What Does The Bible Say About Abusive Marriages? (35 Bible Verses)
Marriage is meant to be a union of love and respect, but sadly, abuse can infiltrate this sacred bond. What does the Bible say about abusive marriages, and how should we respond? Join us as we explore the biblical principles of love, justice, and accountability that empower us to confront abuse and cultivate healthy, thriving marriages rooted in God’s design for intimacy and mutual care.
What Does The Bible Say About Abusive Marriages
Genesis 2:24 – God’s Design for Marriage
“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”
Matthew 19:6 – The Permanence of Marriage
“So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
1 Corinthians 7:3-5 – Mutual Obligations in Marriage
“The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”
1 Corinthians 7:10-11 – Importance of Not Separating
“To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.”
Ephesians 5:21-25 – Christ-like Love and Submission
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 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.”
Colossians 3:19 – Husbands, Love Your Wives
“Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.”
1 Peter 3:7 – Understanding and Honoring Your Spouse
“In the 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.”
Proverbs 14:1 – Building Your House
“The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands, the foolish one tears hers down.”
Proverbs 31:10-12 – The Virtuous Woman
“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.”
Malachi 2:16 – God Hates Divorce
“The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,” says the Lord Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – Love is Patient, Love is Kind
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
Romans 12:18 – Peaceful Relationships
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
Proverbs 15:1 – A Soft Answer
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Proverbs 12:4 – A Worthy Wife
“A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.”
Proverbs 18:22 – Finding a Good Wife
“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.”
Ruth 1:16-17 – Ruth’s Dedication to Naomi
“But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely if even death separates you and me.”
Proverbs 31:25 – The Virtuous Woman’s Strength
“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”
1 Corinthians 13:13 – The Greatest of These
“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Proverbs 19:14 – A Prudent Wife
“Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.”
Proverbs 21:9 – Better to Live in a Corner of the Houseroof
“Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.”
Proverbs 27:15-16 – A Continual Dripping on a Rainy Day
“A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike; to restrain her is to restrain the wind or to grasp oil in one’s right hand.”
Proverbs 14:29 – Whoever is Slow to Anger
“Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.”
1 Corinthians 10:13 – God is Faithful
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
1 Corinthians 16:14 – Do Everything in Love
“Do everything in love.”
Colossians 3:14 – Above All, Put on Love
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
Galatians 5:22-23 – The Fruit of the Spirit
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.”
Philippians 2:3-4 – Do Nothing out of Selfish Ambition
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
1 John 4:19 – We Love Because He First Loved Us
“We love because he first loved us.”
Ephesians 4:32 – Be Kind and Compassionate
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.”
Hebrews 13:4 – Honor Marriage, Keep it Pure
“Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”
James 1:19-20 – Be Slow to Speak, Slow to Anger
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
1 Peter 4:8 – Love Covers All Sins
“Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
Proverbs 15:18 – A Hot-Tempered Person Stirs Up Conflict
“A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.”
Proverbs 25:24 – A Quarrelsome Wife
“It is better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.”
Matthew 7:12 – The Golden Rule
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
Proverbs 16:32 – Better a Patient Person
“Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.”
Proverbs 31:26 – The Virtuous Woman’s Wisdom
“She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.”
Ephesians 4:26 – Do not Let the Sun Go Down While You are Angry
“In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.”
Proverbs 17:1 – Better a Dry Crust with Peace
“Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.”
Proverbs 22:24-25 – Do not Make Friends with a Hot-Tempered Person
“Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared.”
1 Peter 3:1-2 – Win Over Your Spouse Without Words
“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.”
Proverbs 10:12 – Love Covers All Offenses
“Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all offenses.”
Proverbs 19:11 – A Person’s Wisdom
“A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.”
Proverbs 14:21 – Whoever Despises a Neighbor
“Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.”
Proverbs 13:10 – Pride Only Breeds Quarrels
“Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.”
