What Does the Bible Say About Divorce?

Scripture treats divorce seriously and with nuance. Malachi 2:16 states the baseline: "For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away." Jesus quoted the Genesis foundation — that in marriage "they are no more twain, but one flesh... what therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Matthew 19:6). Yet the same Jesus permitted divorce for sexual unfaithfulness (Matthew 19:9), and Paul added a second ground: desertion by an unbelieving spouse (1 Corinthians 7:15). The Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 24:1) regulated divorce without creating it, and Jesus said Moses allowed it only "because of the hardness of your hearts" — a concession to human brokenness rather than God's ideal. Christian traditions diverge on whether divorce is ever permitted for abuse or long-term abandonment, but all agree on two things: God's design is lifelong covenant, and God's grace reaches into every broken story. Below are the key passages in their chronological order.