Which Bible books talk about marriage?

Marriage is a foundational theme throughout the Bible, with various books addressing its different aspects. The scriptures offer guidance on marriage’s divine origin, roles within marriage, and principles for a successful union. Below is an examination of some of the books that discuss marriage, accompanied by relevant passages from the New King James Version (NKJV).

Genesis

Creation of Marriage

Genesis 1:27-28: The creation of man and woman establishes the foundation of marriage.

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 2:18-24: The creation of Eve and the institution of marriage. God saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone and created Eve as his suitable helper.

And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”… Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Marriages of the Patriarchs

Genesis 24: The story of Isaac and Rebekah highlights the importance of seeking God’s guidance in choosing a spouse. Abraham’s servant prayed for God’s direction, and God led him to Rebekah.

And he said, “O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.” (Genesis 24:12-13)

Genesis 29: Jacob’s marriages to Leah and Rachel. Despite the complexities and challenges, God’s purposes unfold through these unions.

So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her. (Genesis 29:20)

Exodus

Exodus 20:14: The Ten Commandments include a directive against adultery, underscoring the importance of marital fidelity.

You shall not commit adultery.

Leviticus

Leviticus 18:22-23: Prohibitions against sexual immorality, including adultery and other forms of sexual sin, highlight the sanctity of marriage.

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion.

Proverbs

Proverbs 5:18-19: This passage celebrates the joy and satisfaction found in a loving marriage.

Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth. As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love.

Proverbs 18:22: Highlights the value and blessing of finding a good spouse.

He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the Lord.

Proverbs 19:14: Emphasizes that a prudent wife is a gift from the Lord.

Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, But a prudent wife is from the Lord.

Proverbs 31:10-31: Describes the qualities of a virtuous wife. It emphasizes her industriousness, wisdom, and kindness, painting a picture of an ideal partner.

Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. (Proverbs 31:10-11)

Song of Solomon

The entire book of Song of Solomon celebrates the romantic love between a bride (the Shulamite woman) and her groom (often identified as Solomon). It provides poetic insights into the beauty of marital love and intimacy.

Song of Solomon 2:16:

My beloved is mine, and I am his. He feeds his flock among the lilies.

Song of Solomon 4:9-10: The groom expresses his deep affection and admiration for his bride.

You have ravished my heart, My sister, my spouse; You have ravished my heart With one look of your eyes, With one link of your necklace. How fair is your love, My sister, my spouse! How much better than wine is your love, And the scent of your perfumes Than all spices!

Song of Solomon 8:6-7: These verses describe the strength and permanence of true love.

Set me as a seal upon your heart, As a seal upon your arm; For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love All the wealth of his house, It would be utterly despised.

Isaiah

Isaiah 54:5: Describes the relationship between God and His people using the metaphor of marriage.

For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 3:14: Uses the metaphor of marriage to describe God’s relationship with Israel.

“Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord; “for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.”

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 16: This chapter uses the metaphor of an unfaithful wife to describe Israel’s unfaithfulness to God.

But you trusted in your own beauty, played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it. (Ezekiel 16:15)

Hosea

The book of Hosea uses the prophet’s marriage to Gomer as a metaphor for God’s relationship with Israel. Despite Gomer’s unfaithfulness, Hosea’s love and forgiveness mirror God’s love for His people.

Hosea 3:1:

Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.”

Malachi

Malachi 2:14-16: This passage emphasizes the importance of faithfulness in marriage and describes God’s disapproval of divorce.

Yet you say, “For what reason?” Because the Lord has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant. But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. For the Lord God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one’s garment with violence,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously.”

Matthew

Matthew 5:31-32: Jesus teaches about the seriousness of divorce and the conditions under which it is permissible.

Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

Matthew 19:4-6: Jesus reaffirms the original design for marriage, citing Genesis, and speaks against divorce.

And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Mark

Mark 10:6-9: Similar to Matthew, this passage records Jesus’ teaching on the sanctity and permanence of marriage.

But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Luke

Luke 16:18: Jesus emphasizes the seriousness of marriage and the sin of adultery.

Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

John

John 2:1-11: The wedding at Cana, where Jesus performed His first miracle, turning water into wine. This event underscores the importance of marriage and Jesus’ blessing upon it.

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”… This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. (John 2:1-3, 11)

Romans

Romans 7:2-3: Paul uses the marriage relationship to illustrate the believer’s release from the law through Christ.

For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 7: This chapter deals extensively with marriage, celibacy, and issues related to sexual morality. Paul provides guidance on marriage, divorce, and the mutual responsibilities of husbands and wives.

Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. (1 Corinthians 7:3-4)

1 Corinthians 13:4-7: Although not specifically about marriage, this passage on love is often applied to marital relationships.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Ephesians

Ephesians 5:22-33: This passage outlines the roles and responsibilities of husbands and wives. Wives are called to submit to their husbands as to the Lord, and husbands are instructed to love their wives as Christ loved the church.

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body… Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her. (Ephesians 5:22-25)

Colossians

Colossians 3:18-19: Similar to Ephesians, this passage provides concise instructions for husbands and wives.

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.

1 Timothy

1 Timothy 3:2: Instructions for church leaders include being faithful to their spouse.

A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach.

Titus

Titus 2:4-5: Paul instructs older women to teach younger women about their roles, including being good wives.

That they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

Hebrews

Hebrews 13:4: This verse underscores the sanctity of marriage and calls for marital fidelity.

Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

1 Peter

1 Peter 3:1-7: Peter advises wives to be submissive to their husbands and husbands to honor their wives, acknowledging them as co-heirs of the grace of life.

Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives… Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. (1 Peter 3:1, 7)

Revelation

Revelation 19:7-9: The marriage supper of the Lamb is a celebration of the union between Christ and His church, using the metaphor of marriage.

Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”

Conclusion

The Bible’s teachings on marriage are rich and varied, addressing the institution’s divine origin, the roles and responsibilities of spouses, the importance of love and fidelity, and the sacredness of the marital union. By studying these passages, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of God’s design for marriage and how to cultivate a healthy, loving, and God-honoring relationship. The scriptures provide timeless wisdom and guidance, encouraging couples to build their marriages on the solid foundation of God’s Word.

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In His service,
BibleAsk Team