KJV - King James Version
Bible Verse List:
Adultery, Fornication, Marriage and Divorce

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Last Updated :
February 9, 2024



God ordained marriage to be a lifelong relationship between a man and a woman only, and not between two men, or between two women. According to Jesus' teachings, sexual infidelity is the ONLY justifiable reason for a spouse to divorce their partner. Furthermore, Jesus taught that the ONLY reason why Moses instituted divorce in the first place, was due to the hardness of people's hearts. In other words, because they could not love and forgive each other as they should. In the verses below, Jesus says "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." That is exactly what lawyers and courts are doing when they grant a divorce for any reason other than sexuality infidelity. They are putting asunder what God has joined. Furthermore, they are basically legalizing adultery, because according to what Jesus taught, to divorce and remarry for any other reason than sexual infidelity, results in that person becoming an adulterer.

"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. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."
Genesis 2:23-24, KJV


"Thou shalt not commit adultery . . . ‭‭Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOUR'S WIFE, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that ‭is‭ thy neighbour's."
Exodus 20:14, 17, KJV


"And the man that committeth adultery with ‭another‭ man's wife, ‭even he‭ that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death."
Leviticus 20:10, KJV


"Neither shalt thou commit adultery."
Deuteronomy 5:18, KJV


"Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD."
Proverbs 18:22, KJV


Jesus clearly reaffirmed God's special blessing upon heterosexual marriage -- as outlined in the Book of Genesis -- in the following verses which are found in two of the Gospels:

"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."
Matthew 19:5-6, KJV


"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."
Mark 10:7-9, KJV


"When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give ‭it‭ in her hand, and send her out of his house.‭ And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s ‭wife‭.‭ And ‭if‭ the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth ‭it‭ in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her ‭to be‭ his wife;‭ Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that ‭is‭ abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee ‭for‭ an inheritance.‭"
Deuteronomy 24:1-4, KJV


"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:‭ But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."
Matthew 5:27-28, KJV


"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


"Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery."
Luke 16:18, KJV


"And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.‭ And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,‭ They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.‭ Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?‭ This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with ‭his‭ finger wrote on the ground, ‭as though he heard them not‭.‭ So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.‭ And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.‭ And they which heard ‭it‭, being convicted by ‭their own‭ conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, ‭even‭ unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.‭ ‭‭When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?‭ She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."
John 8:2-11, KJV


"Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood . . . For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well."
Acts 15:19-20, 28-29, KJV


"As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication."
Acts 21:25, KJV


"It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus . . . I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person."
1 Corinthians 5:1-5, 9-13, KJV


"All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
1 Corinthians 6:12-20, KJV


"Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband . . . 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 7:1-2, 10-16, KJV


"Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand."
1 Corinthians 10:8, KJV


"For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed."
2 Corinthians 12:20-21, KJV


"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
Galatians 5:19-21, KJV


"But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God . . . For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh."
Ephesians 5:3-5, 31, KJV


"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them."
Colossians 3:5-7, KJV


"Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness."
1 Thessalonians 4:1-7, KJV


"Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."
Jude 1:7, KJV


But friendship with the world is adultery too:

"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."
James 4:4, KJV




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