Marriage Verses in the Bible: What Does Scripture Say?

Married couples often find themselves searching for marriage verses in the Bible about how to love, respect, and serve one another in the way God has called them.

As the Creator of Marriage, God has laid out instructions for how you can walk in love and joy with your spouse by providing marriage verses in the Bible. Whether you’re newly married or have been married a number of years, these Scriptures can help you build a thriving and healthy married life.

• If your marriage is in a good place…
• If you’re searching for hope for a dysfunctional marriage…
• If you’re newly engaged and want to learn what the Bible says about marriage…
• If you need to know how God says you should treat your husband or wife…

These Scriptures can help guide you through conflict, show you how you should relate to one another, demonstrate the joy that awaits you in marriage, and more.

The answers to some of your biggest marriage challenges and joys can be found in Scripture. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Marriage Verses in the Bible

Let’s dive into what the Bible has to say about marriage and love. These marriage verses can help set your expectations and align your heart, mind, and spirit to God’s heart on the matter.

God created man in His own image…male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth. – Genesis 1:27-28

The Bible says that God created both man and woman in His image, according to His likeness and then told them to be fruitful and fill the earth. They were given the task to replenish the earth and to prosper it, according to His blessings. There is purpose in marriage and it’s a common purpose.

How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? Regardless, each one should lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is what I prescribe in all the churches. – 1 Corinthians 7:16-17

The Bible instructs both husband and wife to lead the life God has called them to. Even if one is unsaved, the husband or wife should live a righteous life and bear the Spirit’s fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control.

In a similar Scripture in 1 Peter 3:1, the Bible says, “Wives, in the same way, submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.”

Scripture reminds us that we can win over our spouses by our responses, encouraging us that our Godly demeanor has the power to save. Yet a spouse with ungodly demeanor does not justify our living a life displeasing to God.

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

Husband and wife should be faithful to one another and keep their marriage free from adultery.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. – 1 Peter 4:8

It is a husband’s and wife’s love for one another and the understanding of God’s love and forgiveness of their own sins that will help them overlook an offence and forgive. Deep love covers and heals.

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. – Song of Solomon 4:9

As a bride and groom—as husband and wife—you have the potential to captivate the heart of your spouse with one glance, one touch, or one act of kindness.

There are three things that amaze me—no, four things that I don’t understand: how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman. – Proverbs 30:18-19

The extent to which a man loves a woman (and vice versa) can baffle even the wisest individuals, which points to how deep and all-encompassing that love can be.

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. – Romans 12:10

The Bible instructs believers to devote themselves to one another in love and to honor another above yourself. This instruction applies to husbands and wives, too.

But at the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate. – Mark 10:6-9

A husband and wife remain two individuals, but in marriage, they become “one flesh.” They’re to move as one, with common goals, virtues, perspectives, and purposes.

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now 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 up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body. – Ephesians 5: 22-30

In marriage, the husband and wife are both called to take on roles that Christ embodies in loving us. They each have a unique part to play. Wives are instructed to respect and husbands are instructed to love as Christ does. The emotions we’re reminded to demonstrate and the actions we’re instructed to take give us practical ways to operate within the body of Christ as married couples.

As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. – Isaiah 62:5

The way a couple rejoices over one another when they’re married is the same way God rejoices over us day in and day out. It is a picture of how He relates to us. It’s also a vision for how a husband and wife should rejoice over one another on an ongoing basis.

Marriage in the Bible is a large subject. There is much to explore and much to learn, but what’s important to know is that God provides insight and instructions. If you’re at a loss about how to respond to your spouse, how God calls you to act, or what your marriage should look like in all of its fullness, turn to the marriage verses in the Scriptures. You’ll find answers and examples to model your life and relationship after.

Christian Marriage Counseling

If you and your spouse are experiencing marriage difficulties that feel beyond your ability to navigate on your own, consider speaking to a Christian counselor to help you understand what’s going on and how you can have a healthy, thriving marriage?

We’d love to find out what’s going on in your marriage and how we can help. Contact us today to learn more about our Christian marriage counseling services.