Home / Bible verses / Bible verses about divorce and a broken marriage

What does the Bible say about divorce and a broken marriage?

The Bible treats divorce seriously, but it does not present a broken marriage as a reason to abandon hope. Some passages address divorce directly, while others call husbands and wives to faithfulness, humility, patience, and care. Christians disagree about how these teachings apply in every situation, so Scripture should be read with prayer, wisdom, and trusted spiritual counsel, especially when a marriage is painful or unsafe.

8 verses · King James Version · Updated

Listen
Transcript

The Bible treats divorce seriously, but it does not present a broken marriage as a reason to abandon hope. Some passages address divorce directly, while others call husbands and wives to faithfulness, humility, patience, and care. Christians disagree about how these teachings apply in every situation, so Scripture should be read with prayer, wisdom, and trusted spiritual counsel, especially when a marriage is painful or unsafe. It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. Matthew 5, verse 31 to 32. Lord, I bring my broken marriage and confused heart before you. Forgive me for what I have done and help me respond with humility, patience, and love. Give me wisdom to understand your Word, courage to seek trusted help, and grace to live faithfully today. Heal what is broken and steady me through this season. Amen.

It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Matthew 5:31-32 (KJV)
The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
Matthew 19:3-9 (KJV)
And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
Mark 10:2-12 (KJV)
And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?
1 Corinthians 7:10-16 (KJV)
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:25-32 (KJV)
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Colossians 3:12-14 (KJV)
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
1 Peter 3:7 (KJV)
Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
Malachi 2:14-16 (KJV)

A word for today

A broken marriage can bring grief, anger, guilt, or relief, and Scripture does not ask you to pretend those feelings are simple. Jesus speaks honestly about divorce, while passages about marriage emphasize mutual love, patience, forgiveness, and spiritual maturity. Together, these teachings call people to take marriage seriously without confusing a difficult situation with a final word about your worth or future. They also invite honesty before God and wise support from trustworthy people as you discern what comes next.

A short prayer

Lord, I bring my broken marriage and confused heart before you. Forgive me for what I have done and help me respond with humility, patience, and love. Give me wisdom to understand your Word, courage to seek trusted help, and grace to live faithfully today. Heal what is broken and steady me through this season. Amen.

Questions

Does the Bible allow divorce?

Jesus addresses divorce directly in Matthew 5:31-32 and Matthew 19:3-9. Christians interpret these passages differently, so denominational teaching and the circumstances of a marriage may affect how they understand its application.

Can a Christian rebuild trust after a broken marriage?

Ephesians 4:25-32 calls believers to pursue forgiveness and renewed trust as God enables it. Rebuilding trust takes time, honesty, patience, and wisdom, and it may require help from a trusted pastor or counselor.

What is a good verse to memorize?

Matthew 5:31-32: “It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.”

This page was drafted with AI assistance. Every Scripture passage is quoted in full from the King James Version and checked automatically against the text.

Take these words with you

Read and listen to the whole Bible, pray, and watch illustrated Bible stories — free in the SpiriseBible app.

I’m an AI companion. Ask me anything about what you’re reading.

AI can make mistakes. Keep personal details private. Privacy