If you’ve been searching for “this too shall pass” in the Bible, here’s what you need to know upfront: those exact words don’t appear in scripture. The phrase is ancient — often attributed to Persian poets and later popularized in Western culture through Abraham Lincoln — but it’s not a direct Bible quote.
That said, the idea behind it is deeply biblical. The truth that painful seasons are temporary, that suffering does not last forever, that morning comes after darkness — that is everywhere in scripture. The sentiment is thoroughly Christian, even if the specific phrase isn’t.
So let’s look at what the Bible actually says about hard seasons passing, about endurance and hope, and about the God who is present through all of it.
What the Bible Says About Seasons Passing
Psalm 30:5
“Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
This is one of the clearest “this too shall pass” moments in all of scripture. It’s honest — weeping happens, night is real — but it doesn’t last. Morning comes. This verse doesn’t deny the pain; it just refuses to let the pain write the ending.
2 Corinthians 4:17
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
Paul called his troubles “light and momentary.” This is the same man who was beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and stoned. He wasn’t minimizing suffering. He was putting it in comparison to something so large that even real, severe suffering looks temporary by contrast.
Romans 8:18
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
Again: not that suffering isn’t real, but that there is a future reality coming that will dwarf it. This “this too shall pass” is cosmic — not just “things will get better” but “what’s coming is so good that what you’re enduring now will look small by comparison.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1–4
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.”
This is probably the most “this too shall pass” passage in the Bible — even if those words aren’t used. Solomon’s point is that no season is permanent. Weeping has a time. So does laughter. Mourning has a time. So does dancing. Whatever season you are in, it has a beginning and it has an end.
More Scripture for Hard Seasons
Isaiah 43:2
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
Notice the word “through.” Not “if” — “when.” And not “around” — “through.” God doesn’t always remove the hard season. He promises to be present in it and to bring you out the other side.
Revelation 21:4
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
The ultimate “this too shall pass.” The final promise. What we endure now — all of it — belongs to an “old order” that will one day be gone. That’s not a small comfort. It’s an anchor.
James 1:2–4
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James offers a different angle: trials aren’t just temporary — they’re productive. They’re doing something in you while they last. That changes how you endure them.
A Prayer for a Season That Feels Endless
Pray this when the hard season has gone on long enough that you’ve stopped believing it will end:
Lord, this season has been long. I’m tired of it, and I’m honest enough to tell You that. But I also believe — even when I can’t feel it — that weeping endures for a night and joy comes in the morning. I believe that what You’ve allowed has a purpose. I believe that “through” means I’m going to come out the other side. Help me hold onto that today. Not with false cheerfulness, but with real faith — the kind that chooses to trust even when the evidence for hope feels thin. This too shall pass. I believe it because You said so. Amen.
Holding the Phrase Alongside Scripture
Just because “this too shall pass” isn’t a direct Bible quote doesn’t mean it contradicts scripture. When used with faith — trusting that God is present in hard seasons and that He will bring you through them — it aligns well with what the Bible actually teaches.
The danger is using it as wishful thinking that bypasses God. Real hope, according to scripture, is not optimism. It’s confidence in a person — in God’s character, His promises, and His record. That’s what makes it hold when the hard season goes longer than expected.
For more encouragement when life is difficult, see our comfort Bible verses for hard times, our guide on how faith provides comfort, and our prayer for strength when you feel weak.
A good study Bible helps these verses come alive with context and commentary.
