Is 'This Too Shall Pass' in the Bible?

You are in the middle of a hard season. Someone tells you, "This too shall pass." They say it like it is Scripture, like it is biblical truth you should hold onto.

But here is the thing: it is not in the Bible.

"This too shall pass" is a Persian proverb. It shows up in folklore, not Scripture. And while it is not wrong - seasons do change, suffering does not last forever - it is not the full story.

The Bible says something better.

Where "This Too Shall Pass" Comes From

The phrase comes from Persian Sufi poets. One version of the story says a king asked wise men to give him a sentence that would be true in both good times and bad. They gave him this: "This too shall pass."

It is a reminder of impermanence. Good times end. Bad times end. Nothing lasts forever.

That is true. But if that is all you have, it is a pretty hollow comfort.

Because when you are in the pit, when grief is crushing you, when the season feels endless - knowing it will eventually end does not always help. You need more than a reminder that time moves forward.

You need hope that the suffering is doing something.

What the Bible Actually Says

The Bible does not just say your pain will pass. It says your pain is not wasted.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 says:

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Paul calls his suffering "light and momentary." This is the same Paul who was beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, stoned, and left for dead. Light and momentary.

How?

Because he is not just enduring it. He is saying it is achieving something. The Greek word here is katergazomai (κατεργάζομαι) - the same word used in Philippians 2:12 for "work out your salvation." It means "bring to full effect" or "produce."

Your suffering is not random. It is not just something you survive until it passes. It is producing something eternal.

The Difference Between "Passing" and "Producing"

"This too shall pass" is about endurance. Grit your teeth. Hold on. It will end.

The Bible is about transformation. This is not just something you survive. This is something God is using to shape you.

Romans 5:3-5 says:

"We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."

Look at that word: produces.

Your suffering is not just passing. It is producing perseverance. Perseverance is producing character. Character is producing hope.

This is not a passive waiting game. This is active refinement.

The Greek word for produces is katergadzomai (κατεργάζομαι) - the same word used in Philippians 2:12 for "work out your salvation." It means to bring to completion, to accomplish fully.

Your suffering is accomplishing something. Not randomly. Not accidentally. Intentionally.

God is using this season to produce something in you that could not exist without it.

James 1:2-4 says the same thing: "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."

Notice he does not say "endure trials until they pass." He says let perseverance finish its work.

The trial is not the enemy. The trial is the tool. And God is not wasting it.

What About Job?

Job is the poster child for suffering. His children died. His wealth was gone. His health was destroyed. His friends told him it was his fault.

And Job said, "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him" (Job 13:15).

Job did not just endure until it passed. He clung to God in the middle of it.

And at the end of the book, God does not explain why Job suffered. He does not give a reason. He just shows up.

Sometimes the answer is not an explanation. The answer is God's presence.

The Greek Word for "Temporary"

In 2 Corinthians 4:18, Paul says, "What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

The Greek word for temporary is proskairos (πρόσκαιρος). It literally means "for a season."

Your suffering is for a season. But the glory it is producing? That is aionios (αἰώνιος) - eternal.

So yes, this season will pass. But more importantly, this season is not wasted.

What You Can Hold Onto

When you are in the middle of it, when the season feels endless, here is what you can hold onto:

Your suffering is temporary. (2 Corinthians 4:17)
Your suffering is not wasted. (Romans 5:3-5)
Your suffering is producing something eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)
God is with you in it. (Psalm 23:4 - "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.")

This too shall pass? Yes. But that is not the point.

The point is that while you are in it, God is doing something.

The Weight of Glory

Paul says the suffering is producing "an eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17).

The Greek word for weight is baros (βάρος). It means heaviness, burden, something substantial.

Paul is not saying the glory will be light and fluffy. He is saying it will have weight. Substance. Permanence.

Your suffering right now feels heavy. But what it is producing is heavier.

Think about that. The glory waiting for you is not just relief. It is not just the absence of pain. It is something solid, something real, something that carries eternal weight.

And that eternal weight far outweighs the temporary affliction.

When the Season Feels Endless

Maybe you are reading this and thinking, "Okay, but I have been in this season for years. When does it end?"

The Bible does not promise an expiration date. It does not say, "Suffer for six months and then you are good."

But it does promise this: God is with you in it.

Psalm 34:18 says, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

He is not distant. He is not waiting for you to pull yourself together. He is close. Right there in the middle of your grief, your pain, your exhaustion.

Isaiah 43:2 says, "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 it does not say IF you pass through. It says WHEN.

God does not promise you will avoid hard seasons. He promises you will not walk through them alone.

What If You Are Angry?

If you are in a hard season right now and you are not just sad but angry - you are in good company.

David was angry. Job was angry. Jeremiah was angry.

Psalm 13:1-2 - "How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?"

That is not polite prayer language. That is raw, honest, frustrated pleading.

And God did not strike David down for it. He put it in Scripture.

You are allowed to be angry. You are allowed to ask God why. You are allowed to say, "This is too much. I cannot do this anymore."

God can handle your honesty. He would rather you bring your anger to Him than pretend it is not there.

Why This Matters

If you are in a hard season right now, you do not need someone to tell you it will end. You already know that. You need to know it is not for nothing.

The Bible does not just promise relief. It promises transformation.

Your pain is not random. Your grief is not wasted. Your struggle is not meaningless.

God is producing something in you that will outlast the pain. Something with eternal weight. Something that matters.

And He is with you in the middle of it. Not waiting on the other side. Right here. Right now.

This is exactly why tools like Sola Bible App exist - to help you dig into Scripture and find the truth that holds you when nothing else will. Because one verse, in its original context, can change everything.