Are there Bible verses defining marriage as between a man and a woman?

Question

I'm talking about MARRIAGE - I know the Adam and Eve story, and there are many examples of male-female couples in the Bible (and some with one man and many women). What I want to know is: Is there a verse that states that marriage is only for one man and one woman? Does the Bible even define "marriage" anywhere? If so, where?

Answer 1

NO, in the Bible the word for the joining of a man and a woman was Betrothal or Betrothed. Marriage, ironically is from the Roman Pagan Ceremonies of union and included same sex bonding.

Go figure.

Update: given some of the answers you're getting, I see most people don't get it. The word marriage is nowhere in the Bible, nowhere. Remarkable that many who claim to have read the book don't seem to clue into this. Note also, the Bible was written in Aramaic and Hebrew, not english. The word marriage is from the latin to unite or bond.

Answer 2

Verses Define

Answer 3

It doesn't say that in so many words. However, every time marriage is referred to, it is clear that what is meant is marriage between a man and a woman, not between a man and a goat or a woman and a dog or whatever other unnatural coupling you can think of. 1 Cor. 7:2-3 says, "Since there is so much immorality each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife and likewise." All throughout the Bible are examples of men and women who are married, like Jesus's earthly parents: Mary and Joseph. In Gen. 1:18 it says, "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph..." The Bible speaks of keeping marriage holy and pure between a man and woman, but the Bible never speaks of two people of the same-sex being holy or pure or of God. The Bible speaks of homosexuality in many verses such as in Leveticus 20:13, "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is an abomination, they shall surely die." Romans 1:27-27 says, "Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts... Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion." The Bible only speaks of marriage being good and wholesome when it is speaking about a marriage between a man and a woman.

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Answer 4

I'm not sure if the bible provides definitions for anything. This is why so many people believe so many different things as we all interpret things differently. One must read the bible and ask for understanding. Genesis 2: “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he took one of his ribs made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. and for this reason a man shall leave his mother and join to his wife (not wives) Man should not be unholy and the two shall become one flesh. I haven't seen it in the bible where God says that a man can join with more than one wife. Still this is arguable because God says his prophets do not commit sins and there were prophets who had many wives so...

Marriage therefore and according to the bible is the union of a man and a woman, which in God's sight is the creation of a new “whole” or "one flesh". This is simply the union through a mutual commitment before God. Jesus sanctions this in Mathew 19. God expects you to be holy. He says following rules is holy. That's why you have the first five books of the bible. They are basically the law. So if we are living in a time where legal marriage is sanctioned in the church between a man and a woman and before a priest then to be holy you have to follow the law. As long as the laws of man does not go against the laws of God then it is not unholy to live by those definitions.

Now I don't know if you were hinting at this or not but for this reason two men cannot be married. Jesus himself says in Mathew 19: From the beginning, God made them as male and female. Even the birds and the animals. And a man shall leave his mother for this reason and join with his wife as one. In Leviticus 20, the lord himself says to Moses: Any man that lies with another man, both of them shall be put to death for both of them has forfeited their lives.

Answer 5

Ephesians 5:22-33, and Mark 10:6-12

Answer 6

Matthew-19

Answer 7

Genesis 2:24
Mark 10:7

Answer 8

(Genesis 1:27-28 KJV)
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. {28} And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

What can we learn from this scripture? The first thing that we see is that male and female are created in the image of God. Another thing that we see is that they were to procreate. One of the purposes or functions of the marriage relationship appears to have been for procreation. I personally believe that this idea of procreation included providing a secure and stable environment for the children to develop in. The two were also to have dominion over the Earth. This is not to say that it is the purpose of a marriage to have dominion over the Earth. The point I want to bring out here is that both the male and female had dominion and not just the male.

Matthew 19:4-6 KJV)
And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, {5} 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? {6} Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

I believe that this particular scripture is paramount in understanding what a true Christian or godly marriage really is. Let's dissect this scripture further. Keep in mind that this scripture is Jesus' response to a question about divorce. First we see that God made male and female from the beginning. Also we see that a man should leave his father and mother to be joined to his wife actively. The next phrase is very important in my opinion. The two shall be one flesh. The union of marriage is just that-a union. Two people come together and form one unit. Next Jesus says in so many words that no one should take apart what God has put together.


Exodus 22:17 (New Living Translation)

17 But if her father refuses to let him marry her, the man must still pay him an amount equal to the bride price of a virgin.

I use this verse only to point out that throughout scripture the references will continually be to a HIM and HER; not a HE/HE or SHE/SHE.

I hope all of this helps : )

Answer 9

Yes, marriage in the Bible is ALWAYS between a man and a woman.

Answer 10

There is no one paragraph definition in the Bible that I am aware of. However, Colossians 3:19 urges husbands to "keep on loving your wive" , obviously man and woman. The Bible also says that a husband "who loves his wife loves himself." This is because a man and his wife "are no longer two, but one flesh", as Jesus pointed out in Matthew 19:6. Furthermore, the Bible says:"The wife should have deep respect for her husband." (Ephesians 5:33)

So, while there is no one single definition, it is an arrangement that was created by God for a man and a woman.