What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce? Domestic violence is defined as an act or threatened act of violence upon someone with whom the perpetrator is or has previously been in intimate relationship. When it comes to abusive husbands, abusive wives, or abusive relationships, there is much that the Bible says. Behold, God does not endorse domestic violence nor give permission to any spouse to abuse the other be it physically, emotionally, psychologically, or spiritually. It is God’s will that spouses enjoy their marriage in love, unity, happiness, and peace. Hence, if you are an abusive spouse, repent and submit to the heart-changing power of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. If you are being abused by your spouse, come to God in prayer for a change. Bring your load to Jesus Christ who is willing to help.
As a husband, you must not abuse your wife. The Bible calls on you to love, care, and provide for her. By so doing, God will bless you abundantly in this life and in that to come. Likewise, as a wife, you must not abuse your husband. And as a leader, you must not abuse those that you are leading. In the same light, you should treat everyone with love, gentleness, and kindness. Learn to forgive. A husband plays a very important role in the family unit which was established by God. The very primary role of the husband in the Bible starts with leadership. According to 1 Timothy 3, an Overseer and Deacon must manage their family well. In a more specific way, verse 5 says, “If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?”
What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce?
The Bible clearly tells us that anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love. And behold, one can not love and be abusive at the same time. It is our duty to love because we were first loved. Jesus Christ who willingly gave up His life on the Cross at Calvary out of love for the world did command all his followers to love their neighbors as they love themselves. Loving your neighbor as you love yourself is doing unto him/her what you will like to have done to you. It is all about feeling for your neighbor the way you will like him/her to feel about you. It is about thinking of and treating your neighbors the way you will like to have them do to you. As followers of Christ, it is our duty to strive for peace, love, happiness, unity, and holiness.
What The Scripture Says About Abusive Relationships
Matthew 7:2 – “For God will judge you in the same way as you judge others, and he will apply to you the same rules you apply to others.” Brethren, do not be surprised to hear that it will be done unto you just as you do unto others. Our thoughts, words, and actions toward others are like seeds being sowed. One day, we will have to harvest what we previously planted. And for sure, everyone will harvest just what he/she planted. In this light, the wise will sow seeds of love, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, gentleness, peace, and holiness through Christ. It’s not possible to sow seeds of hatred, jealousy, wickedness, abusiveness, and disrespect yet expect to harvest something else. Let us strive for a holy life and by the grace of God in Christ, we’ll be able to please God and benefit from His favor.
What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce?
Malachi 2:16 – “For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong and violence,” says the LORD of hosts. “Therefore keep watch on your spirit, so that you do not deal treacherously [with your wife].”
Proverbs 16:25 – “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.“
Proverbs 22:24-25 – “Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.”
1 Peter 3:7 – “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”
Colossians 3:19 – “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.“
Proverbs 21:9 – “It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.“
Proverbs 15:1-33 – “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. A fool despises his father’s instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent. …“
Group 1 – What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce
Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,“
1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
Luke 4:18-19 – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Matthew 18:15-17 – “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.“
Titus 3:2 – “To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.“
Group 2 – What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce
Hebrews 13:4 – “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”
Isaiah 43:1-28 – “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. …“
1 Timothy 3:2 – “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,“
Proverbs 15:1 – “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Titus 3:10-11 – “As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.”
Group 3 – What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce
Matthew 5:29 – “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.“
Proverbs 16:25 – “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.“
1 Corinthians 5:11 – “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”
1 Thessalonians 5:21 – “But test everything; hold fast what is good.”
Matthew 5:31-32 – “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.“
Group 4 – What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce
Psalm 55:22 – “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.”
1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
Titus 3:1 – “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,“
Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.“
Proverbs 20:22 – “Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.“
James 1:26 – “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”
1 Corinthians 7:10-11 – “To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.“
Matthew 19:9 – “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”
Group 5 – What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce
James 1:26 – “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”
Proverbs 21:2 – “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.”
1 Corinthians 7:12-16 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?“
Proverbs 19:11 – “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.“
Psalm 34:18 – “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.“
Matthew 18:15 – “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.”
Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Group 6 – What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce
Proverbs 1:1-33 – “The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, …“
James 3:10 – “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”
Matthew 18:15 – “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.“
Proverbs 10:6 – “Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.“
1 Corinthians 14:1-40 – “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. …“
Romans 12:18 – “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
Group 7 – What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce
Psalm 37:3-4 – “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.“
Psalm 140:12 – “I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will execute justice for the needy.”
Psalm 37:3-6 – “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.”
Job 19:25 – “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.“
James 5:19-20 – “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.“
Ephesians 4:31 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”
Group 8 – What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce
Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Psalm 11:5 – “The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.“
Galatians 6:1 – “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”
1 Corinthians 7:12 – “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.“
James 1:19-20 – “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
Colossians 3:12-13 – “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
Group 9 – What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 – “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; …“
Matthew 5:32 – “But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.“
Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.“
Matthew 19:3-9 – “And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” …“
Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce
Malachi 2:16 – “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”
Zephaniah 1:9 – “On that day I will punish everyone who leaps over the threshold, and those who fill their master’s house with violence and fraud.”
Psalm 72:14 – “From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight.“
Proverbs 18:21 – “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.“
James 3:6 – “And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.“
James 4:8 – “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
James 3:2 – “For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.”
James 3:17 – “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.“
Group 11 – What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce
Ephesians 5:22 – “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.”
Luke 16:18 – “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.“
Proverbs 13:20 – “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.“
Hebrews 10:24 – “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,“
2 Thessalonians 3:15 – “Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.“
Hebrews 13:3 – “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11 – “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
Ephesians 5:21 – “Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.“
2 Corinthians 3:17 – “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
Group 12 – What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce
1 Corinthians 5:9-13 – “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”“
Psalm 146:7 – “Who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free;“
Psalm 146:7 – “Who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free;“
Psalm 9:9 – “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”
2 Samuel 22:28 – “You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.”
1 John 3:18 – “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
Group 13 – What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce
1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,“
1 Peter 3:1 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,“
2 Peter 1:7 – “And godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.“
Hebrews 12:12 – “Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,“
1 Peter 3:1-6 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, …“
Group 14 – What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce
1 Thessalonians 5:14 – “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.“
Galatians 6:2 – “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
2 Corinthians 13:11 – “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 – “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.“
1 Corinthians 7:4 – “For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.”
2 Corinthians 6:14-15 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?“
Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”
Group 15 – What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
Ephesians 6:1-3 – Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”
Romans 15:14 – “I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.“
2 Thessalonians 3:6 – “Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.”
1 Corinthians 6:1-3 – “When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!“
Group 16 – What Does the Bible Say About Domestic Violence in Marriage and Divorce
Proverbs 10:11 – “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.“
1 Peter 3:8 – “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”
Ephesians 5:3-5 – “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.“
1 Corinthians 7:1-40 – “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. …“
Also Read
- What Does the Bible Say About Violence?
- What Does The Bible Say About Husband’s Responsibilities?
- How To Have A Healthy Marriage
- What Does The Bible Say About Unfaithful Husbands?
- What Does The Bible Say About Family?
- Bible Verses About Children
- What Does The Bible Say About Forgiveness?
- What Does The Bible Say About Father?
- Bible Verses About Forgiving a Cheating Spouse
- What Does the Bible Say About Problems in Marriage?
