Loss of a child

The loss of a child, whether by miscarriage, stillbirth or death in childhood, is met by God's nearness to the brokenhearted and the hope of the resurrection. Christian traditions differ on the eternal state of those who die in infancy, and the passages each side cites, including David's words about his infant son, are listed without a verdict.

Grief over a child

• 2 Samuel 18:33
  And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!The king was shaken and went up to the gate chamber and wept. And as he walked, he cried out, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
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• Jeremiah 31:15
  Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.This is what the LORD says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
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• Genesis 37:34-35
  ³⁴And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. ³⁵And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.
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• Ruth 1:20-21
  ²⁰And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.“Do not call me Naomi,” she replied. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with me. ²¹I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? After all, the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me.”
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God near the brokenhearted

• Psalm 34:18
  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.
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• Psalm 147:3
  He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
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• Matthew 5:4
  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
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• 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
  ³Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
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Known by God before birth

• Psalm 139:13-16
  ¹³For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. ¹⁴I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well. ¹⁵My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. ¹⁶Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be.
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• Jeremiah 1:5
  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
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Passages cited for an age of accountability

• 2 Samuel 12:22-23
  ²²And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live?David answered, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let him live.’ ²³But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”
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• Deuteronomy 1:39
  Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.And the little ones you said would become captives—your children who on that day did not know good from evil—will enter the land that I will give them, and they will possess it.
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• Isaiah 7:16
  For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.For before the boy knows enough to reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.
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• Matthew 19:14
  But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
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• Matthew 18:14
  Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
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Passages cited on inherited sin and covenant children

• Psalm 51:5
  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
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• Romans 5:12
  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.
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• Acts 2:39
  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
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• 1 Corinthians 7:14
  For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his believing wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.
  Show context · Read 1 Corinthians 7 →

Hope beyond death

• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
  ¹³But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope. ¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.
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• Isaiah 25:8
  He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.He will swallow up death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face and remove the disgrace of His people from the whole earth. For the LORD has spoken.
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• Revelation 21:4
  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”
  Show context · Read Revelation 21 →

See also

• Grief
• Comfort
• Children
• Resurrection of the dead
• Heaven

Notes

1. Verses are quoted in the translation chosen in the Translation menu at the top of the page. See Translations for sources and copyright notices.
2. Each reference links to the full chapter so the verse can be read in context.