'Friend' in the Bible

After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah to the sheepshearers.

When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get back the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her.

He told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man fasten his sword to his side; go back and forth through the camp from entrance to entrance, and each of you kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”

The Lord spoke with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his assistant, the young man Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the inside of the tent.

“If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and worship other gods’—which neither you nor your fathers have known,

When Gideon arrived, there was a man telling his friend about a dream. He said, “Listen, I had a dream: a loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp, struck a tent, and it fell. The loaf turned the tent upside down so that it collapsed.”

His friend answered: “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has handed the entire Midianite camp over to him.”

I grieve for you, Jonathan, my brother.You were such a friend to me.Your love for me was more wonderfulthan the love of women.

Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, a son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very shrewd man,

When David’s friend Hushai the Archite came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”

“Is this your loyalty to your friend?” Absalom asked Hushai. “Why didn’t you go with your friend?”

Ahithophel was the king’s counselor. Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend.

Are You not our God who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and who gave it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend?

No doubt you would cast lots for a fatherless childand negotiate a price to sell your friend.

I wish that someone might arbitratebetween a man and Godjust as a man pleads for his friend.

For he has said, “A man gains nothingwhen he becomes God’s friend.”

who does not slander with his tongue,who does not harm his friendor discredit his neighbor,

I went about grieving as if for my friend or brother;I was bowed down with grief,like one mourning a mother.

Even my friend in whom I trusted,one who ate my bread,has raised his heel against me.

But it is you, a man who is my peer,my companion and good friend!

You have distanced loved one and neighbor from me;darkness is my only friend.

I am a friend to all who fear You,to those who keep Your precepts.

for the devious are detestable to the Lord,but He is a friend to the upright.

A friend loves at all times,and a brother is born for a difficult time.

One without sense enters an agreementand puts up security for his friend.

A man with many friends may be harmed,but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother. >

Wealth attracts many friends,but a poor man is separated from his friend.

Many seek a ruler’s favor,and everyone is a friend of one who gives gifts.

The one who loves a pure heartand gracious lips—the king is his friend.

The wounds of a friend are trustworthy,but the kisses of an enemy are excessive.

Oil and incense bring joy to the heart,and the sweetness of a friend is better than self-counsel.

Don’t abandon your friend or your father’s friend,and don’t go to your brother’s housein your time of calamity;better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

I saw that all labor and all skillful work is due to a man’s jealousy of his friend. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

His mouth is sweetness.He is absolutely desirable.This is my love, and this is my friend,young women of Jerusalem. >

I will provoke Egypt against Egypt;each will fight against his brotherand each against his friend,city against city, kingdom against kingdom.

But you, Israel, My servant,Jacob, whom I have chosen,descendant of Abraham, My friend—

Everyone has to be on guard against his friend.Don’t trust any brother,for every brother will certainly deceive,and every friend spread slander.

Each one betrays his friend;no one tells the truth.They have taught their tongues to speak lies;they wear themselves out doing wrong.

Their tongues are deadly arrows—they speak deception.With his moutha man speaks peaceably with his friend,but inwardly he sets up an ambush.

This is what each man is to say to his friend and to his brother, ‘What has the Lord answered?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’

Do not rely on a friend;don’t trust in a close companion.Seal your mouthfrom the woman who lies in your arms.

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

“He replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius?

So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.

“Friend,” Jesus asked him, “why have you come?”Then they came up, took hold of Jesus, and arrested Him.

Seeing their faith He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

He also said to them: “Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,

because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’

I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his friend’s persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

“Friend,” He said to him, “who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?”

“But when you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ You will then be honored in the presence of all the other guests.

He who has the bride is the groom. But the groom’s friend, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the groom’s voice. So this joy of mine is complete.

He said this, and then He told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I’m on My way to wake him up.”

From that moment Pilate made every effort to release Him. But the Jews shouted, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Anyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar!”

In the church that was at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

Greet also the church that meets in their home.Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia.

Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.

Greet Urbanus, our coworker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.

Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard in the Lord.Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord.

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother:To Philemon our dear friend and coworker,

So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, and he was called God’s friend.

Adulteresses! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy.

The Elder:To my dear friend Gaius: I love you in the truth.

Dear friend, I pray that you may prosper in every way and be in good health physically just as you are spiritually.

Dear friend, you are showing faithfulness by whatever you do for the brothers, especially when they are strangers.

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.