“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”
Real friendship shows itself when life goes wrong. The second line says a brother, and a friend as close as one, is made for exactly those days.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
Friends shape each other. Honest talk, encouragement and even disagreement leave both people sharper than before.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”
Life is easier carried by two. The point is practical: when you fall, someone needs to be close enough to lift you.
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.”
Jesus names the highest form of friendship, then lives it at the cross. Most of us are asked to lay down time and pride rather than life, but the shape is the same.
“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
A large circle is no guarantee of a faithful one. One friend who stays can be closer than family. (The KJV reads the first line differently: see the section on fake friends below.)
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
Friends build each other up on purpose. Paul tells the church to keep doing what it is already doing well.
“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”
You slowly take on the wisdom, or the foolishness, of the people you walk with, so choose your closest companions with care.
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Every friendship will need forgiveness sooner or later. The measure is how the Lord has forgiven us.
“Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'”
Paul quotes a saying: company shapes character. It is a warning about influence, not a reason to avoid people.
“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
Good friends compete to honor each other, not to win.
“Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”
A true friend's honest word may sting, but it can be trusted. Constant flattery is the warning sign.
“Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.”
Good counsel from a friend lifts the heart the way perfume fills a room.
What the Bible says about friendship: three marks of a true friend
The book of Proverbs returns to friendship again and again, and when you gather its verses together, a clear portrait emerges. Biblical friendship is not casual acquaintance; it is a covenant-shaped bond marked by three things.
First, a true friend is loyal, especially in adversity. "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity" (Proverbs 17:17). Fair-weather friends vanish when life gets hard; a real friend leans in. The measure of friendship is not the good times you share but who is still standing beside you when everything falls apart.
Second, a true friend is honest. "Wounds from a friend can be trusted" (Proverbs 27:6), and "as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17). Real friends do not just flatter you; they tell you the truth you need to hear, even when it is uncomfortable. Iron does not sharpen iron gently; there are sparks. Godly friendship has enough trust to survive hard conversations.
Third, a true friend is self-giving. Jesus set the ceiling: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13). Most of us will never be asked to die for a friend, but we are asked daily to lay down our time, our preferences, our pride. Friendship, like all biblical love, is measured in sacrifice.
Proverbs 27:17 in the KJV: “Iron sharpeneth iron”
The King James Version keeps an image the NIV smooths out. Where the NIV says “one person sharpens another,” the KJV says a man sharpens “the countenance of his friend” (Proverbs 27:17, KJV): his face. Good friends sharpen more than our ideas. They change how we look at the world, and how we carry ourselves in it.
“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”
Short Bible verses about friendship
Six short lines from the King James Version, for a card, a text or a note on a friend's door.
- “A friend loveth at all times” (Proverbs 17:17, KJV) Loyalty in five words.
- “Two are better than one” (Ecclesiastes 4:9, KJV) For a friend who has carried you.
- “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” (John 15:14, KJV) Jesus calling His followers friends.
- “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” (Romans 12:15, KJV) Friendship in good news and bad.
- “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2, KJV) What friends do with heavy loads.
- “Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not” (Proverbs 27:10, KJV) Keep old friendships, including the family friends who knew you young.
Bible verses about fake friends
The Bible is honest that friends can fail us, sometimes badly. David knew the pain of a trusted friend turning on him, and Jesus applied Psalm 41:9 to Judas at supper on the night He was betrayed (John 13:18). If someone has betrayed you, these verses say you are not imagining how much it hurts. They also name the warning signs: gossip that splits close friends, and friends who are there only while there is something to gain.
A note on Proverbs 18:24: translations read its first line differently. The NIV, in the list above, warns that “one who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin”; the KJV says a man who has friends “must shew himself friendly” (Proverbs 18:24, KJV). Both end in the same place: there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. And not every hurt is a betrayal. If you can, talk to your friend first (Matthew 18:15), and remember that you can forgive even while trust takes longer to rebuild.
“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”
“Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.”
“For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.”
“A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.”
“Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.”
Bible verses for best friends
Scripture's two great friendships are Ruth and Naomi, and David and Jonathan. Ruth made her famous promise to her mother-in-law, and Jonathan's loyalty to David cost him his father's favor (1 Samuel 20:30-33). These verses suit a card for a best friend, or a prayer for one. To send a friend a verse on a hard day, see our encouraging Bible verses to send a friend.
“Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God”
“...the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”
“Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.”
“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you”
Friendship across the Bible: a brief tour
| Reference | Book | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Samuel 18:1-3 | 1 Samuel | David and Jonathan make a covenant of friendship |
| Ruth 1:16-17 | Ruth | Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi: "Where you go I will go" |
| Proverbs 17:17 | Proverbs | A friend loves at all times |
| Proverbs 27:17 | Proverbs | Iron sharpens iron: friends sharpen one another |
| Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 | Ecclesiastes | Two are better than one; a cord of three strands |
| John 15:13-15 | John | Jesus calls His disciples friends, not servants |
| Romans 12:10 | Romans | Be devoted to one another; honor one another |
| 1 Corinthians 15:33 | 1 Corinthians | Bad company corrupts good character |
| James 2:23 | James | Abraham "was called God’s friend" |
Common misconceptions
A few things people often get wrong on this topic.
MythA good friend always agrees with me and makes me feel good.
TruthScripture says the opposite: "wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses" (Proverbs 27:6). A true friend loves you enough to tell you a hard truth. Constant flattery is a warning sign, not a mark of real friendship.
MythChoosing friends wisely means avoiding non-Christians.
TruthJesus was famously called "a friend of tax collectors and sinners" (Matthew 11:19) and shared meals with people the religious crowd avoided. Proverbs 13:20 is about who shapes your character and convictions most closely, not about refusing to love or befriend anyone outside the faith.
MythIf a friendship requires forgiveness, it must be broken.
TruthEvery real friendship needs forgiveness, because every real friend will eventually hurt you. Colossians 3:13 tells us to "bear with each other and forgive one another." The friendships that last are not the ones without offense, but the ones with enough grace to forgive it.
MythMy friends do not really affect who I am.
Truth"Do not be misled: bad company corrupts good character" (1 Corinthians 15:33). The Bible is realistic about influence: we slowly become like the people we spend the most time with. Friendship is never neutral; it is always forming us in one direction or another.
How to be a good friend, the way Scripture describes
Show up in adversity
Proverbs 17:17 says a friend loves "at all times." This week, reach out to one friend who is in a hard season, not to fix anything, just to be present. Loyalty is proven when it is inconvenient.
Tell the truth in love
Iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). If a friend is drifting somewhere harmful, love them enough to say so, gently, humbly, and only after you have earned the right to be heard. Honest friendship has sparks.
Audit your closest circle
Take 1 Corinthians 15:33 seriously. Honestly ask: are the people closest to me pulling me toward Christ or away from Him? You do not abandon anyone, but you can be intentional about who shapes you most.
Forgive quickly
Colossians 3:13: "Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Is there an offense you are nursing against a friend? Let it go before it hardens. Few things kill friendship faster than a grievance left to fester.
Encourage on purpose
1 Thessalonians 5:11 calls us to "build each other up." Send one specific, sincere word of encouragement today: name something good you actually see in your friend. In Faithero you can tap a verse to share it with a friend.
Frequently asked
What does the Bible say about friendship?
The Bible portrays friendship as a gift to be cherished and a responsibility to be stewarded. A true friend loves at all times (Proverbs 17:17), sharpens our character (Proverbs 27:17), and helps us up when we fall (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). Scripture also warns that friends shape us, so we are to choose them wisely (Proverbs 13:20) and guard against bad company that corrupts good character (1 Corinthians 15:33).
What are the best Bible verses about true friends?
Proverbs 18:24 is the classic: "there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Alongside it, Proverbs 17:17 ("a friend loves at all times"), Proverbs 27:6 ("wounds from a friend can be trusted"), and John 15:13 ("greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends") capture what a true friend is: loyal, honest, and self-giving.
What does the Bible say about loyalty?
Loyalty is one of the clearest marks of a true friend in Scripture. "A friend loves at all times" (Proverbs 17:17). Ruth refused to leave Naomi (Ruth 1:16), and Jonathan stood by David even when it cost him his father's favor (1 Samuel 20). Behind them all is God's own faithfulness: "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful" (2 Timothy 2:13, KJV).
How do Bible verses about friendship and love connect?
They are deeply linked. The same self-giving love (agape) that Jesus shows us is the foundation of godly friendship. John 15:13 ties friendship directly to sacrificial love, and Romans 12:10 calls us to "be devoted to one another in love." Biblical friendship is not merely shared interests; it is love expressed through loyalty, honesty, forgiveness (Colossians 3:13), and encouragement.
What are good Bible verses about friendship in the KJV?
The King James Version words several of them memorably: "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24, KJV), and "A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity" (Proverbs 17:17, KJV). The short verses, the verses about fake friends and the verses for best friends on this page are all quoted from the KJV.
Does the Bible say to choose your friends carefully?
Yes, clearly. Proverbs 13:20 says, "Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm," and 1 Corinthians 15:33 warns that "bad company corrupts good character." This does not mean isolating yourself from people who do not yet know Christ; Jesus was called a friend of sinners. It means being intentional about who shapes your closest convictions and habits.
The friend who sticks closer than a brother
Behind every verse about friendship in the Bible stands a deeper truth: the truest Friend we will ever have is Jesus Himself. He called His disciples friends, not servants (John 15:15). He kept the very command He gave: laying down His life for those He loved (John 15:13). He is the friend who, in the words of Proverbs 18:24, "sticks closer than a brother." Every faithful human friendship is a faint echo of His friendship with us.
That changes how we approach our own friendships. We do not have to find our whole identity in being liked, because we are already perfectly loved. We can afford to be the loyal one, the honest one, the one who shows up in adversity, because we are imitating a Friend who did all of that for us first. Choose one verse above. Pray it. Then go be that kind of friend to one specific person this week.
12 Bible verses about friendship
These twelve are quoted from the NIV, each with a short explanation. Further down are short verses to share, verses for the friends who let us down, and verses for best friends, all in the King James Version.