told in the Bible that Christians will be with the Lord upon death and that we will have the promise of eternal life.
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