The words people use about their own mothers are often very small ones. On Reddit's r/GriefSupport, "Nothing feels real anymore. I feel numb," one person wrote after their mom died of cancer. Another: "I used to call her 2x a day. It's the little things I miss." And a third, about what went with her: "I lost not only my mother, but my only friend." If you are somewhere near those sentences, there is a line in the Bible that names this loss outright, and it comes from a son who was still grieving his mother long after she died.
If you only have a minute
A son comforted, late
Genesis 24:67, "Isaac was comforted after his mother's death."
The passage for grief
Psalm 34:18, "Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart."
At the cross
John 19:25-27, where Jesus sees his mother and makes sure she is cared for.
For the funeral
Proverbs 31 with the facts about it, plus Psalm 23, John 14 and Revelation 21:4.
If it is getting harder
The crisis lines at the end name their countries.
Isaac and his mother Sarah
Sarah's death is told in two plain verses. "Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years," Genesis 23 begins, and then: "Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her." Their son Isaac is not mentioned at the graveside at all.
He appears again a chapter later, walking in a field at evening, when his father's servant arrives with Rebekah, the woman who will become his wife. The chapter ends like this:
Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife. He loved her. Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
That is Genesis 24:67 in the World English Bible. The text does not say how long it had been, and it does not say that Rebekah took Sarah's place. It says, almost in passing, that Isaac needed comforting for his mother and that the comfort came later. His grief had been there the whole chapter, unmentioned, while everything else went on.
If people around you have moved on faster than you have, that is worth knowing. The Bible records a grown son who was still being comforted for his mother after the funeral, the long trip and the wedding plans.
Psalm 34:18
The passage this site offers for grief is a single verse:
Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.
It says where God is and asks nothing of you first. The verses around it, 17 and 19, speak of Yahweh rescuing the righteous from their troubles, so nearness and rescue sit together in the psalm. The page on losing a parent sets the verse in its setting and explains why it was chosen over Romans 8:28, and you can read Psalm 34:18 with the verses around it.
If you want something to do with it tonight, read Genesis 24:67 and then Psalm 34:18, slowly. The first is a son who needed comfort for his mother. The second says where God is while you wait for yours.
For many people it is the daily call that goes missing first.
At the cross: John 19:25-27
Standing by the cross, the Gospel of John says, were Jesus' mother, her sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. Jesus sees his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, and says to her, "Woman, behold, your son!" To the disciple he says, "Behold, your mother!" And "from that hour, the disciple took her to his own home."
Christians read the scene in two main ways. One reads it as a son arranging his mother's care in his last hours, which is how an InterVarsity Press commentary heads the section: "Jesus Cares for His Mother and the Beloved Disciple". The Catholic reading also sees Mary given as spiritual mother to every disciple. Both begin from the same few lines, and you can hold whichever is yours.
Isaiah 66:13
"As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you." This line is often listed for a mother's death. In Isaiah 66 it belongs to a scene of Jerusalem restored, where the city is described as a mother nursing her children and God promises to comfort them as a mother does. The commentary at Working Preacher describes the unit as Jerusalem personified as a mother and God comforting her children. It is an image of comfort taken from what a mother does, and it can be read that way.
Proverbs 31, and what to know before you read it
Many families choose Proverbs 31 for a mother's funeral, usually these lines:
Strength and dignity are her clothing. She laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom. Faithful instruction is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and doesn't eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed.
Verses 10 to 31 are an acrostic poem, each line starting with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet, as the World English Bible's own note and David Guzik both explain. It praises a "worthy woman" whose husband, trade, household and servants are all part of the portrait, and scholars disagree about who speaks it. For a mother the poem describes well, it can be a fitting tribute. If yours was not much like it, another reading may say more of what was true, and that is a fair choice to make.
If she was ill for a long time
When a mother has a long illness or dementia, grief often starts before the death. What's Your Grief, writing about a loved one generally rather than mothers alone, says in its guide to anticipatory grief: "Though they are still alive, you may find yourself grieving the person they once were." The same guide records relief when death finally comes, and guilt beside the relief. The page for dementia caregivers stays with the years before.
If the relationship was hard
Sue Ryder speaks directly to this on its Mother's Day page, and one contributor there describes the day as "the double whammy of reminding me of the difficulties of having her as a mother but also wishing she was still around." The page on losing a parent has more on estranged and difficult relationships.
Mother's Day
Here the charities speak about mothers specifically. Cruse's page on grief on Mother's Day includes stepmothers, grandmothers and anyone who was a mother to you, and says it is possible to feel "happy, guilty and terribly sad all at the same time." Sue Ryder adds that your grief "might surprise you on the day when you were expecting to be fine."
Cruse also records something worth passing on to the people around you. One bereaved person said, "When people bring up my Mum they often apologise, but I love talking about my Mum." If that is true for you, it may help to say so.
Mother's Day arrives every year, whether you are ready or not.
Readings for her funeral
Church service books do not rank a best reading for a mother's funeral; they list funeral readings for everyone. Besides Proverbs 31, three come up often. Psalm 23, "Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing." John 14:1-3, where Jesus tells his disciples he is going to prepare a place for them. Revelation 21:4, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes," which you can read in its setting. If you have been asked to read one yourself, the page on Bible verses for a funeral covers choosing and how to get through it aloud.
If missing her has become wanting to be with her
Some people find that missing their mother turns into not wanting to go on without her. If that is where you are, please tell a person tonight. The lines at the end of this page are for exactly that, and they name their countries.
Questions people ask
Is there a Bible verse about losing your mother? Genesis 24:67 says "Isaac was comforted after his mother's death." It is the most direct line in Scripture about a son grieving his mother.
Is Proverbs 31 about a mother? It praises a "worthy woman" as a wife and head of a household, and her children appear in verse 28. Scholars disagree about who speaks the poem.
How long does grief for a mother last? There is no set length. Clinicians use the term prolonged grief disorder only when intense grief continues well beyond what is usual, which the American Psychiatric Association puts at least twelve months after the death for adults.
Where to go next
If what you are carrying is not quite this, Bible Nudge can take a line about it in your own words and come back with one passage and what surrounds it. Find a passage.
If you are thinking 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 UK and Republic of Ireland, Samaritans is on 116 123, and the Cruse helpline is on 0808 808 1677 for bereavement support in the UK. In Australia, Lifeline is 13 11 14. Anywhere else, Find A Helpline lists services by country.
Words that come up here
Tap a term to see what it means.
Acrostic. A poem in which each line begins with the next letter of the alphabet. Proverbs 31:10-31 follows the Hebrew alphabet.