Relationships and family
What does the Bible say about divorce?
God says He hates divorce, and Jesus points back to God's design for marriage. Scripture also recognises real exceptions, and Christians differ on how widely they apply.
What Scripture says
Malachi 2:16
“One who hates and divorces”, says the LORD, the God of Israel, “covers his garment with violence!” says the LORD of Armies. “Therefore pay attention to your spirit, that you don’t be unfaithful.”
Matthew 19:6
“So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, don’t let man tear apart.””
Matthew 19:8-9
“He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so. I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery.””
1 Corinthians 7:10-11
“But to the married I command—not I, but the Lord—that the wife not leave her husband (but if she departs, let her remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband not leave his wife.”
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. See all Bible questions or verses by topic.