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home > Marriage and Divorce > Divorce > Letter > Answer

What does the Bible say about remarriage?

Hi,

Thank you for your question concerning the information about divorce and remarriage on our web site.

The Bible's teaching on divorce and remarriage is a difficult one because it directly opposes what our culture teaches as being acceptable. Some try to reconcile our culture and the Bible by making modifications to how the Bible is translated. So, in answer to your question I'd like to look at the translation of the verse you mentioned, Matthew 5:32, and then look at how we can discern the right understanding of a Bible verse.

First, let's be sure you are reading an accurate translation: In the version of 5:32 in your email the actions of divorce and remarriage are combined into one phrase "anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman", it identifies these actions as adultery, but then is followed by an exception phrase. I've copied the verse from your email:

> "I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife and marries
> another woman commits adultery, except for marital
> unfaithfulness."

By combining "divorce" and "remarriage" in one phrase, this allows the exception -- marital unfaithfulness -- to be applied to the combination of both. Thus it is said that this verse allows divorce and remarriage in the case of the divorce being caused by marrital unfaithfulness.

But, is it valid for the verse to be translated this way?

When I want to get a word-for-word translation of the original Greek, I use the New American Standard Bible. It is the accepted standard for the most accurate translation of the New Testament. It reads:

New American Standard Version: "But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." - Matthew 5:32 (NASB)

Notice in the above, divorce -- except for unchastity -- leads to adultery. And it is separately stated, remarriage results in adultery. Thus we see that divorce is only allowed in the case of a spouse cheating. And remarriage after divorce is adultery.

To confirm that we are looking at a good translation it can be useful to check it against other, translations that are recognized as good translations.

The New International Version (NIV) translates this verse:

New International Version: "But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery." - Matthew 5:32 (NIV)

And the King James Version (KJV) translates this verse:

King James Version: "But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery." - Matthew 5:32 (KJV)

So we see that the NIV and KJV both provide the same translation. You can be very confident this is the correct translation.

But how can we be sure?

Checking Your Understanding of A Bible Verse: To discern whether or not we are correctly understanding what the Bible is saying on a certain topic, we should look at what it says about the same topic in other parts of the Bible. The Bible does not contradict itself. In this case 1 Corinthians 7:10-11 applies.

"But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the LORD, that the wife should not leave her husband (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife." - (NASB) 1 Corinthians 7:10-11

In these verses we are told that if a woman leaves her husband (divorce) she must remain unmarried.

Here's some more verses that apply:

"For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning her husband. So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man." - Romans 7:2-3 (NASB)

Here we learn that if a spouse dies, you are free to remarry. But as long as a spouse is living, you are not free to remarry.

Some people try to twist the above verses and say that since it refers to "her husband" these verses are referring to a married couple, not a divorced couple. Let's look closely at what the text says:

"if her husband dies, she is free from the law".

It does not say,

"if her husband dies or they are divorced, she is free from the law."

Only the death of a spouse allows remarriage to take place. Divorce is not given as a reason that allows remarriage.

So, ensuring you are reading an accurate translation (commentaries can have inaccurate translations), and ensuring your understanding of the meaning is consistent with all other parts of the Bible, brings us to the conclusion that remarriage is not allowed after divorce -- unless you remarry your original spouse that is.

I do understand this can be a hard teaching. We are made in God's image, and that means we are made to be in relationships. However, marriage is a one-time relationship. Once we enter a marriage relationship, it is for life.

I hope I have answered your question. I'm happy to answer any additional questions or comments you may have about divorce and remarriage.

Yours in the Love of Christ
Steve
Mission to America