Real friendship has become rare in a world of likes, follows, and superficial connections. You scroll through hundreds of contacts but struggle to name three people you could call at 3 AM. Acquaintances abound, but true friends who stick closer than family feel increasingly elusive. Moving cities, changing jobs, or simply growing in different directions has left you feeling more isolated than connected, wondering if a deep, lasting friendship is still possible in modern life.
Maybe you’ve been burned by friends who disappeared when life got messy, or you’re questioning whether the people in your circle are genuine or just convenient. Trust feels risky after betrayals, and vulnerability seems dangerous when so many relationships prove shallow. You long for the kind of friendship where loyalty runs deeper than shared interests, where commitment survives disagreements, and where love remains steady through life’s ups and downs.
Scripture celebrates friendship as one of life’s greatest treasures while providing wisdom for building and maintaining loyal relationships. The Bible shows us friendships that weathered impossible circumstances, friends who sacrificed for each other, and the qualities that make relationships last. These verses reveal God’s design for friendship and the loyalty that transforms acquaintances into family.
Bible Verses About Friendship and Loyalty
1. Proverbs 17:17 – A Friend Loves at All Times
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
New International Version (NIV)
2. Proverbs 18:24 – One Who Has Unreliable Friends Soon Comes to Ruin
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
English Standard Version (ESV)
3. John 15:13 – Greater Love Has No One Than This
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
New Living Translation (NLT)
4. Proverbs 27:17 – As Iron Sharpens Iron
As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
New King James Version (NKJV)
5. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 – Two Are Better Than One
Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
6. 1 Samuel 18:1 – Jonathan Became One in Spirit with David
As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
7. Proverbs 27:6 – Wounds from a Friend Can Be Trusted
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
King James Version (KJV)
8. Job 6:14 – Anyone Who Withholds Kindness from a Friend
Those who withhold kindness from a friend forsake the fear of the Almighty.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
9. Proverbs 27:9 – The Pleasantness of a Friend Springs from Their Heartfelt Advice
A sweet friendship refreshes the soul. A friend’s heartfelt counsel is as sweet as perfume and incense.
The Message (MSG)
10. John 15:14-15 – You Are My Friends
You are My friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you [My] friends, because I have revealed to you everything that I have heard from My Father.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
11. Proverbs 22:11 – One Who Loves a Pure Heart
The one who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious—the king will be his friend.
New English Translation (NET)
12. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 – Therefore Encourage One Another
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
13. Proverbs 16:28 – A Perverse Person Stirs Up Conflict
Mean people spread rumors and break up friendships.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
14. Romans 12:10 – Be Devoted to One Another in Love
Love one another warmly as Christians, and be eager to show respect for one another.
Good News Translation (GNT)
15. 1 Samuel 20:42 – Jonathan Said to David, Go in Peace
Jonathan told David, “Go in peace! We have vowed friendship with each other in the Lord’s name. The Lord is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.”
New Century Version (NCV)
16. Proverbs 13:20 – Walk with the Wise and Become Wise
Whoever walks with the wise will become wise, but whoever associates with fools will suffer.
International Standard Version (ISV)
17. Colossians 3:13 – Bear with Each Other
bearing with one another and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
Tree of Life Version (TLV)
18. Ruth 1:16 – Where You Go I Will Go
But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
19. Proverbs 12:26 – The Righteous Choose Their Friends Carefully
The righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
World English Bible (WEB)
20. Philippians 2:4 – Not Looking to Your Own Interests
look not each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.
American Standard Version (ASV)
21. 2 Samuel 9:1 – David Asked, Is There Anyone Still Left
And David said, “Is there still any one left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
Revised Standard Version (RSV)
22. Galatians 6:2 – Carry Each Other’s Burdens
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
New American Bible (NAB)
23. 1 Corinthians 13:4 – Love Is Patient, Love Is Kind
Charitie is patient, is benygne; charitie enuyeth not, doith not wickidli, it is not blowun.
Douay-Rheims Bible (DRB)
24. Hebrews 10:24 – And Let Us Consider How We May Spur One Another
and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works.
English Revised Version (ERV)
25. Proverbs 20:6 – Many Claim to Have Unfailing Love
A multitude of men proclaim each his own goodness, And a man of stedfastness who doth find?
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)
26. 1 John 3:18 – Dear Children, Let Us Not Love with Words
Children, let us not love with word, nor with tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Darby Translation (DARBY)
27. Proverbs 25:19 – Like a Broken Tooth or a Lame Foot
Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.
Weymouth New Testament (WNT)
28. Ecclesiastes 4:12 – Though One May Be Overpowered
And if ony man hath maistri ayens oon, tweyne ayenstonden hym; a threefold corde is brokun of hard.
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
29. 1 Samuel 23:16 – And Saul’s Son Jonathan Went to David
And Ionathan Sauls sonne arose and went to Dauid into the wood, and comforted him in God.
Geneva Bible (GNV)
30. Proverbs 19:4 – Wealth Attracts Many Friends
Riches gather many friendes together: but the poore is seperated from his neyghbour.
Bishop’s Bible
31. Job 2:11 – When Job’s Three Friends Heard
When Iobs thre frendes herde of all the trouble that came vpon him, they came euery one from his awne place: namely, Eliphas the Themanite, Baldad the Suhite, and Sophar the Naamathite. For they were agreed together to come, to shewe their compassion on him, and to comforte him.
Tyndale Bible
32. Proverbs 17:9 – Whoever Would Foster Love Covers Over an Offense
Love forgets mistakes; nagging about them parts the best of friends.
The Living Bible (TLB)
33. 1 Samuel 18:3 – And Jonathan Made a Covenant with David
Jonathan covenanted with David because he loved him as much as his own life.
The Passion Translation (TPT)
34. Ephesians 4:32 – Be Kind and Compassionate to One Another
Instead, be kind and compassionate. Graciously forgive one another just as God has forgiven you through the Anointed, our Liberating King.
The Voice Bible (VOICE)
35. 1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do Not Be Misled
Don’t be fooled. “Bad companions make a good person bad.”
New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)
Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Friendship and Loyalty
The biblical model for friendship stands in sharp contrast to our culture’s casual approach to relationships. David and Jonathan’s covenant friendship demonstrates commitment that transcends convenience, surviving political pressure and family opposition. Their loyalty wasn’t based on what they could get from each other but on genuine love that prioritized the other’s well-being. Ruth’s devotion to Naomi shows friendship that extends beyond shared circumstances to embrace sacrifice and steadfast commitment even when logic suggests walking away.
Scripture treats friendship as a covenant relationship requiring intentionality, vulnerability, and mutual investment. Real friends speak hard truths when necessary, celebrate each other’s successes without jealousy, and show up during disasters rather than disappearing when life gets messy. The Bible’s description of iron sharpening iron suggests friction is part of genuine friendship, meaning we should expect challenges and conflicts that ultimately make both people better, rather than avoiding anything uncomfortable.
God designed us for deep connection, not superficial networking. The recurring biblical emphasis on bearing one another’s burdens, encouraging one another, and sticking closer than family reveals that authentic friendship requires emotional availability and consistent presence. Quality matters more than quantity; having one truly loyal friend beats having a hundred fair-weather acquaintances who vanish when you actually need them.
Say This Prayer
Heavenly Father, I thank You for the gift of friendship and for the people You’ve placed in my life who reflect Your love. Help me to be the kind of friend others need rather than just seeking friends who meet my needs. Show me how to love at all times, not just when it’s convenient or comfortable.
Give me wisdom to choose friends who draw me closer to You rather than pulling me away from Your purposes. Help me recognize the difference between genuine friendship and relationships based solely on shared interests or convenience. Protect me from people who would betray my trust while also helping me to be trustworthy with others’ vulnerabilities.
Teach me to be loyal through disagreements, patient through difficult seasons, and encouraging when friends face challenges. Help me speak truth in love even when it’s hard and to forgive quickly when friends disappoint me. Show me how to invest in friendships rather than taking them for granted or assuming they’ll maintain themselves.
Bring people into my life who will sharpen me and hold me accountable while also accepting me as I am. Help me to build friendships that honor You and last through every season of life.
In Jesus’ faithful name, Amen.
Evang. Anabelle Thompson is the founder of Believers Refuge, a Scripture-based resource that helps Christians to find biblical guidance for life’s challenges.
With over 15 years of ministry experience and a decade of dedicated Bible study, she creates content that connects believers with relevant Scripture for their daily struggles.
Her work has reached over 76,000 monthly readers (which is projected to reach 100,000 readers by the end of 2025) seeking practical faith applications, biblical encouragement, and spiritual guidance rooted in God’s Word.
She writes from personal experience, having walked through seasons of waiting, breakthrough, and spiritual growth that inform her teaching.
Evang. Thompson brings 12 years of active ministry and evangelism experience, along with over 10 years of systematic Bible study and theological research.
As a former small group leader and Sunday school teacher, she has published over 200 biblical resources and devotional studies.
She specializes in applying Scripture to everyday life challenges and regularly studies the original Hebrew and Greek texts for a deeper biblical understanding.