Here’s a brief overview of what the Bible says to us about the marriage relationship. We hope these Bible verses about marriage and short reflections on them reveal to you not only what a gift God has given us in marital love, but also what great love God has shown to us in Jesus.
Marriage Is God’s Idea
1. Genesis 2:18, 21–25 ESV
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a helper for him.” . . . So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
Marriage is a special relationship between a man and a woman, created by God for our joy, to fulfill our need for companionship.
Marriage God’s Way Has a Purpose
2. Ephesians 5:22–28, 31–33 ESV
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. . . . “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
More than being a unique relationship, marriage serves a unique purpose. God created marriage to tell a living story or paint a picture. The relationship between a husband and wife reflects the relationship between Jesus and those who trust in him (collectively called “the church” in the Bible). Marriage illustrates the gospel or the good news message about Jesus. A husband’s self-giving love illustrates the self-giving love of Jesus. A woman’s submission to her husband’s leadership illustrates how the church joyfully embraces the authority of Jesus. God designed this husband-wife relationship to function as a living illustration of his loving relationship with those who trust in Christ.
Marriage Reflects God’s Own Steadfast Love
3. Mark 10:6–9 ESV
But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
God takes our marriages seriously because they are an illustration of his own love. When we fail to honor the marriage covenant as God intended, it projects a faulty image of God and his love to the world. His love is steadfast and everlasting. Thus, God intends for our marriages to be a living picture of his steadfast, unfailing love.
Marriage Is for Life
4. Romans 7:2 ESV
For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage.
Marriage is a covenant relationship that lasts a lifetime. God prohibits divorce because it projects a distortion of his own love. God never forsakes those who belong to him by faith in Jesus (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5).
Marriage Is the Only Proper Context for Sex
5. Hebrews 13:4 ESV
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
According to the Bible, a lifelong covenant of marriage is the only right context for sex. Sex is the consummation or unifying of man and woman into the one-flesh union God designed marriage to be. It is a gift to be enjoyed in the context of marriage, and a sacred part of the marriage relationship to be protected and honored. However, we know that this ideal is far from the practices of our world. Sex takes place in many other contexts than between husband and wife. But it is only experienced as the gift God intended it to be within the context God created for that gift. Sex is like fire—when kept in the fireplace God set it in (marriage), it brings warmth and light to a home. It is a wonderful thing. When it’s played with outside the fireplace (sex outside of marriage), it not only destructive and dangerous to us, but ultimately is an abuse of God’s gift that will incur his judgment.
Marriage Is a Gift from God
6. Proverbs 19:14 NLT
Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give an understanding wife.
Marriage is a gift from the Lord! It is a grace and a blessing to find a spouse. The Bible frames marriage as the Lord’s gift.
Marriage Is a Good Thing
7. Proverbs 18:22 ESV
He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.
8. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 ESV
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?
The Bible makes clear that marriage is good. It is a good and natural thing to desire. It’s a common grace. The wisdom literature of the Bible (like the book of Ecclesiastes) tells us that “two are better than one.” Marriage is a blessing, a provision, a help.
When Looking for a Spouse, Consider Their Character
9. Proverbs 31:10–11, 28–29 ESV
An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. . . . Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”
The Bible makes clear that when looking for a spouse, look for praiseworthy character.
When Looking for a Spouse, Consider Attraction
10. Song of Songs 4:9-10 ESV
You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride;
you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much better is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
There’s a whole book of the Bible devoted to human love. It’s called The Song of Songs and belongs to the wisdom literature of the Bible. Through this book the Bible makes clear that God has designed marriage to be between people who find delight in one another, because that love relationship is a reflection of his own delight in his people. In other words, when looking for a spouse, attraction matters! It’s God’s design that you would be attracted to the person you marry.
If You Are a Christian, Do Not Marry a Non-Christian
11. 2 Corinthians 6:14 NIV
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit instructs us to not be “unequally yoked” with unbelievers. We can responsibly apply this instruction to marriage relationships. God’s Word commands believers in Jesus not to enter significant partnerships with those who don’t believe in Jesus. To get a more thorough explanation of this passage, read our article, Why God Calls Us Not to Be Unequally Yoked with Unbelievers by Pastor Josh Parsons.
If You Are a Christian Already Married to a Non-Christian, Marriage Is an Opportunity to Witness
12. 1 Corinthians 7:13–14, 16 ESV
If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. . . . For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
Although God’s Word cautions believers against marrying unbelievers, there may be people who find themselves already in a marriage relationship with an unbeliever. Maybe you came to know Jesus after you were married, and your spouse is not married. In this case, God’s Word comforts you that your continued loving commitment to that person may be the very means he uses to help them come to know Jesus also. (Consider exploring our page, Marriage Help, if you are in this circumstance).
God Gives Us Instructions for How Husbands and Wives Relate to Each Other in Marriage
13. Colossians 3:18–19 NLT
Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.
God’s Word clearly tells wives to submit to the leadership of their husbands, and it tells husbands to sacrificially love their wives.
Spouses Have Significant Influence on One Another
14. Proverbs 12:4 NIV
A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.
This proverb says that a wife can “make or break” her husband. She is either his crown, which honors him, or she’s like rotting in his bones! She’s a complement to him or a cross to bear. This tells a woman what significant influence she has on her husband’s life.
A Husband’s Treatment of His Wife Impacts His Relationship with God
15. 1 Peter 3:7 ESV
Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
Just as a wife can “make or break” her husband, the same is true of husbands. God has serious instructions for husbands here. The God of the universe comes to the defense of women. He instructs husbands to be understanding and honoring. The consequences of a husband’s mistreatment of his wife are significant—his relationship with God will suffer if he does not steward his relationship with his wife well.
Marriage Won’t Happen in Heaven
16. Matthew 22:30 ESV (repeated in Mark 12:25 and Luke 20:34–36)
For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
Marriage is a special gift God has given us for this life, to reveal to us his own love for us and to help us understand the good news of what he’s done for us in Christ. Because marriage is a picture of the love relationship between Jesus and his church, when Jesus returns and sets all things right, we will experience the Great Wedding Feast in heaven (Revelation 19:9). Marriage will have served its purpose once we get to heaven, because we will live in the reality to which it points—the everlasting joyous union between Jesus and his people.
The Greatest Blessing We Can Receive Is to Be Invited to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb
17. Revelation 19:9 ESV
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “Those are the true words of God.”
The greatest love that exists is the love of God. God welcomes us into his love. Even though we do not love God by nature, and sin in a host of ways, God pursued us in love. The Bible tells us that, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 ESV), and also that, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 ESV).
In sacrificial love, Jesus willingly died the death we deserve for our sins (John 10:17-18). But he rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:4)! He took the punishment we deserve, so that we might be freed from our debt to God and brought into a loving relationship with God (1 Peter 3:18).
Jesus invites anyone who will put their trust in him into a lifelong loving relationship with God—the ultimate union that marriage points to. All who trust in Jesus will one day be welcomed into the great Marriage Supper of the Lamb—the huge party in heaven that celebrates the union of Jesus and his people in their new heavenly home for all eternity (Revelation 19:6-9; Revelation 21:1-4).
Not all of us will experience marriage in this life, but all of us are invited into the ultimate love relationship for which Jesus himself laid down his life.
“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” (Revelation 22:17 ESV)
Will you receive Jesus’ invitation?