35 Bible Verses About Marriage
Marriage is a beautiful thing. It is a promise to have, cherish, strengthen, and uphold an individual for the rest of your life together. God Himself instituted it, and plenty of Bible verses about marriage are found throughout the scriptures supporting this point.
But beyond the glitz and glamour, a marriage relationship requires a lot of commitment and dedication to be successful. A happy marriage demands loyalty, sensitivity, perseverance, forgiveness, and restraint.
To be honest, it is not always easy to satisfy these requirements. But thank God, we have a loving Father to turn to for help. God is such a kind Father that He gives us instructions and provides the strength to fulfill them (Philippians 2:13).
If God is willing to help us have a successful marriage, it is left to us to appropriate His help and receive His grace. And there’s no better way to receive God’s help on any matter than reflecting on His Word, believing it, and acting on it in faith and obedience.
God recognizes our weaknesses in the institution of marriage. And to help our shortcomings, He has provided many Scriptures on marriage to assist us in navigating through this beautiful but demanding institution.
If you are a Christian looking to enjoy a happy married life, build a godly home, and raise godly children, below is a compilation of powerful marriage scriptures that will empower and encourage you.
As you begin to meditate and build your life on the verses, you allow God to work on you and make you a better partner for your spouse.
Where in the Bible Does It Talk About Marriage?
Marriage is a popular theme in the Bible. In Genesis 2:22-25, we witness a marriage orchestrated by God himself. In that story, God made a woman out of Adam’s ribs and presented her unto him.
This is likened to the cultural practice where the father of the bride presents her to the groom during the marriage ceremony. In verse 23, the groom, Adam, acknowledges and names his wife Eve, showing acceptance and love.
Continuing to verse 24, we see the concept of marriage in all its glory – a man leaving his parents and joining himself to his wife. They, being two individuals, become one in mind and body.
After this event, several other marriages took place in the Old and New Testament eras. Notably, the New International Version (NIV) records 47 mentions of the word “marriage.” In this guide, we will endeavor to highlight and draw lessons from some of those marriage verses.
Bible Verses on Marriage
Marriage is more than just a legal union between a man and a woman. God instituted it to express love, companionship, intimacy, and procreation. The following Scriptures about marriage remind us about the true biblical meaning of marriage and the purposes God intended it to fulfill.
Yahweh God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him.”Out of the ground Yahweh God formed every animal of the field, and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature became its name. The man gave names to all livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every animal of the field; but for man there was not found a helper comparable to him. Yahweh God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. As the man slept, he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Yahweh God made a woman from the rib which he had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore, a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh. (Genesis 2:18-24)
For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons will marry you. As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you. (Isaiah 62:5)
He answered, “Haven’t you read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female,and said, ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?’So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, don’t let man tear apart.” (Matthew 19:4-6)
Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife. He loved her. So, Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. (Genesis 24:67)
Your wife will be as a fruitful vine in the innermost parts of your house, your children like olive shoots around your table. (Psalm 128:3)
Who can find a worthy woman? For her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband trusts in her. He shall have no lack of gain. (Proverbs 31:10-11)
For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will join to his wife,and the two will become one flesh, so that they are no longer two, but one flesh.What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate. (Mark 10:7-9)
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up.Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one keep warm alone?If a man prevails against one who is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
Bible Verses for Married Couples
God expects couples to live in unity and intimacy. As a married person, you should look after your partner’s physical, spiritual, emotional, and sexual well-being. Here are a few marriage Bible verses that emphasize this:
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled; but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. (Hebrews 13:4)
Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for love is strong as death. Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a very flame of Yahweh. Many waters can’t quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned. (Song of Solomon 8:6-7)
You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride. You have ravished my heart with one of your eyes, with one chain of your neck. How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, the fragrance of your perfumes than all kinds of spices! (Song of Solomon 4:9-10)
For this is how in the past, the holy women who hoped in God also adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands.So, Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose children you now are, if you do well, and are not put in fear by any terror. You husbands, in the same way, live with your wives according to knowledge, giving honor to the woman, as to the weaker vessel, as also being joint heirs of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. (1 Peter 3:5-7)
Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the body. But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it;that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without defect. Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly;because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones.“For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. Then the two will become one flesh.”This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and of the assembly. Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Ephesians 5:22-33)
A worthy woman is the crown of her husband, but a disgraceful wife is as rottenness in his bones. (Proverbs 12:4)
Now concerning the things about which you wrote to me: it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But, because of sexual immoralities, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband give his wife the affection owed her, and likewise also the wife her husband. The wife doesn’t have authority over her own body, but the husband. Likewise, also the husband doesn’t have authority over his own body, but the wife. Don’t deprive one another, unless it is by consent for a season, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer, and may be together again, that Satan doesn’t tempt you because of your lack of self-control.But this I say by way of concession, not of commandment. (1 Corinthians 7:1-6)
Scriptures About Love and Marriage
The importance of love in marriage cannot be overemphasized. Without love, you would never be able to build a strong bond with your spouse, be patient with them, give up time and money for them, and forgive them when they wrong you. Below are a few marriage verses that illustrate how God expects couples to love each other:
Love is patient and is kind. Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. (I Corinthians 13:4-7)
And above all things be earnest in your love among yourselves, for love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)
Beloved, let’s love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God.He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love. (1 John 4:7-8)
This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:12-13)
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all wrongs. (Proverbs 10:12)
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good. (Romans 12:9)
Now I beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment. (I Corinthians 1:10)
Don’t let kindness and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart. So, you will find favor, and good understanding in the sight of God and man. (Proverbs 3:3-4)
Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance;bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do. Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection. (Colossians 3:12-14)
Seeing you have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth through the Spirit in sincere brotherly affection, love one another from the heart fervently. (1 Peter 1:22)
Scriptures About Forgiveness for Husbands and Wives
Your spouse will not always act in the way you prefer. They will hurt you in many ways, and the only thing that will help you overcome resentment and hurt is your ability to forgive them. By reflecting on the following Bible verses about marriage and Christian living, you can find the power to forgive your spouse when they wrong you:
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32)
Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did.” (Proverbs 24:29 NIV)
Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do. (Colossians 3:12-13)
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved childrenand walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV)
Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions.” (Mark 11:25-26)
Marriage Quotes From the Bible
Every marriage comes with its challenges, hurts, and pains, but the Bible provides us with wisdom to overcome these hurts daily. Below are biblical quotes about marriage that offer guidance and inspiration about commitment, patience, love, and other godly virtues we need to have successful marriages.
And that older women likewise be reverent in behavior, not slanderers nor enslaved to much wine, teachers of that which is good, that they may train the young wives to love their husbands, to love their children,to be sober minded, chaste, workers at home, kind, being in subjection to their own husbands, that God’s word may not be blasphemed. (Titus 2:3-5)
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)
Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands. (Proverbs 14:1)
It was also said, “Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,”but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery. (Matthew 5:31-32)
Ruth said, “Don’t urge me to leave you, and to return from following you, for where you go, I will go; and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God.Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Yahweh do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.” (Ruth 1:16-17)
What Does the Bible Say About Sexual Morality in Marriage?
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. (Hebrews 13:4)
Hebrews 13:4 is among the Bible verses for married couples that give us a sneak peek into God’s expectations about sexual morality in marriage. The clause “bed undefiled” used in other translations of that verse clearly shows that God doesn’t want couples to seek sexual satisfaction outside marriage.
The bed is a powerful symbol in marriage. A lot of things happen on the bed. Aside from sexual intercourse, the bed is where couples get together to discuss, interact, pray, and settle issues.
It is also symbolic of the hidden parts of an individual. Visitors don’t just walk into our bedrooms without our permission.
All these point our attention to one thing: You shouldn’t allow anyone or anything to interfere with the private aspects you share with your spouse. These include private parts, intimate conversations, and intimate emotions.
The moment you allow external persons into these intimate spaces, you expose yourself to the temptation to defile your marital bed. After God, the next person you should be loyal to is your spouse.
And remember, you don’t need physical contact with someone to commit adultery. Jesus said in Matthew 5:28 that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
In a marriage relationship, you don’t only share your body with your spouse. You also share your hearts and minds with them. Thus, God expects you to be sexually upright and faithful in your actions and thoughts.
Proverbs 5:18-20 (KJV) is another Bible verse for couples. In verse 20, the author asks a question;
“And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman and embrace the bosom of a stranger.”
The clause, “be ravished with a strange woman,” pictures lustfully admiring another woman. Similarly, “embrace the bosom of a stranger” depicts sexual intercourse or intimacy with someone other than your wife.
This scripture goes both ways. The man and the woman should be completely satisfied with their partner and never seek sexual pleasure elsewhere.
How to Apply a Scripture About Love and Marriage
Perhaps you have a favorite scripture from the Bible verses about marriage above. Whether you do or not, you must learn how to apply God’s Word the right way.
Here’s a short guide to help you appropriate the transformative power of the Word of God in your marriage.
- Read it. Look up the specific verse in all the translations available. This will empower your mind and prepare it to believe and obey the instructions in the text.
- Meditate on the verse. Meditation gets God’s Word into our hearts. As you take time to think about the verse, your marriage will begin to manifest the realities of God’s promises contained in the verse.
- Paste it on your walls. Nothing retains the scriptures in one’s mind like consistent reading. And thankfully, wall stickers afford us the opportunity to do that. Write the verse on a wall sticker and paste it in different areas easily accessible to your sight.
- Confess it. Proverbs 12:14 says a man shall be satisfied with good things from the fruit of his lips. Faith confessions are powerful. So, start confessing every promise of God in that marriage verse.
- Pray it. The importance of prayer in marriage is endless. It can set the things you desire in motion and stop those you don’t want in their tracks. So, pray your desires from the verse in faith, trusting in an almighty and loving God who can bless you through your marriage.
FAQs
What did God say about marriage in the Bible?
Marriage is a covenant relationship between one man and one woman. God designed the union to serve three primary purposes – companionship, procreation, and exemplifying His relationship with the church.
What is God’s promise for marriage?
God’s promise for marriage is that couples will become one flesh and they will enjoy complete intimacy. Additionally, God vowed that every believer would be His bride at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
God Wants Your Marriage to Flourish
God intends every couple to have a happy home – one that is filled with God’s love.
God’s love offers unending forgiveness and acceptance. It gives selflessly. This kind of love is God’s desire for your marriage. As you reflect on the Bible verses for marriage highlighted above, God’s love will positively influence your relationship with your spouse.
It is possible to have a long-lasting and happy marriage. It is also possible to overcome any marital challenge. Whether you are an aspiring couple, a young woman or man, a newlywed, or an old couple, God desires to see homes flourish.
Build and grow your marriage on God’s love. Read the Bible verses for marriage highlighted above and meditate on them often. We encourage you to write the verses and some marriage Bible quotes on stickers and paste them on your walls.
When we fill our minds with the Word, we activate God’s divine help to love our spouses and fulfill God’s divine mandate for our union. There is a rich supply of eternal life, joy, peace, bliss, and blessings for everyone when we cling to God’s Word.
Stop trying to be a good spouse on your own. Your efforts will never be good enough.
Grab hold of the Bible verses for couples and allow them to transform your life and marriage. God is there to help you all the way. You only need to walk in humility and surrender as you receive His help.
If you ever wondered what the Bible says about marriage, we hope this guide has provided some insights. May the transformative power of God’s Word in those Bible verses about marriage turn your marriage around for good.
