# Is “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” in the Bible?

> No. “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” is not a Bible verse. It comes from Christian tradition, not Scripture.

Source: https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/ashes-to-ashes-dust-to-dust
By Andrew Kittridge · November 9, 2026

The line comes from a funeral service, not from a verse. It rests on Genesis 3:19, where God tells Adam he is dust and will go back to dust.

Christian tradition, not Scripture. Origin: The burial service in the Book of Common Prayer (1549).

## What the Bible says instead

> With sweat on your face you will eat bread until you go back to the ground, since you were taken from it. For dust is what you are, and to dust you will go back.”
>
> — [Genesis 3:19](https://www.lumin.faith/read/genesis/3#19) (Lumin Translation)

> All of them go to one place: all of them came from the dust, and all of them go back to the dust.
>
> — [Ecclesiastes 3:20](https://www.lumin.faith/read/ecclesiastes/3#20) (Lumin Translation)

## Common questions

### Is “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” in the Bible?

No. “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” is not a Bible verse. It comes from Christian tradition, not Scripture. The line comes from a funeral service, not from a verse. It rests on Genesis 3:19, where God tells Adam he is dust and will go back to dust.

### Where does “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” come from?

The burial service in the Book of Common Prayer (1549).

### What does the Bible say instead?

Read Genesis 3:19, Ecclesiastes 3:20. The line comes from a funeral service, not from a verse. It rests on Genesis 3:19, where God tells Adam he is dust and will go back to dust.

## More

- [Is “Honesty is the best policy” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/honesty-is-the-best-policy.md)
- [Is “Ask and you shall receive” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/ask-and-you-shall-receive.md)
- [Is “Can a leopard change its spots” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/can-a-leopard-change-its-spots.md)
- [Is “Faith can move mountains” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/faith-can-move-mountains.md)
- [Is “A fly in the ointment” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/a-fly-in-the-ointment.md)
- [Is “A house divided against itself cannot stand” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/a-house-divided-against-itself-cannot-stand.md)
- [Is “A labor of love” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/a-labor-of-love.md)
- [Is “Live by the sword, die by the sword” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/live-by-the-sword-die-by-the-sword.md)
- [Check any word or a whole song](https://www.lumin.faith/bible-verse-checker)