Whether seeking comfort in challenging times, looking to deepen your faith or to meditate on the concept of peace from a spiritual perspective, this page gathers some of the most poignant and inspiring passages from the Bible.
Explore peace not just as the absence of conflict, but as a divine gift, a state of heart, and an active pursuit in our daily lives.
This list of verses is a companion to the Peace in the Bible study series.
Old Testament verses
| Exodus 14:14 | The Lord will fight for you; you have only to be still. |
| Numbers 6:24-26 | May the Lord bless you…and give you peace |
| 1 Samuel 2:9 | It is not by strength that one prevails; |
| 1 Samuel 17:47 | It is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; |
| 1 Samuel 25:33 | May you be blessed…for keeping me from bloodshed/vengeance |
| 1 Chronicles 22:8 | You have fought many wars…and are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. But you will have a son who will be a man of peace |
| 1 Chronicles 28:3 | You are not to build God’s house because you are a warrior |
| Psalms 11:5 | The soul of the Lord hates…those who love violence |
| Psalms 17:4 | I have kept myself from the ways of the violent |
| Psalms 20:7 | Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. |
| Psalms 33:16 | A king is not saved by his great army…. |
| Psalms 34:14 | Turn from evil; do good; seek peace and pursue it |
| Psalms 35:20 | (The ungodly) make false accusations against those living quietly |
| Psalms 44:6 | My sword does not bring me victory… |
| Psalms 46:9 | He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth |
| Psalms 68:30 | Scatter the nations who delight in war. |
| Psalms 120:6 | Too long have I lived among those who hate peace. I am a man of peace; but when I speak, they are for war. |
| Psalms 140:1-2 | Protect me from the violent who…stir up wars continually |
| Proverbs 13:2 | The unfaithful have a craving for violence. |
| Ecclesiastes 9:18 | Wisdom is better than weapons of war |
| Jeremiah 4:19 | I writhe in pain…I cannot keep silent…for I hear…the alarm of war. |
| Hosea 1:7 | I will save…not by bow, sword, battle, horses, horsemen |
| Hosea 2:18 | Bow/sword/battle I will abolish from the land |
| Hosea 10:13-14 | Because you depend on warriors…you will be destroyed. |
| Hosea 11:9 | I am God not man; I will not come in wrath |
| Hosea 14:3 | Assyria cannot save us; we will not ride war-horses |
| Micah 4:3 | Nations will not train for war anymore. |
| Micah 5:2-5 | One who is to rule in Israel…shall be the one of peace. |
| Nahum 1:15 | Look!! The feet of one…who proclaims peace!! |
| Zechariah 4:6 | Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit |
New Testament verses
*=teachings of Jesus
| *Matthew 5:9 | Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God |
| *Matthew 5:38-42 | Do not resist one who is evil |
| *Matthew 5:43-44 | Love your enemies; pray for persecutors |
| *Matthew 26:52 | All who take the sword will perish by the sword |
| *Mark 9:50 | Be at peace with each other. |
| Luke 1:79 | (Jesus will) guide our feet into the path of peace. |
| *Luke 6:27 | Love your enemies; bless those who persecute you |
| *Luke 19:42 | If only you (Jerusalem) had known what would bring you peace |
| *Luke 22:50-51 | Jesus said, “No more of this!! (striking with the sword)” |
| *John 14:27 | Peace I leave with you…not as the world gives do I give… |
| *John 14:30 | The ruler of this world…has no hold on me |
| *John 18:11 | Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath…” |
| *John 18:36 | If my kingdom were of this world…my servants would fight |
| *Acts 5:29 | We must obey God, rather than man. |
| *Romans 12:17 | Return no one evil for evil…live at peace with everyone |
| *Romans 12:21 | Overcome evil with good |
| *Romans 14:19 | Make every effort to do what leads to peace |
| *1 Corinthians 7:15 | God has called us to live in peace. |
| *1 Corinthians 14:33 | God is not a god of disorder but of peace. |
| *2 Corinthians 10:3 | For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. |
| *2 Corinthians 10:4 | The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. |
| *Ephesians 2:17 | He preached peace to you who were far…and near |
| *Colossians 3:15 | Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart… |
| *1 Thessalonians 5:15 | Do not return evil for evil. |
| *2 Timothy 2:24 | The servant of the Lord must be gentle to all |
| *Hebrews 12:14 | Make every effort to live in peace with all men and be holy |
| *James 3:18 | Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest/righteousness. |
| *1 Peter 2:23 | …He (Jesus) did not retaliate…He made no threats |
| *1 Peter 3:8 | Do not return evil for evil. |
| *1 Peter 3:11 | Turn from evil; do good; seek peace; pursue it |
