What Does the Bible Say About Marriage?

“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. meet: Heb. as before him”

“And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Woman: Heb. Isha Man: Heb. Ish”

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. to thy: or, subject to thy husband”

“And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.”

“Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.”

“But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife. a man's: Heb. married to an husband”

“Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.”

“And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.”

“And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:”

“But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.”

“And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.”

“Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.”

“Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken.”

“And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things. jewels: Heb. vessels”

“And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.”

“Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother.”

“And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?”

“And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.”

“And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.”

“Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.”

“And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.”

“Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.”

“Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

“And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.”

“If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins. pay: Heb. weigh”

“And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.”

“None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD. near: Heb. remainder of his flesh”

“And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.”

“And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people : he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.”

“And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, nor of thy father's sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity. uncovereth: Heb. hath made naked”

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people:”

“They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God.”

“And he shall take a wife in her virginity.”

“This is the thing which the LORD doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry. marry: Heb. be wives”

“So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. keep: Heb. cleave to the, etc”

“And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers.”

“Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance.”

“Even as the LORD commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad:”

“For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their father's brothers' sons:”

“And they were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father. into: Heb. to some that were of the families”

“These are the commandments and the judgments, which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses unto the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.”

“Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.”

“For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.”

“If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;”

“Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;”

“Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him:”

“But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.”

“And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. bondage: Heb. bondmen”

“When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive,”

“Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.”

“When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. some: Heb. matter of nakedness divorcement: Heb. cutting off”

“When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken. neither: Heb. not any thing shall pass upon him”

“If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger : her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her. her husband's: or, her next kinsman”

“And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.”

“And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.”

“And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.”

“So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.”

“And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments: sheets: or, shirts”

“And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.”

“Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.”

“And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.”

“And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's:”

“And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. I thought: Heb. I said, I will reveal in thine ear”

“Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.”

“And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.”

“Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.”

“Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.”

“And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi.”

“Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.”

“And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem: do thou: or, get thee riches, or, power be famous: Heb. proclaim thy name”

“And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters: and their brethren the sons of Kish took them. brethren: or, kinsmen”

“Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.”

“For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.”

“Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.”

“And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons:”

“Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.”

“Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?”

“Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king:”

“And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them: unto the: Heb. unto the hand Hege: or, Hegai”

“And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.”

“So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.”

“And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens, which were meet to be given her, out of the king's house: and he preferred her and her maids unto the best place of the house of the women. such: Heb. her portions preferred: Heb. changed”

“Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew it.”

“And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women's house, to know how Esther did, and what should become of her. to know: Heb. to know the peace”

“Now when every maid's turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)”

“Then thus came every maiden unto the king; whatsoever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women unto the king's house.”

“In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's chamberlain, which kept the concubines: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and that she were called by name.”

“Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king. release: Heb. rest”

“And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour. favour: Heb. face”

“My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:”

“Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.”

“Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.”

“Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.”

“House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD.”

“It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house. a brawling: Heb. a woman of contentions a wide: Heb. an house of society”

“It is better to dwell in the wilderness , than with a contentious and an angry woman. in: Heb. in the land of the desert”

“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.”

“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.”

“And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach. let: Heb. let thy name be called upon us to take: or, take thou away”