18 Bible Verses about Cynicism

And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why hast thou dealt thus with us, to bring us forth out of Egypt? Is this not what we told thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.

and the sons of Israel said unto them, It would have been better if we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots and when we ate bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying, Oh, that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!

Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if by tomorrow at this time I have not made thy person as one of them. And when he saw that, he arose and departed to save his life and came to Beersheba, which is in Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and desiring to die, he said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am not better than my fathers.

After this Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. And Job spoke and said, Let the day perish in which I was born and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.read more.
Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above; neither let the light shine upon it.

Why is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; who long for death, but it comes not; and search for it more than for hid treasures;

then thou dost scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions. And my soul thought it better to be strangled and desired death more than my bones. I loathed life; I do not desire to live for ever; let me alone; for my days are vanity.

Why then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the spirit and no eye had seen me! I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.

Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them curses me.

Cursed be the day in which I was born; do not let the day in which my mother bore me be blessed. Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad. And let that man be as the cities which the LORD overthrew and did not repent; and let him hear the cry in the morning and the shouting at noontideread more.
because he did not slay me in the womb, and my mother would have been my grave, and her womb perpetual conception. Why did I come forth out of the womb? To see labour and sorrow that my days should be consumed with shame?

Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me, for I would rather die than live.

And it came to pass, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah that he fainted and wished in his soul to die and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what does it advantage me, if the dead do not rise? let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.

His strength shall be hungerbitten, and destruction shall be ready at his side.

And Elihu, the son of Barachel, the Buzite, answered and said, I am younger, and ye are older; therefore, I was afraid, and I feared to declare unto you my opinion. I said, Days shall speak, and the multitude of years shall declare wisdom. Certainly there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding.read more.
Great men are not always wise; neither do the aged understand judgment.

As snow in summer and as rain in harvest, so honour is not suited for a fool. As the sparrow in its wandering, as the swallow in its flight, so the curse causeless shall never come. A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.read more.
Never answer a fool according to his folly lest thou also be like unto him. Answer the fool showing him his folly lest he be wise in his own conceit. He that gives responsibility to one who is not able to carry it out is like him that sends a message by the hand of a fool, and he shall drink the damage. Like unto the way that the one who is lame walks, so is a proverb in the mouth of the fool. As he that binds the stone in the sling, so is he that gives honour to a fool. As thorns sunk into the hand of one who is drunk, so is a proverb in the mouth of fools. The great God that formed all things rewards both the fool and transgressors. As a dog returns to his vomit, so the fool returns to his folly.

Certainly I applied my heart unto all of this that I might declare all of this: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God; no man knows either love or hatred by all that passes before them. All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean and to the unclean; to him that sacrifices and to him that does not sacrifice: as unto the good so unto the sinner; and unto him that swears as unto him that fears the oath.

And they watched him and sent forth spies who feigned themselves just men that they might take hold of him as he was speaking, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither dost thou accept the person of any, but teachest the way of God with truth; Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar or no?read more.
But he, perceiving their craftiness, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have? They answered and said, Caesar's. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things which are God's. And they could not take hold of his words before the people, and they marvelled at his answer and were silent.