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The Bible has two main words for patience, and knowing them helps. The Greek makrothymia, literally "long-temperedness," is patience with people: the slowness to anger that God shows and asks of us. Hypomonē, "remaining under," is patience with circumstances: endurance, holding steady under a weight. The Old Testament has its own vocabulary of waiting, qavah, which is the word behind "those who wait upon the LORD." Patience in Scripture is all three, and it is a fruit, something that grows, not a trait some people are born with.
This guide gathers 25 passages under five headings: waiting on God, patience with people, patience in suffering, God's own patience, and stories of patience kept and lost. Quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible; every reference links to the chapter.
Waiting on God
I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry.
The Hebrew doubles the verb, "waiting I waited," which the King James renders "I waited patiently" (Psalm 40:1, KJV). The psalm goes on to describe being lifted out of a pit; the waiting came first.
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes.
Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!
But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
Written in the ruins of Jerusalem, this is waiting with no timetable.
But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.
For the vision awaits an appointed time; it testifies of the end and does not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it, since it will surely come and will not delay.
"Though it lingers, wait for it" is the Bible's honest acknowledgment that God's timing feels slow from inside.
Patience with people
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
The King James has "longsuffering" (Galatians 5:22, KJV), a word that says exactly what this kind of patience is: suffering people for a long time. It is listed as fruit, which means it grows from the Spirit rather than from gritted teeth.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
The first thing Paul says about love is that it is patient. Everything else in the famous chapter follows from that.
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.
Proverbs treats patience as the practical opposite of a quick temper:
A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.
He who is slow to anger is better than a warrior, and he who controls his temper is greater than one who captures a city.
A man's insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.
The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.
For the other side of this coin, see what the Bible says about anger.
Patience in suffering
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.
Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James says to let patience finish its work, which implies that it has work to do. Cutting the waiting short also cuts short what it was producing.
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil, how patient he is for the fall and spring rains. You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord's coming is near.
You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.
Then you will not be sluggish, but will imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
See also Bible verses about strength in hard times.
God's own patience
Human patience in the Bible is always an imitation. The original is God's.
Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: "The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness."
This is God's own description of himself, given to Moses on Sinai, and "slow to anger" is quoted back to him throughout the Old Testament (Psalm 86:15, Psalm 103:8).
The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.
What looks like delay is patience with a purpose.
Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you to repentance?
But for this very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His perfect patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
Patience kept and patience lost
Jacob. "So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, yet it seemed but a few days because of his love for her" (Genesis 29:20). Love makes waiting feel short. He then waited seven more.
Abraham. He was seventy-five when God promised him a son and one hundred when Isaac was born. Hebrews 6:15 says that "after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise." Twenty-five years is the biblical unit of patience.
Job. James holds him up: "You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy" (James 5:11). Job's patience was not silent; he argued with God for thirty chapters. Perseverance, in the Bible, is staying in the conversation.
Saul. The Bible's most instructive failure of patience. Told to wait seven days for Samuel at Gilgal, Saul watched his troops desert, saw the Philistines gathering, and offered the sacrifice himself. Samuel arrived as he finished. "You have acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command that the LORD your God gave you; if you had, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time" (1 Samuel 13:8–14). Saul had good reasons, a deadline, and pressure. He lost the kingdom for the last hour of a seven-day wait.
FAQ
What is the best Bible verse about patience?
Galatians 5:22, which lists patience as a fruit of the Spirit, is the most cited definition; Isaiah 40:31, "those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength," is the most loved; and James 1:4, "allow perseverance to finish its work," is the most practical.
What does the Bible say about being patient with others?
It is the first thing love does (1 Corinthians 13:4), it is to be worn like clothing (Colossians 3:12), and it is owed to everyone (1 Thessalonians 5:14). Proverbs adds that a patient person has understanding (14:29) and that overlooking an offense is a virtue (19:11).
Is patience a fruit of the Spirit?
Yes. Galatians 5:22 lists it fourth, after love, joy, and peace. The King James calls it "longsuffering." Because it is fruit, the Bible treats it as something the Spirit grows in a person over time, not a personality trait.
What does "wait on the LORD" mean?
The Hebrew word means to wait with expectation, like watching for dawn, not passive resignation. Psalm 27:14 pairs it with "be strong and courageous," and Isaiah 40:31 says those who do it are renewed. It means trusting God's timing while continuing to do what is right.
Who was patient in the Bible?
Abraham waited twenty-five years for Isaac, Jacob fourteen years for Rachel, Joseph thirteen years from the pit to Pharaoh's court, and Job through the loss of everything. Simeon waited a lifetime to see the Messiah (Luke 2). Saul is the counterexample: one impatient hour cost him his dynasty.
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