The Bible has a great deal to say about love, and very little of it is sentimental. It describes love as something that acts: patient, self-giving, and durable enough to survive being tested. It begins with God’s love for us and works outward into how we love one another.
These 25 Bible verses about love are grouped by that movement: God’s love for you, loving one another, what love actually looks like, love in marriage, and love that lasts. You can read any passage in full at Bible Gateway.
Read at weddings, carried in wallets, given between people who mean it — a verse about love travels well when it travels on something kept close.
God’s love for you
Every other kind of love in Scripture flows from this one.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” — John 3:16
“Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 8:39
“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” — 1 John 4:10
“The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” — Zephaniah 3:17
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” — 1 John 3:1
Loving one another
Jesus made love the mark by which his followers would be known.
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” — John 13:34
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” — John 13:35
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” — 1 John 4:7
“And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” — 1 Peter 4:8
“Let all your things be done with charity.” — 1 Corinthians 16:14
What love looks like
The clearest description of love in the Bible, and the reason it is read at so many weddings.
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,” — 1 Corinthians 13:4
“Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;” — 1 Corinthians 13:5
“Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” — 1 Corinthians 13:7
“And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” — Colossians 3:14
“Let all your things be done with charity.” — 1 Corinthians 16:14
Love in marriage and family
For the covenants and homes where love is lived out day after day.
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” — Ephesians 5:25
“Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away.” — Song of Songs 8:7
“With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;” — Ephesians 4:2
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” — 1 Corinthians 13:13
“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death.” — Song of Songs 8:6
Love that endures
Scripture ties love to permanence — God’s, and the love that reflects it.
“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” — Psalm 136:1
“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.” — Lamentations 3:22
“Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.” — 1 Corinthians 13:8
“We love him, because he first loved us.” — 1 John 4:19
“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” — Ephesians 5:2
Carrying a verse that steadies you
A verse tends to stay with us when it stays near us. That is the quiet idea behind every piece we make: a Bible verse debossed into full-grain leather — hot-stamped into the grain, not printed on top — on something carried every day. A leather bookmark marks the verse you keep returning to; a keychain or wallet carries a few words into an ordinary afternoon. Browse the full Bible verses by theme collection, or read the companion guides to verses about hope and verses for grief and comfort.
Love when it is hard
Most searches for love verses are not made on good days. They come from a strained marriage, a friendship that has gone quiet, a family member who is difficult to be near. Scripture does not pretend that away — it describes love as something you decide and keep doing, especially when feeling has run out.
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up” — 1 Corinthians 13:4
“Above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins” — 1 Peter 4:8
“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” — Galatians 6:2
“Let all your things be done with charity” — 1 Corinthians 16:14
Love and trust
Trust is love’s slower half. It is broken faster than it is rebuilt, and Scripture treats it as something worked out over time rather than declared once.
“Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” — 1 Corinthians 13:7
“Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” — Psalm 85:10
“Let love be without dissimulation” — Romans 12:9
Love that has been damaged has to pass through verses about forgiveness before it goes any further. For love returned as thanks, see verses about gratitude.
Common questions about Bible verses about love
What is the best Bible verse about love?
1 Corinthians 13:4–7 is the most quoted, because it describes love as patient, kind, and enduring rather than as a feeling. For God’s love, John 3:16 and Romans 8:38–39 are anchors. The best verse depends on whether you mean God’s love, love for others, or love in marriage.
What does 1 Corinthians 13 say about love?
In the King James Version it reads that charity — love — “suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,” and that it “beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” It frames love as action and character, which is why it reads so well at weddings and anniversaries.
Which Bible verse about love is good for a wedding?
1 Corinthians 13:4–7 and Colossians 3:14 are common wedding readings, and Song of Songs 8:6–7 speaks to love that endures. Any of them makes a fitting verse for a gift that marks the day.
These passages reward slow reading more than collecting. To take one theme a few days at a time, try a short Bible reading plan by topic — or let Bible verses for every emotion find the passage that fits the day you are having.
What does the Bible say about love in relationships?
It defines love by behaviour rather than feeling. 1 Corinthians 13 lists what love does — suffers long, is kind, is not easily provoked, endures — which makes it possible to love someone on a day you do not feel affectionate. Romans 12:9 adds that love should be “without dissimulation,” that is, without pretending.
What is the strongest Bible verse about love?
Most readers name John 3:16 for God’s love toward us, and 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 for what love looks like between people. If you need one line, 1 John 4:8 — “God is love” — is the shortest and the deepest.
Which translation are these verses?
The King James Version (KJV), which is in the public domain. “Charity” in the KJV of 1 Corinthians 13 is the older English word for love.
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