bible verses about divorce

Bible Verses About Divorce: 12

Bible verses about divorce: 12 Scriptures on ending a marriage, hardness of heart, and God's heart for covenant.

Illustrated portrait of Christopher McAllister

By Christopher McAllister

Founder of theBibleand.Love

Published September 30, 20266 min readJeremiah 3:8 (NIV)

A man and a woman stand beside an open scroll on a stone wall under an olive tree.

"I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries."

— Jeremiah 3:8 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about divorce want Scripture for ending a marriage, hardness of heart, and the certificate of divorce — not only the marriage list (covenant joining and roles). This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about marriage, Love and marriage, Bible verses about wives, Bible verses about husbands, Bible verses about forgiveness, Bible verses about reconciliation, and Bible verses about family. Divorce here means the ending of a marriage bond and God's heart when covenant breaks — distinct from marriage pages on joining and roles.

Word study (lead theme). In Greek, "certificate of divorce" is ἀποστάσιον apostasion (Strong's G647; Bible Hub G647) — a repudiation document or bill of divorce. Scripture treats divorce as real in a hard-hearted world — and as something God hates when it covers treachery against a spouse.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Malachi 2 presses that the Lord hates putting away that covers treacherous dealing — divorce as cover for covenant-breaking is under God's judgment (Bible Hub commentaries on Malachi 2:16; Bible Hub MHC Malachi 2; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Malachi 2). On Matthew 19 he marks that what God has joined, man must not put asunder — one flesh is not to be lightly divided (Bible Hub commentaries on Matthew 19:6; Bible Hub MHC Matthew 19; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Matthew 19).

12 Bible verses about divorce

  1. Jeremiah 3:8. "I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery." God names a certificate of divorce and a sending away because of adulteries — the bill belongs to covenant breach, not a light reset. See Bible verses about marriage.

  2. Matthew 1:19. "Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly." A quiet divorce can be contemplated to spare disgrace — Scripture still records the thought before God redirects Joseph. See Love and marriage.

  3. Matthew 19:8-9. "Jesus replied, 'Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.'" Permission under hardness is not the beginning's design — Jesus names both hardness and the porneia exception.

  4. Mark 10:9. "Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." Mark's parallel keeps the same line: do not separate what God joined.

  5. 1 Corinthians 7:10-11. "To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife." The Lord's command aims at staying — or, if separated, toward reconciliation. See Bible verses about reconciliation.

  6. 1 Corinthians 7:15. "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." Desertion by an unbelieving spouse is named — peace, not endless bondage to a leaving partner. See Bible verses about peace.

  7. Deuteronomy 24:1. "If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house," The certificate (sefer keritut) is Mosaic regulation of a hard practice — context Jesus later reads as concession, not ideal.

  8. Matthew 5:31-32. "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery." Jesus tightens casual certificate practice — divorce can make victims of adultery.

  9. 1 Corinthians 7:13. "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." A willing spouse is a reason not to end the marriage — divorce is not the next step when he will live with her. See Bible verses about wives.

  10. Romans 7:2-3. "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." Death releases the bond — Paul's example treats marriage law as lasting while the spouse lives.

  11. Mark 10:11-12. "He answered, 'Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.'" Mark names adultery against the spouse on both sides when divorce-and-remarriage is casual.

  12. Luke 16:18. "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery." Luke's short line matches the seriousness — divorce is not a clean reset for a new match. See Bible verses about forgiveness and Bible verses about family when the need is repair and household healing rather than the law of divorce itself.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse for teaching on covenant, pastoral care after a split, or clarity on hardness of heart — not twelve as a weapon. If you need a certificate of divorce named in a covenant breach, start with Jeremiah 3:8. If you need one-flesh not separated, start with Mark 10:9. If you need hardness and the exception, start with Matthew 19:8-9. For covenant joining and roles (not ending), see Bible verses about marriage and Love and marriage. For repair after hurt, see Bible verses about forgiveness and Bible verses about reconciliation. For household care, see Bible verses about family. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about divorce?

Jeremiah 3:8 (a certificate of divorce in a covenant breach), Mark 10:9 (what God joined, let no one separate), and Matthew 19:8-9 (hardness of heart; porneia exception) are clear starting places.

How do Bible verses about divorce differ from marriage verses?

Marriage pages center joining, one flesh, and husband/wife roles; divorce focuses ending a marriage, certificates, hardness of heart, and God's heart when covenant breaks. Cross-link Bible verses about marriage.

What is apostasion?

Strong's G647 apostasion is a certificate of divorce / repudiation document — the bill Moses regulated and Jesus addressed.

Does the Bible allow divorce for any reason?

Jesus names hardness of heart behind Moses' permission and points back to the beginning's design (Matthew 19:8); he also names sexual immorality as an exception in Matthew 19:9. Read these with pastoral care, not as a checklist alone.

Where can I read more about marriage, forgiveness, and reconciliation?

Start with Bible verses about marriage and Love and marriage, then Bible verses about forgiveness, Bible verses about reconciliation, and Bible verses about family.

Sources

A man and a woman look at a blank scroll together, with a clay lamp and an olive sprig nearby.

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