Bible Verses About Marriage

These bible verses about marriage teach at least these several things:

• God created marriage.
• Sin weakened marriage.
• Marriages take work to preserve.
• Marriage is neither commanded nor recommended for everyone. See these verses about remaining single.
• Marriage is to be honored and carefully guarded. See these verses about divorce.

The Creation of Marriage

The following bible verses about marriage show that the husband-wife relationship is a direct creation of God. These marriage bible verses also teach that when originally created, the relationship was perfect.

Genesis 1:26-28
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.” God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.” (NET)

Genesis 2:18-24
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him.” The Lord God formed out of the ground every living animal of the field and every bird of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man named all the animals, the birds of the air, and the living creatures of the field, but for Adam no companion who corresponded to him was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was asleep, he took part of the man’s side and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife, and they become a new family. (NET)

Bible Verses About Marriage Failure

We don't need scripture to tell us that marriage is no longer perfect - we live it! These bible verses about marriage show us how we welcomed sin into the relationship and explain the unfortunate consequences of our actions.

Genesis 3:16
To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." (NIV)

Wisdom Bible Verses About Marriage

The following bible verses about marriage are from the "Wisdom Books." They provide general principles to help marriages overcome the problems that result from sin.

Proverbs 12:4
A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones. (NIV)

Proverbs 18:22
The one who finds a wife finds what is enjoyable, and receives a pleasurable gift from the Lord. (NET)

Proverbs 19:14
Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD. (NIV)

Proverbs 21:9
Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. (NIV)

Proverbs 31:10
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 9:9
Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life... (NASB)

Bible Verses About Marriage Intimacy

1 Corinthians 7:3-5
A husband should give to his wife her sexual rights, and likewise a wife to her husband. It is not the wife who has the rights to her own body, but the husband. In the same way, it is not the husband who has the rights to his own body, but the wife. Do not deprive each other, except by mutual agreement for a specified time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then resume your relationship, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. (NET)

Hebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. (NIV)

Caution Before Getting Married

1 Corinthians 7:25-28
With regard to the question about people who have never married, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my opinion as one shown mercy by the Lord to be trustworthy. Because of the impending crisis I think it best for you to remain as you are. The one bound to a wife should not seek divorce. The one released from a wife should not seek marriage. But if you marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face difficult circumstances, and I am trying to spare you such problems. (NET)

1 Corinthians 7:32-35
And I want you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the things of the world, how to please his wife, and he is divided. An unmarried woman or a virgin is concerned about the things of the Lord, to be holy both in body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the things of the world, how to please her husband. I am saying this for your benefit, not to place a limitation on you, but so that without distraction you may give notable and constant service to the Lord. (NET)

Bible Verses About Marriage Relationships

Ephesians 5:22-33
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church – he himself being the savior of the body. But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word, so that he may present the church to himself as glorious – not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. In the same way husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one has ever hated his own body but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ also does the church, for we are members of his body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is great – but I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (NET)

Colossians 3:18-19
Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. (NET)

Hebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. (NIV)

Bible Verses About Marriage Conclusion

These bible verses about marriage teach that God created marriage, that we corrupted it, that we need to work to maintain it, and that we need to carefully guard it. But if you need more bible verses about marriage, try these verses about divorce. You might also want to study what God says about remaining unmarried.




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Scripture marked NIV taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved. www.bible.org

Scripture quotations marked NASB taken from the New American Standard Bible.




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