Bible Verses for a Broken Heart: After a Breakup, a Divorce or a Betrayal

Psalm 34:18, a verse that says it plainly

17 The righteous cry, and Yahweh hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but Yahweh delivers him out of them all.

The heading ties it to David, after he "pretended to be insane before Abimelech." It is a song of praise formed in hardship. Bible Hub's Hebrew lexicon gives shabar, "to break, break in pieces," behind "broken," and dakka', "crushed (literally powder, or figuratively, contrite)," behind "crushed."

It speaks of nearness now and of rescue, and it leaves open whether this relationship returns or when another comes. Tonight, you could read verse 18 once, slowly, then sit with the question Bible Nudge pairs with it: "What would it mean to let nearness, rather than explanation, be enough today?"

The same night, or a year on.

Psalm 147:3, and the line after it

"He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds" is the other verse people send. Just before it, "Yahweh builds up Jerusalem"; straight after, "He counts the number of the stars. He calls them all by their names."

The Orthodox Union's Nach Yomi commentary, a Jewish source, says the broken-hearted grieve "over the destruction and exile." Ibn Ezra, at Sefaria, ties the psalm to the gathering of exiles, and John Calvin, from the Reformed tradition, reads it as God's mercy toward his people. It is a hymn about a scattered people brought home, and what you can take from it is a God who binds wounds and names stars while your own story stays open. Bible verses for grief and healing reads Psalm 147:3 for the bereaved.

When it was somebody you trusted

If a partner cheated or a friend turned, Psalm 55, headed "A contemplation by David," says it plainly: "For it was not an enemy who insulted me, then I could have endured it," and then, "But it was you, a man like me, my companion, and my familiar friend." Later it adds, "He has violated his covenant. His mouth was smooth as butter, but his heart was war," and then, "Cast your burden on Yahweh, and he will sustain you." It is the prayer of somebody who trusted and was hurt, and you are free to borrow its words. For a friendship that ended, "my companion, and my familiar friend" may be the line. Bible verses for loneliness in marriage reads verses 13 and 14 closely.

Leah, whose love was not returned

Jacob "loved also Rachel more than Leah," and the next verse sets beside it, "Yahweh saw that Leah was hated." With each son she names a hope: "now my husband will love me," then "Yahweh has heard that I am hated," then "Now this time will my husband be joined to me." At the fourth she says, "This time will I praise Yahweh." Notice how what she says changes; what it means for you is yours to weigh.

One person posted on Reddit's r/Christianity about love that did not come back, "it legitimately feels like it won’t happen... like I’m too broken or not good enough." Leah is someone in Scripture who hoped to be loved and was not.

One coat where there used to be two.

Psalm 69, when people took sides

"Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness. I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; for comforters, but I found none." That is verse 20, in a psalm headed with David's name. If friends took sides, or people have talked about you since, it is a prayer that says so, and what the Bible says about shame reads the same verse.

Isaiah 61, read aloud in Nazareth

"Bind up the broken hearted" comes from Isaiah 61:1, where the anointed speaker is sent "to comfort all who mourn" and "to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give to them a garland for ashes." In Luke 4, at Nazareth, "where he had been brought up," Jesus reads "He has sent me to heal the broken hearted" in the synagogue, then says, "Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Words first spoken to mourners in Zion, read by Jesus in his home town.

If you are praying it comes back

One person posted on Reddit's r/PrayerRequests, "I pray that God brings us back together." A wife whose husband wants a divorce wrote in the same Reddit community, "Theres a lot of broken trust and friction, that i believe can be repaired and worked through but he doesnt." You can bring that prayer. The passages here speak of God's nearness and care while leaving the end of any one relationship open, so you can pray it and still have somewhere to stand.

People often send Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 8:28 here. Jeremiah writes to captives in Babylon, and the verse before begins, "After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon." Romans 8:28 follows the Spirit's "groanings which can’t be uttered" in verse 26. N. T. Wright, an Anglican bishop and scholar writing in Time in 2023, calls it a "misleading translation" when it becomes "Every cloud has a silver lining." Waiting on God's timing and Bible verses for hope in hard times read both.

What people get told

A separated wife wrote on Reddit's r/PrayerRequests, "I feel so alone and am so tired of everyone telling me that ive always been so strong and independent and that i’ll be ok. I hate that for me. I dont want to be strong and independent, i want my husband and my family." Somebody hoping for a reunion was told, in a reply there on Reddit, "God's plan is unknown but is it always better than before!!!" The thread does not say how that landed. Another person, on Reddit's r/Christianity, wrote "I read my bible and pray, but I still cry for hours every day."

To send a friend something, Psalm 34:18 with one line that names what was lost and makes no forecast is enough: "I'm so sorry your marriage ended. I'm thinking of you tonight."

Some mornings arrive slowly.

What heartbreak does, in plain terms

The American Psychological Association, on romantic endings, says "Break-up or divorce can initially result in negative outcomes such as depression," and that people describe "loneliness, distress, and a loss of self." Mind, a UK charity, lists "Going through a relationship break-up" among experiences that can bring loneliness. Men search for this too, and Relate's 2013 report on men says a partner may be "the person to whom he is most likely to turn for emotional support."

If you are divorced and wondering where your church stands

John Paul II's Familiaris Consortio (1981) says divorced people "should be encouraged to listen to the word of God" and calls their pastoral care "a most urgent duty." The Orthodox Church in America's Holy Synod calls marriage a "unique and unbreakable union" and says the Church "can and does practice mercy and forgiveness." The Institute for Reformed Biblical Counseling lists "the daily losses of betrayal" among the griefs it addresses. Questions of grounds belong with your own pastor or priest.

Broken heart syndrome is a heart condition

The British Heart Foundation, a UK charity, says takotsubo syndrome "causes your heart's main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) to change shape and get larger," is "usually temporary," and can follow "overwhelming physical or emotional stress." Common symptoms include "sudden, intense chest pain", "pressure or heaviness on the chest", and "shortness of breath". It says, "If you think you're having a heart attack, call 999 immediately." That is the UK number; elsewhere, call your own emergency number.

Questions people ask

Is Psalm 34:18 only for grief after a death? Bible Nudge offers it for grief, but the psalm's heading sets it after an escape, not a death.

Does any verse promise someone better is coming? The verses here speak of nearness, rescue and a people brought home. They are words for the heart as it is now, while the rest of your story is still being written.

What if the relationship was abusive? Then the helplines below come before any passage.

Where to go next

If the relationship was violent or controlling: in the United States, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is on 800-799-SAFE (7233), or text START to 88788. In the United Kingdom, the Refuge National Domestic Abuse Helpline is on 0808 2000 247. In Australia, 1800RESPECT is on 1800 737 732.

Samaritans lists "Recent loss or the break up of a close relationship" among risk factors for suicide, and adds that "many people experience risk factors who do not die by suicide." If you are having thoughts of ending your life, please reach a person tonight. In the United States, call or text 988 for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. In Canada, call or text 9-8-8. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Samaritans is on 116 123. Anywhere else, Befrienders Worldwide lists helplines by country.

Tonight, read Psalm 34:18 with the verses around it once. If what you carry is not quite this, Bible Nudge can take a line in your own words and come back with one passage. Find a passage.