Bible Verses About Family

Family is one of God's first gifts and one of his hardest assignments. It's where we first learn to love, to forgive, and to be loved even at our worst. Scripture has a great deal to say about family, about raising children, keeping unity, and leaning on God when home life is hard. Here are encouraging Bible verses about family, gathered by theme, to pray over your home and read together.

Verses about love and unity in the home

These speak to the daily work of loving the people you live with, the ones who see the real you.

• Colossians 3:14: "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
• Psalm 133:1: "How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!"
• Ephesians 4:2-3: "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."
• 1 Peter 4:8: "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."

Verses about raising children

For the long, holy work of shaping little hearts.

• Proverbs 22:6: "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it."
• Deuteronomy 6:6-7: "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road."
• Psalm 127:3: "Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him."
• Ephesians 6:4: "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

For more on that calling, see our guide to raising kids who love Scripture.

Verses about honoring parents and family bonds

• Exodus 20:12: "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you."
• Proverbs 17:6: "Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children."
• 1 Timothy 5:8: "Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith."

Verses for a family going through a hard season

Because no family is spared hard days, these are worth keeping close.

• Joshua 24:15: "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
• Colossians 3:13: "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."
• Psalm 68:6: "God sets the lonely in families."
• Romans 12:10: "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves."

How to use these verses in your home

A verse read once and forgotten does little. A verse woven into the rhythm of your home can slowly change its whole atmosphere. A few simple ways:

• Choose a family verse. Pick one that fits the season you're in and make it "yours" for a while. Say it at dinner, pray it at bedtime, write it on the fridge.
• Pray it, don't just read it. Turn the verse into a prayer for your specific family. "God, help us bear with each other and forgive like you forgive us."
• Teach it to your kids. Short verses like these make wonderful memory verses. Our free memory verse cards make it easy to print a set, and the Kids Corner has a new verse each week.

And when you need Scripture for a specific struggle in the moment, our Bible Verse Finder lets you search by topic, from anxiety and marriage to hope and gratitude, and copy any verse in one tap.

A closing word

Your family will never be perfect, no family in the Bible was either. But a home soaked in Scripture, where people are quick to forgive and slow to give up on each other, is a home being quietly built on something that lasts. Pick one of these verses today, and let it start doing its work in your house.

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