27 Bible Verses about distrust

Most Relevant Verses

Genesis 50:15-17

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph carries a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him?” So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father commanded us before he died, saying, ‘You are to say to Joseph, “I beg you, please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.”’ Now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

Genesis 32:6-8

The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him.” Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps; and he said, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the other camp which is left will escape.”

Judges 11:19-20

Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, “Please let us pass through your land to our place.” But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory; so Sihon gathered together all his people and camped at Jahaz and fought against Israel.

Acts 15:37-38

Now Barnabas wanted to take [his cousin] John, who was called Mark, along with them. But Paul kept insisting that they should not take along with them the one who had quit and deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.

Zephaniah 3:2


She did not listen and heed the voice [of God];
She accepted no correction.
She did not trust in the Lord [but trusted her own power];
She did not draw near to her God [but to the pagan gods of Baal or Molech].

Deuteronomy 1:32-33

Yet in spite of this word, you did not trust [that is, confidently rely on and believe] the Lord your God, who went before you along the way, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to seek a place for you to make camp and to show you the way in which you should go.

Deuteronomy 9:23-24

And when the Lord sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, ‘Go up and take possession of the land which I have given you,’ then you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God, and you did not believe and rely on Him, nor did you obey His voice. You have been rebellious against the Lord from the [first] day that I knew you.

Psalm 78:7


That they should place their confidence in God
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments,

2 Kings 17:14-15

However they did not listen, but stiffened their necks as did their fathers who did not believe (trust in, rely on, remain steadfast to) the Lord their God. They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers, as well as His warnings that he gave them. And they followed vanity [that is, false gods, idols] and became vain (empty-headed). They followed the [pagan practices of the] nations which surrounded them, although the Lord had commanded that they were not to do as they did.

Jeremiah 13:25


“This is your destiny, the portion [of judgment] measured to you
From Me,” says the Lord,
“Because you have forgotten Me
And trusted in [pagan] lies [the counterfeit gods, and the pretense of alliance].”

Ezekiel 33:13

When I say to the righteous that he will most certainly live, and he trusts in his [previous acts of] righteousness [to save him] and commits injustice, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but he will die for his injustice that he committed.

Malachi 3:6-10

“For I am the Lord, I do not change [but remain faithful to My covenant with you]; that is why you, O sons of Jacob, have not come to an end. “Yet from the days of your fathers you have turned away from My statutes and ordinances and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings [you have withheld]. read more.
You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, this whole nation! Bring all the tithes (the tenth) into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you [so great] a blessing until there is no more room to receive it.

Matthew 19:22

But when the young man heard this, he left grieving and distressed, for he owned much property and had many possessions [which he treasured more than his relationship with God].

Mark 10:22

But the man was saddened at Jesus’ words, and he left grieving, because he owned much property and had many possessions [which he treasured more than his relationship with God].

Job 4:18


‘God puts no trust or confidence, even in His [heavenly] servants,
And He charges His angels with error.

Job 15:15


“Behold, God puts no trust in His holy ones (angels);
Indeed, the heavens are not pure in His sight—

John 2:24

But Jesus, for His part, did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people [and understood the superficiality and fickleness of human nature],

Job 39:12


“Will you have faith and depend on him to return your grain
And gather it from your threshing floor?

Psalm 5:9


For there is nothing trustworthy or reliable or truthful in what they say;
Their heart is destruction [just a treacherous chasm, a yawning gulf of lies].
Their throat is an open grave;
They [glibly] flatter with their [silken] tongue.

Jeremiah 7:4

Do not trust in the deceptive and lying words [of the false prophets who claim that Jerusalem will be protected by God because of the temple], saying, ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’

Jeremiah 9:4


“Let everyone beware of his neighbor
And do not trust any brother.
For every brother is a supplanter [like Jacob, a deceiver, ready to grab his brother’s heel],
And every neighbor goes around as a slanderer.

Jeremiah 12:6


“For even your [tribal] brothers and the household of your father,
Even they have dealt treacherously (unfaithfully) with you;
Indeed they are [like a pack of hounds] howling after you.
Do not believe them, although they may say kind words and promise you good things.”

Habakkuk 2:18


“What profit is the carved image when its maker has formed it?
It is only a cast image, and a teacher of lies.
For its maker trusts in his own creation [as his god]
When he makes speechless idols.

From Thematic Bible


Distrust » Of religious men » Unbelievers, general references to

Luke 12:46

the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

John 5:38

You do not have His word (Scripture) abiding in you [actually living in your hearts and minds], because you do not believe in Him whom He has sent.

Distrust » Of religious men » Moses, when told the host of israel should be fed

Numbers 20:12

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed (trusted) Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, you therefore shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

Numbers 11:21

But Moses said, “The people, among whom I am, are 600,000 [fighting men] on foot [besides all the women and children]; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, so that they may eat it for a whole month!’

Distrust » Doubt » Peter sinking in the sea

Matthew 14:31

Immediately Jesus extended His hand and caught him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Matthew 16:8

But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves that you have no bread?

Distrust » Doubt » The two on the way to emmaus

John 20:27

Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and put out your hand and place it in My side. Do not be unbelieving, but [stop doubting and] believe.”

Distrust » Of religious men » The disciples, in failing to heal a demoniac

Matthew 17:19-20

Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked privately, Why could we not drive it out? He said to them, Because of the littleness of your faith [that is, your lack of firmly relying trust]. For truly I say to you, if you have faith [ that is living] like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to yonder place, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.

Distrust » Of religious men » Abraham, when promised a child in old age

Genesis 17:17

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

Distrust » Doubt » The disciples powerless to heal

Distrust » Doubt » Rebuked by Christ

Distrust » Of religious men » The disciples, when told of the resurrection of Christ

Luke 24:11

But their report seemed to them like idle talk and nonsense, and they would not believe them.

Distrust » Of religious men » Zacharias, when promised that he should have a great son

Luke 1:20

Listen carefully, you will be continually silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe what I told you; but my words will be fulfilled at their proper time.”

Distrust » Doubt » The disciples in the storm

Mark 4:40

Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith and confidence [in Me]?”

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Theasaurus: Distrust