Bible
Bible Verses About Strength
The Bible's vocabulary for strength is mostly about strength received from God: strength in weakness, God as refuge and rock, courage in the face of fear, and endurance through long trial. These curated KJV passages cover all four.
Strength in weakness
The New Testament repeatedly reframes weakness as the place where God's strength is most clearly seen.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Read in context: Paul is talking about contentment in plenty and in want. The strength is to endure circumstance with peace, not to achieve anything Paul might want.
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
God as refuge
The Psalms reach for hard, immovable images (rock, fortress, shield) to picture the security God gives.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
Courage
Courage in the Bible is grounded in God's presence: be strong, be of good courage, fear not, for the LORD is with you.
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
Endurance
Strength is not just for the dramatic moment. The Bible commends quiet persistence through long trial.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
Examples
Strength in weakness
2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 4:13, Isaiah 40:31
God as refuge
Psalm 46:1, Psalm 18:2, Psalm 28:7
Courage
Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:6, 1 Corinthians 16:13
Endurance
James 1:12, 2 Timothy 4:7, Hebrews 12:1-2
How it works
The page groups verses into four themes that map the way Scripture treats strength:
- Strength in weakness: God's power is shown in human limitation.
- God as refuge: the LORD is rock, fortress, and shield.
- Courage: be strong and of a good courage; fear not.
- Endurance: persisting through trial to the finish line.
All verse text below is from the King James Version (1611), public domain in the United States.
Frequently asked questions
Philippians 4:13 is the most quoted: 'I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.' Paul wrote it from prison, after explaining that he had learned to be content in plenty and in want. The 'all things' is whatever circumstance God places before the believer, not unlimited self-empowerment.
From the LORD himself. Repeatedly the Bible says God is our strength (Psalm 18:2, 28:7, 46:1) and that those who wait on him renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31). Strength is not self-generated; it is received from God and exercised in faith.
Honestly. Scripture does not pretend that believers are always strong. Paul writes that God told him 'My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness' (2 Corinthians 12:9). The biblical pattern is to acknowledge weakness and lean on God's strength, not to deny weakness.
Closely related. Courage is the willingness to act in the face of fear; strength is the capacity to act. The two repeatedly appear together in commands like 'Be strong and of a good courage' (Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:6). The Bible's command to be strong is rarely separated from the command to fear not.
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