What Does The Bible Say About Age Difference? (35 Bible Verses)
Relationships may span generations, but what does the Bible say about age differences between partners? Let’s delve into scripture to uncover the timeless principles of love, respect, and mutual understanding that transcend age and guide us in building healthy, fulfilling relationships that honor God and each other.
What Does The Bible Say About Age Difference
Genesis 18:12 – Abraham and Sarah
So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
Genesis 24:67 – Isaac and Rebekah
Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
Genesis 25:20 – Isaac and Rebekah
Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.
Genesis 29:20 – Jacob and Rachel
So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.
Ruth 3:10 – Boaz and Ruth
The Lord bless you, my daughter,” he replied. “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.
Matthew 19:4-6 – Jesus on Marriage
“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘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.”
1 Corinthians 7:39 – Widow Remarriage
A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.
1 Corinthians 7:15 – Mixed Marriage
But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.
Proverbs 31:10 – A Virtuous Wife
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
1 Timothy 5:14 – Young Widows
So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander.
Genesis 2:24 – Marriage
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Proverbs 18:22 – Finding a Wife
He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.
1 Corinthians 7:8-9 – Marriage or Undivided Devotion
Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
1 Corinthians 7:12-14 – Mixed Marriage
To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
Proverbs 5:18-19 – Enjoying Marriage
May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
Proverbs 19:14 – Finding a Wife
Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.
Titus 2:4-5 – Young Wives
Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
1 Peter 3:1-2 – Wives Submit
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 31:30 – A Virtuous Wife
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Proverbs 12:4 – A Prudent Wife
A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.
Proverbs 30:18-19 – The Ways of a Man with a Maiden
There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden.
Proverbs 20:6 – A Faithful Person
Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?
Romans 7:2-3 – Law of Marriage
For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.
Proverbs 14:1 – Wise Woman
The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
Proverbs 31:11 – Trustworthy Wife
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
1 Peter 3:7 – Husbands and Wives
Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
Matthew 5:27-28 – Adultery
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Proverbs 21:9 – Better to Live on a Corner
Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
Proverbs 18:22 – Favor from the Lord
He who finds a wife finds favor from the LORD.
Proverbs 31:28 – Children Call Her Blessed
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
Exodus 20:14 – Commandment: Adultery
You shall not commit adultery.
Proverbs 11:16 – A Gracious Woman
A gracious woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth.
Proverbs 18:22 – Obtaining Favor
He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.
Proverbs 19:13-14 – Nagging and a Contentious Wife
A foolish child is a father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof. Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.
Proverbs 31:25-26 – A Virtuous Wife
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
Proverbs 14:1 – A Wise Woman
The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
Proverbs 2:16-17 – Saving from the Immoral Woman
Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God.
Proverbs 31:26 – The Language of a Virtuous Wife
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.
1 Corinthians 7:34-35 – The Unmarried Woman
and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
Proverbs 31:10 – A Virtuous Wife
Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.
Proverbs 19:14 – A Prudent Wife
House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD.
Proverbs 31:21 – A Virtuous Wife
She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household is clothed with scarlet.
Proverbs 12:4 – A Virtuous Wife
A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.
Proverbs 31:30 – A Virtuous Wife
Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
