The best-known Bible verses about strength include Isaiah 40:31, Philippians 4:13, Joshua 1:9 and 2 Corinthians 12:9. Together they say that real strength comes from God, shows up as courage and faithfulness, and is often found in weakness. Below are 18 verses for men, each with its reference, a short quote and a plain-English note.
Unless marked KJV, every quote comes from the World English Bible (WEB), a public-domain translation published on eBible.org, and you can read each verse in its chapter on Bible Gateway. The WEB prints God's name as "Yahweh" where many Bibles print "the LORD." The quotes are short, so read the verses around any line that speaks to you. If you want a daily routine for reading them, our guide to a daily devotional for men sets out a simple ten-minute habit.
Isaiah 40:29. "He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might." God offers strength to people who have run out, not only to people who feel strong.
Isaiah 40:31. "those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint." The verse before says even young men "utterly fall." Renewed strength comes from waiting on God, not from pushing harder.
Psalm 73:26. "My flesh and my heart fails, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." An honest verse for days when your body or your resolve gives out.
Isaiah 41:10. "Don't you be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you." The promise of strength rests on a promise of presence.
Joshua 1:9. "Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid. Don't be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go." God said this to Joshua after Moses died, as Joshua was about to lead the people across the Jordan (Joshua 1:1-2).
Deuteronomy 31:6. "Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid or scared of them, for Yahweh your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you." Courage here is not a mood. It rests on the fact that God goes with you.
Psalm 27:1. "Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?" A good verse to pray before a hard conversation, a medical appointment or a job interview.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14. "Watch! Stand firm in the faith! Be courageous! Be strong! Let all that you do be done in love." Paul pairs strength with love in the very next sentence. Strength without love misses the point.
1 Kings 2:2-3. "You be strong therefore, and show yourself a man; and keep the instruction of Yahweh your God, to walk in his ways." These were David's instructions to his son Solomon as David's death drew near. Being a man is measured by faithfulness to God, not by toughness.
Ephesians 6:10. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might." This verse opens Paul's picture of spiritual armor. The next verse says, "Put on the whole armor of God."
Mark 12:30. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." Jesus calls this the greatest commandment. Your physical energy is part of how you love God.
Proverbs 24:10. "If you falter in the time of trouble, your strength is small." A blunt proverb. Build strength on ordinary days, through prayer, Scripture and keeping your word, so it is there when trouble comes.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul begged the Lord three times to take away his "thorn in the flesh," and this was the answer. He concludes, "For when I am weak, then am I strong."
Philippians 4:13. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Read verses 11 and 12 as well. Paul is talking about being content whether he is "filled" or "hungry," so the verse is about strength to endure any situation, not a promise to win every contest.
Psalm 46:1. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Short enough to learn in a minute, and worth having ready for a bad day.
Psalm 28:7. "Yahweh is my strength and my shield. My heart has trusted in him, and I am helped." Strength and protection come together, through trust.
Habakkuk 3:19. "Yahweh, the Lord, is my strength. He makes my feet like deer's feet, and enables me to go in high places." The prophet writes this after picturing failed crops and empty stalls in verse 17. It is strength for seasons when nothing is going well.
1 Peter 5:10. "But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you." Strength often comes after suffering, not instead of it.
Awana's guide to Scripture memory suggests a simple routine. Here it is in short form:
Read the context. Read the verses around it so you know what it is really teaching.
Write it on a card. Put the reference at the start and the end, and keep the card with you.
Say it out loud. Awana suggests reading it aloud at least seven times a day.
Break it into phrases. Learn the first phrase, then add one phrase at a time, testing yourself without looking.
Get it word perfect. Keep going until you can say it exactly, with the reference before and after.
Recite with others. Set a weekly time to say your verses with a friend or a men's group.
Review at night. Go over your verses as you fall asleep.
A one-verse-a-week plan that fits a busy schedule:
Monday: read the chapter and write the card.
Tuesday to Thursday: add one phrase a day.
Friday: say the whole verse word perfect.
Saturday: recite it to a friend, your wife or your kids.
Sunday: review every verse you have learned so far.
Start with four: Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 40:31, Philippians 4:13 and 2 Corinthians 12:9. After one month you will have a verse ready for fear, tiredness, hard circumstances and weakness.
There is no official ranking, but Philippians 4:13 and Isaiah 40:31 are two of the most familiar. In the King James Version, Philippians 4:13 reads: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
It ties strength to faithfulness and love. David told Solomon to "show yourself a man" by keeping God's instruction (1 Kings 2:2-3), and Paul followed "Be strong!" with "Let all that you do be done in love" (1 Corinthians 16:13-14).
Try Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble," or 2 Corinthians 12:9 for times when you feel weak.
Yes. eBible.org publishes the KJV as free to copy. Its Isaiah 40:31 reads: "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." Memorize in whichever translation you read most.
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Bible Gateway: World English Bible text of the verses quoted, with context
Awana: 10 Steps for Effective Scripture Memory (Linda Weddle)