Marriage is a sacred covenant established by God, meant to reflect His unconditional love and faithfulness. However, in a broken world, many couples struggle with betrayal, pain, and irreconcilable differences that often lead to separation or divorce. The topic of divorce can be painful and sensitive, but the Bible offers wisdom, comfort, and guidance for those walking through it.
In this post, we’ll look at 50 Bible verses about divorce to help you understand what Scripture teaches, find peace in God’s Word, and make wise decisions grounded in faith.
What Does the Bible Say About Divorce?
Divorce is mentioned multiple times throughout the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments. God’s view of marriage is clear, He designed it to be a lifelong union between one man and one woman. However, Scripture also acknowledges the reality of human sin and brokenness.
The Bible teaches that:
- God hates divorce because it breaks the covenant of love and trust between a husband and wife (Malachi 2:16).
- Moses permitted divorce due to the hardness of human hearts (Deuteronomy 24:1-4).
- Jesus reaffirmed the sanctity of marriage, emphasizing that it was God’s intention for couples to remain united (Matthew 19:3-9).
Paul provided further instruction for believers in difficult marriages, including how to live in peace and faith when separation occurs (1 Corinthians 7).
In essence, the Bible doesn’t glorify divorce, it grieves it. Yet it also provides compassion, forgiveness, and restoration for those who have experienced it. God’s mercy is greater than any mistake, and His grace can heal even the deepest wounds caused by broken relationships.
50 Bible Verses About Divorce
Here are 50 powerful Bible verses about divorce divided into new and old testament:
Old Testament Bible Verses About Divorce
- Deuteronomy 24:1 – “When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes… then let him write her a bill of divorcement.”
- Deuteronomy 24:2 – “And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife.”
- Deuteronomy 24:3 – “And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement… she may not return unto her former husband.”
- Deuteronomy 22:19 – “They shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give them to the young woman’s father, because this man has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. She shall continue to be his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives.”
- Deuteronomy 22:29 – “He must pay her father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the young woman… and he can never divorce her as long as he lives.”
- Malachi 2:14 – “The Lord was witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously.”
- Malachi 2:15 – “Did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed.”
- Malachi 2:16 – “For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away…”
- Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
- Genesis 1:27–28 – “So God created man in his own image… male and female created he them.”
- Exodus 21:10–11 – “If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.”
- Leviticus 18:20 – “Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour’s wife, to defile thyself with her.”
- Leviticus 20:10 – “The man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife… shall surely be put to death.”
- Numbers 30:2 – “If a man vow a vow unto the Lord… he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.”
- Ezra 10:3 – “Let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them…”
- Ezra 10:11 – “Now therefore make confession unto the Lord… and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.”
- Nehemiah 13:23 – “In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab.”
- Nehemiah 13:27 – “Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?”
- Jeremiah 3:1 – “They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again?”
- Jeremiah 3:8 – “And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce.”
- Isaiah 50:1 – “Thus saith the Lord, Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away?”
- Isaiah 54:5 – “For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name…”
- Proverbs 5:18–19 – “Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.”
- Proverbs 6:32 – “Whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.”
- Proverbs 21:9 – “It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.”
New Testament Verses
- Matthew 5:31 – “It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement.”
- Matthew 5:32 – “But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery.”
- Matthew 19:3 – “The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying… Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?”
- Matthew 19:4–5 – “Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female… and they twain shall be one flesh?”
- Matthew 19:6 – “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
- Matthew 19:8 – “Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.”
- Matthew 19:9 – “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery.”
- Mark 10:2 – “And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?”
- Mark 10:5 – “For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.”
- Mark 10:6–9 – “But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female… What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
- Mark 10:11 – “Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.”
- Mark 10:12 – “And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.”
- Luke 16:18 – “Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery.”
- Luke 18:29–30 – “There is no man that hath left house, or wife, or brethren… for the kingdom of God’s sake.”
- John 4:18 – “For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband.”
- 1 Corinthians 7:10–11 – “Let not the wife depart from her husband… and let not the husband put away his wife.”
- 1 Corinthians 7:12–13 – “If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.”
- 1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases.”
- 1 Corinthians 7:27 – “Art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed.”
- 1 Corinthians 7:39 – “The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth.”
- Romans 7:2–3 – “For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth.”
- Ephesians 5:22–23 – “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.”
- Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church.”
- Ephesians 5:31–32 – “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother… and they two shall be one flesh.”
- Hebrews 13:4 – “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”
Conclusion
Reading these bible verses about divorce reminds us that while God values the permanence of marriage, He also understands human weakness and pain. Divorce is not the unforgivable sin. God’s compassion extends to everyone who turns to Him in repentance and faith.
If you are facing divorce or have already gone through one, know this, God still loves you. He can restore your peace, rebuild your heart, and give you hope for a better future. His Word offers strength, comfort, and healing to all who seek Him sincerely.
May these bible verses about divorce encourage you to lean on God’s wisdom, walk in forgiveness, and trust in His redemptive plan for your life.
Read also: 50 Warfare Prayers to Overcome the Spirit of Anger