'Friend' in the Bible

Now after a considerable time Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and when the time of mourning was ended, Judah went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her.

He said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Every man of you put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.’”

Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

If you make a sale, moreover, to your friend or buy from your friend’s hand, you shall not wrong one another.

Corresponding to the number of years after the jubilee, you shall buy from your friend; he is to sell to you according to the number of years of crops.

“If your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’ (whom neither you nor your fathers have known,

“Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live: when he kills his friend unintentionally, not hating him previously—

as when a man goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the handle and strikes his friend so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live;

When Gideon came, behold, a man was relating a dream to his friend. And he said, “Behold, I had a dream; a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat.”

His friend replied, “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand.”

But Samson’s wife was given to his companion who had been his friend.

Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “Turn aside, friend, sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down.

But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man.

So Hushai, David’s friend, came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.

Now it came about when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”

Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?”

and Azariah the son of Nathan was over the deputies; and Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest, was the king’s friend;

Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always been a friend of David.

Ahithophel was counselor to the king; and Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend.

Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?

“For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend;So that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty.

“You would even cast lots for the orphansAnd barter over your friend.

If I have rewarded evil to my friend,Or have plundered him who without cause was my adversary,

He does not slander with his tongue,Nor does evil to his neighbor,Nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

I went about as though it were my friend or brother;I bowed down mourning, as one who sorrows for a mother.

Even my close friend in whom I trusted,Who ate my bread,Has lifted up his heel against me.

But it is you, a man my equal,My companion and my familiar friend;

You have removed lover and friend far from me;My acquaintances are in darkness.

Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”And call understanding your intimate friend;

A friend loves at all times,And a brother is born for adversity.

A man of too many friends comes to ruin,But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Wealth adds many friends,But a poor man is separated from his friend.

Many will seek the favor of a generous man,And every man is a friend to him who gives gifts.

He who loves purity of heartAnd whose speech is gracious, the king is his friend.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend,But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.

Oil and perfume make the heart glad,So a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend.

Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend,And do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity;Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away.

He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning,It will be reckoned a curse to him.

“His mouth is full of sweetness.And he is wholly desirable.This is my beloved and this is my friend,O daughters of Jerusalem.”

“But you, Israel, My servant,Jacob whom I have chosen,Descendant of Abraham My friend,

“Have you not just now called to Me,‘My Father, You are the friend of my youth?

Therefore, thus says the Lord,“Behold, I am laying stumbling blocks before this people.And they will stumble against them,Fathers and sons together;Neighbor and friend will perish.”

Do not trust in a neighbor;Do not have confidence in a friend.From her who lies in your bosomGuard your lips.

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

But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?

and he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless.

And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.

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

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

Then He 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;

for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;

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

But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you.

He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.

This He said, and after that He *said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.”

As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.”

and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.