The emotional suffering caused by loss, misfortune, or disaster. To grieve means to cause or feel sorrow or distress.
What Are Examples of Grief in the Bible?
The concept of grief appears in the Bible frequently:
Isaac and Rebekah experienced grief when their son Esau married a Hittite woman (Genesis 26:35)
God mourned the pain Israel caused themselves by their disobedience (Judges 10:16)
Hannah was sad because she had no son, so much so that she looked drunk while praying (1 Samuel 1:16)
Samuel prayed all night because he was grieved by King Saul's disobedience (1 Samuel 15:11)
Job was very sad over his personal loss (Job 2:13; compare 6:2; 16:6)
The psalmists expressed distress and sadness (Psalms 6:7; 31:9–10; 69:26; 73:21; 95:10; 112:10)
The book of Lamentations is devoted to the expression of grief
The prophets speak of a judgment that is caused because Israel grieves God
Jesus experienced sorrow and distress, including crying over the death of a friend (Mark 3:5; John 11:33; 35)
The Jews grieved when the apostles taught about Christ (Acts 4:2)
The apostle Paul taught believers not to grieve one another (Romans 14:15)
The apostle Paul did not want to cause any sorrow himself (2 Corinthians 2:1–5)
The believer is not to grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30)
A believer may experience grief and suffering in a foreign world (1 Peter 2:19)
Grief was expressed at a time of death through screams, wails, and laments (Jeremiah 9:17–18; Amos 5:16; Mark 5:38)