# Where is “Dust you are and to dust you will return” in the Bible?

> “Dust you are and to dust you will return” is Genesis 3:19.

Source: https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/dust-you-are-and-to-dust-you-will-return
By Andrew Kittridge · November 10, 2026

God says it to Adam after he and Eve eat from the forbidden tree.

## The verse

> 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)

English Bibles word this verse in different ways. The Lumin Translation, a modern English Bible, is quoted here.

## What it means there

Adam was formed from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7), and death sends him back to it. The funeral words “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” come from the Book of Common Prayer, which builds on this verse.

## Common questions

### Where is “Dust you are and to dust you will return” in the Bible?

“Dust you are and to dust you will return” is Genesis 3:19. English Bibles word this verse in different ways. The Lumin Translation, a modern English Bible, is quoted here. God says it to Adam after he and Eve eat from the forbidden tree.

### Is “Dust you are and to dust you will return” in the Bible?

Yes. It is Genesis 3:19. In the Lumin Translation, Genesis 3:19 reads: “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.””

### Who said “Dust you are and to dust you will return”?

God says it to Adam after he and Eve eat from the forbidden tree.

### What does “Dust you are and to dust you will return” mean in the Bible?

Adam was formed from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7), and death sends him back to it. The funeral words “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” come from the Book of Common Prayer, which builds on this verse.

## More

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- [Check any word or a whole song](https://www.lumin.faith/bible-verse-checker)