Life situation
Bible verses for marriage
Last reviewed
Marriage is a subject on which Christian traditions genuinely disagree — about roles, about divorce, about who may marry. This site does not adjudicate those disagreements, and a verse list is not the place to try.
What is gathered here are passages about love, patience, faithfulness and staying with someone over time. Several are used at weddings; several are more useful in the twentieth year than the first.
Where a passage is read very differently between traditions, the context note says so rather than choosing a side.
10 passages
Each shows its reference and translation, and links to the chapter it comes from.
4Love is patient and is kind. Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, 5doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; 6doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
9Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labour. 10For 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. 11Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one keep warm alone? 12If a man prevails against one who is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
12Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance; 13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do. 14Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection.
Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh.
6Set 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 the LORD. 7Many 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.
And above all things be earnest in your love amongst yourselves, for love covers a multitude of sins.
In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honour prefer one another,
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly and gave himself up for her,
6But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. 7For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will join to his wife, 8and the two will become one flesh, so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”
10Who can find a worthy woman? For her value is far above rubies. 11The heart of her husband trusts in her. He shall have no lack of gain. 12She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible British Edition, which is in the public domain. “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org.