Bible Verses About Grandparents show that Scripture gives older generations a place of honour and a real calling in the family. Grandchildren are called a crown, grey hair a sign of glory, and grandparents like Lois are remembered for passing on faith. These passages explain what God says about the gift and responsibility of growing old among children’s children.
Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.
Proverbs 17:6 (KJV)
Solomon calls grandchildren the crown of old men, showing that Scripture sees them as a blessing and honour.
But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.
Psalms 103:17-18 (KJV)
The Lord’s mercy and righteousness reach to children’s children of those who fear Him and keep His covenant.
Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons;
Deuteronomy 4:9 (KJV)
Moses tells Israel to teach God’s works to their sons and their sons’ sons, a charge given to grandparents.
When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
2 Timothy 1:5 (KJV)
Timothy’s faith dwelt first in his grandmother Lois, the New Testament’s clearest example of a grandparent’s influence.
We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:
Psalms 78:4-7 (KJV)
One generation is to tell the next so that children yet unborn will set their hope in God.
A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
Proverbs 13:22 (KJV)
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, pointing to legacy that outlasts a lifetime.
O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.
Psalms 71:17-18 (KJV)
An ageing psalmist asks God not to forsake him until he has shown God’s strength to the next generation.
The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.
Proverbs 16:31 (KJV)
Grey hair is called a crown of glory when it is found in the way of righteousness.
That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Titus 2:2-5 (KJV)
Paul describes the character of older men and women, including the calling of older women to teach younger ones.
Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:32 (KJV)
God commands His people to rise before the grey head and honour the face of the old.
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
Psalms 92:12-15 (KJV)
The righteous still bring forth fruit in old age, so later years remain fruitful ones.
And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.
Ruth 4:14-16 (KJV)
Naomi takes her grandson Obed into her bosom and becomes his nurse, a tender picture of a grandmother’s love.
And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them. Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them. And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.
Genesis 48:9-11 (KJV)
Jacob blesses Joseph’s sons, marvelling that God has let him see not only his son but his grandchildren.
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Exodus 20:12 (KJV)
The command to honour father and mother lays the foundation for honouring older generations in the family.
But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.
1 Timothy 5:4 (KJV)
In the KJV, nephews here means grandchildren, who are taught to show kindness and care to their elders.
The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel.
Psalms 128:5-6 (KJV)
This blessing ends with the hope that the faithful will live to see their children’s children.
And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.
Isaiah 46:4 (KJV)
God promises to carry His people even to old age and grey hairs.
The Bible treats grandchildren as a blessing and grandparents as people worthy of respect. Proverbs 17:6 calls children’s children the crown of old men, and Leviticus 19:32 tells God’s people to rise up before the hoary head and honour the face of the old man. Old age is not pictured as uselessness; Psalms 92:14 says the righteous still bring forth fruit in old age.
Grandparents also carry a clear responsibility to pass on faith. Deuteronomy 4:9 instructs Israel to teach God’s works to their sons and their sons’ sons, and Psalms 78:4-7 describes one generation telling the next so that children yet unborn might set their hope in God. In the New Testament, Paul credits the unfeigned faith of young Timothy partly to his grandmother Lois (2 Timothy 1:5).
Scripture offers tender examples as well. Jacob blessed his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh with gratitude that God had let him see them (Genesis 48:9-11), and Naomi cared for her grandson Obed (Ruth 4:16). In return, 1 Timothy 5:4 asks children and grandchildren to show kindness and care to the older members of their family.
Proverbs describes childrens children as the crown of old men, language that treats grandparenthood as an honor, not simply an age marker.
Job is remembered mainly for his suffering, but the closing chapter of his book tells a quieter story. After his trials, “the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning” (Job 42:12). He had seven sons and three daughters again, and his relatives and friends gathered around him to comfort him (Job 42:11).
The book ends with a line that belongs among the Bible verses about grandparents: “After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations” (Job 42:16). A man who once lost everything lived long enough to see great-grandchildren. His later years were not an afterthought but part of God’s kindness to him.
Job also did something unusual for his time. He gave his daughters an inheritance among their brothers (Job 42:15). It is a small detail, but it shows an older man using his position to bless every member of the family, not only the ones custom favoured.
Grief and loss do not cancel the possibility of a fruitful old age. Many grandparents carry old sorrows. Job’s story, one of the less familiar Bible verses about grandparents, reminds them that God can still bring fresh joy and new relationships in the later chapters of life.
Proverbs is written largely as a father speaking to a son, and it often reaches back a further generation. Solomon recalls, “For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words” (Proverbs 4:3-4). The king is passing on what David first taught him, so a grandfather’s words reach a grandson.
This pattern helps explain why so much generational teaching appears in the wisdom books. Proverbs values the kind of understanding that only time can give. “The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head” (Proverbs 20:29). Each season of life has its own gift, and the gift of the later years is seasoned judgement.
Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it,” is usually read as advice to parents. Yet the second half of the verse describes old age itself, when early training bears fruit. Grandparents often see that fruit most clearly, which is why the verse sits comfortably beside other Bible verses about grandparents.
Besides Proverbs 17:6 and 16:31, look at Proverbs 4:1-9 and Proverbs 20:29. Read together, these Bible verses about grandparents show that wisdom is meant to be handed on, not stored away.
A few ideas about older generations circulate in churches and families that do not quite match what the Bible says. Looking at them carefully helps us read the Bible verses about grandparents with more confidence.
The word itself is rare, but the theme is common. Phrases like “children’s children” and “sons’ sons” run through the Law, the Psalms and Proverbs, and Paul names a grandmother, Lois. Many Bible verses about grandparents are hidden in these generational phrases.
Caleb asked for a hill country full of strong cities when he was eighty-five, saying, “As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me” (Joshua 14:10-11). Strength varies from person to person, but Scripture never treats age as retirement from God’s purposes.
Some worry about Exodus 20:5, which speaks of iniquity visited “unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.” The next verse speaks of mercy “unto thousands of them that love me” (Exodus 20:6), and Ezekiel 18:20 makes clear that “the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father.” Every grandchild can turn to the Lord.
Scripture gives the main responsibility for raising children to fathers and mothers (Ephesians 6:4). The Bible verses about grandparents describe a supporting role: blessing, teaching, praying and modelling faith, while respecting the decisions of the parents.
These questions suit a small group of older adults, a family discussion across generations, or a quiet morning with a journal. Choose one or two and give them time.
If you are younger, consider asking a grandparent or older church member some of these questions directly. Many older believers have never been asked to tell their story, and listening is one practical way to obey Leviticus 19:32. For more on passing faith between generations, read these Bible verses about faith.
Churches can pair older members with younger families, invite grandparents to read Scripture in services, or hold a short meeting where different generations share testimonies. Psalm 145:4 gives the vision: “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.”
Many grandparents say that prayer is the greatest gift they can give. The prayer below can be used as it is or adapted for each grandchild by name.
“Faithful God, thank You for the gift of children’s children. As You carried me to old age, carry my grandchildren through every season of their lives. Let the faith that dwelt in those before us dwell in them also. Give me wisdom to speak when I should speak and grace to stay quiet when I should listen. Help me to show Your strength to this generation and to the one that is to come. Bless their parents with patience and joy. Keep my grandchildren from harm, and draw each one to know You as Lord. In the name of Jesus, amen.”
Praying through Bible verses about grandparents in this way keeps prayer rooted in God’s promises rather than in worry. Some grandparents keep a notebook with each grandchild’s name, a verse chosen for them, and dates when prayers were answered. Many also treasure 3 John 1:4: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”
Psalm 103:17 and Isaiah 46:4 are especially fitting, since they speak of God’s mercy reaching children’s children and of His care that lasts into old age. You will find more practical ideas among these Bible verses for grandparents.
Few grandmothers in Scripture have traveled a harder road to the cradle than Naomi. She left Bethlehem in a famine, buried a husband and both sons in Moab, and came home telling people to call her Mara, which means bitter. Then Ruth married Boaz, a son was born, and the women of the town said of the baby, “he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age” (Ruth 4:15). The next verse says Naomi took the child, laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse.
Read slowly, that is a small, quiet picture. There is no speech from Naomi at all. She simply holds the baby. Anyone who has watched a widowed grandmother rock a newborn grandchild knows how much can be said with no words. The Bible does not hide that her earlier grief was real, and it does not pretend the baby erased it. It only shows that life can return to a house that seemed finished. Obed would later become the grandfather of King David, and neither woman could have guessed that from where they stood.
When the land was being divided, Caleb walked up to Joshua and made a request that still makes people smile. He was eighty-five, and he asked for the hill country, giants and all. His reasoning was plain: “As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me” (Joshua 14:11). Whatever the physical details were, the spirit of it is clear. He had followed the Lord fully for forty-five years and saw no reason to stop.
Grandparents sometimes assume their spiritual work is behind them, that the church has moved on to younger people with louder voices. Caleb tells another story. His example does not demand that anyone pretend to be stronger than they are. Bodies do slow. What it shows is a settled willingness to take on a task, to say yes when God puts something in front of you, and to let the grandchildren see that faith has legs in the later years. A grandfather who still prays out loud at supper may be doing more than he realizes.
Moses was speaking to a people about to enter a land he would not enter himself, and he was worried about memory. In Deuteronomy 4:9 he warns them to keep their souls diligently, “lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen,” and he adds the instruction to teach them to their sons, and their sons’ sons. Notice that he does not assume the knowledge will survive on its own. Memory had to be handed down on purpose, out loud, probably more than once.
That is a gentle assignment for anyone with grandchildren. You may be the only living person who remembers the church where your family first prayed, the winter the roof leaked, the answer that came when nothing else seemed possible. Write a few of those stories down. Tell them while driving or washing up. Children rarely ask for them, but they tend to keep them. A story told on a porch can end up holding more weight in a young life than a lecture ever did.
Loving grandchildren can slide into overstepping, and the Bible does not ask grandparents to override mothers and fathers. In Paul’s letters the main responsibility for raising children rests with parents (Ephesians 6:4). Grandparents who step in with a different set of rules, hand out sweets against parents’ wishes, or criticize the way a daughter-in-law runs her home can leave the whole family tense, even if every intention was kind. Timothy’s grandmother Lois is a good model here. Paul speaks of faith that dwelt first in her, then in Eunice, then in Timothy (2 Timothy 1:5). It moved along through the household, not around it.
A good rule of thumb is to ask before you act and to pray before you speak. If something truly worries you about a child’s safety, speak privately to the parents, and bring in a pastor or a trusted counselor if the matter is serious. When the parents are unable to care for the children and grandparents are raising them, that is a heavy load and it needs support from the church, from relatives and from local services. Asking for help in that situation is wisdom, not failure.
Not every older believer has grandchildren, and not every child has grandparents nearby. Paul tells Titus that the older women should teach the younger, and the older men should be sober, grave and sound in faith (Titus 2:2-5). Nothing in that passage requires a blood relation. A widow in the back pew who knits for the nursery, a retired mechanic who shows teenagers how to change a tire and mentions the Lord while he does it: these are grandparents to somebody, whatever the family tree says.
If you are older and have no grandchildren of your own, look around your congregation for a child who has no one to sit with. Offer to listen to a reading, to pray with a student before exams, to bring soup to a young mother with a new baby. If you are a parent whose own parents are far away or gone, invite one of those gray-haired saints to your table. Both sides are blessed more often than they expect, and a good many church families have been quietly stitched together this way.
Psalm 128 belongs to the Songs of Ascents, the little collection pilgrims sang while climbing toward Jerusalem. It pictures a household at peace: a man eating the work of his hands, a wife like a fruitful vine, children like olive plants around the table. Then it closes with a wish that fits grandparents well, “Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel” (Psalm 128:6). Think of travelers with sore feet singing that line together, many of them old enough to know exactly what it costs to hope for it.
The verse does not promise that every family will look that way, and honest readers know of grandparents who have never been allowed to see a grandchild, or who have buried one. The psalm names a blessing; it does not set a rule for measuring anyone. If your table is crowded and noisy, give thanks out loud for it. If it is quiet, bring that quiet to the Lord without shame. Either way, the song reminds us that seeing the next generation arrive is a gift to be received, never a debt that somebody failed to pay.
Nearby topics worth a look: Bible Verses For Faith and Hope, Bible Verses About Blessings and Prosperity, Bible Verses For God's Peace, Bible Verses For Spiritual Growth, Bible Verses For God's Healing, Bible Verses For Obedience, Bible Verses About Peace of Mind, Bible Verses About Happiness, Bible Verses About Gratitude and Thankfulness, Bible Verses For Staying Strong and Bible Verses About Overcoming Depression.
Free tools for studying these passages further: Blue Letter Bible, Bible Gateway and Bible Hub.
Scripture describes grandparents most often through the image of a crown, Proverbs 17:6’s “children’s children are the crown of old men,” and through specific accounts like Job living to see four generations of his own family. Grandparents are consistently tied to passing wisdom and faith down to the next generation rather than simply being honored for age itself.
This page covers seventeen verses, drawn mainly from Proverbs, the Job narrative, and passages describing the passing down of faith and wisdom across generations.
Yes, every verse quoted on this page is given in the King James Version.
The word “grandparents” itself does not appear in the King James text. Scripture instead speaks in terms of generations, “children’s children,” and specific relationships, which this page gathers together under the modern term.
Proverbs 17:6, “Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers,” is the verse most central to this page and most often quoted on the subject of grandparents.
