Hebrews 13:4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

◄ Hebrews 13:4 ►

Parallel Verses

New International Version
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

English Standard Version
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

New American Standard Bible
Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

King James Bible
Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Marriage must be respected by all, and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge immoral people and adulterers.

International Standard Version
Let marriage be kept honorable in every way, and the marriage bed undefiled. For God will judge those who commit sexual sins, especially those who commit adultery.

American Standard Version
Let marriage be had in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled: for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Marriage honourable in all, and the bed undefiled. For fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

Darby Bible Translation
Let marriage be held every way in honour, and the bed be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers will God judge.

Young's Literal Translation
honourable is the marriage in all, and the bed undefiled, and whoremongers and adulterers God shall judge.

Cross References

Leviticus 18:20
Moreover you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor's wife, to defile yourself with her.

Deuteronomy 22:22
If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shall you put away evil from Israel.

1 Corinthians 6:9
Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

1 Corinthians 6:18
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man does is without the body; but he that commits fornication sins against his own body.

1 Corinthians 7:38
So then he that gives her in marriage does well; but he that gives her not in marriage does better.

Galatians 5:19
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

Galatians 5:21
Contentions, murders, drunkenness, revelings, 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.

1 Thessalonians 4:6
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.

1 Timothy 4:3
Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God has created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

Hebrews 12:16
Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

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Adulterer Adulterers Adulterous Bed Fornicators Held Honor Honorable Honored Honour Honourable Honoured Immoral Judge Judged Kept Lewd Marriage Married Persons Pure Sexually Unclean Undefiled Untrue Way Whoremongers

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Commentaries

Matthew Henry's Commentary

13:1-6 The design of Christ in giving himself for us, is, that he may purchase to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works; and true religion is the strongest bond of friendship. Here are earnest exhortations to several Christian duties, especially contentment. The sin opposed to this grace and duty is covetousness, an over-eager desire for the wealth of this world, with envy of those who have more than ourselves. Having treasures in heaven, we may be content with mean things here. Those who cannot be so, would not be content though God raised their condition. Adam was in paradise, yet not contented; some angels in heaven were not contented; but the apostle Paul, though abased and empty, had learned in every state, in any state, to be content. Christians have reason to be contented with their present lot. This promise contains the sum and substance of all the promises; I will never, no, never leave thee, no, never forsake thee. In the original there are no less than five negatives put together, to confirm the promise: the true believer shall have the gracious presence of God with him, in life, at death, and for ever. Men can do nothing against God, and God can make all that men do against his people, to turn to their good.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

4. is, &c.—Translate, "Let marriage be treated as honorable": as Heb 13:5 also is an exhortation.

in all—"in the case of all men": "among all." "To avoid fornication let EVERY MAN have his own wife" (1Co 7:2). Judaism and Gnosticism combined were soon about to throw discredit on marriage. The venerable Paphnutius, in the Council of Nice, quoted this verse for the justification of the married state. If one does not himself marry, he should not prevent others from doing so. Others, especially Romanists, translate, "in all things," as in Heb 13:18. But the warning being against lasciviousness, the contrast to "whoremongers and adulterers" in the parallel clause, requires the "in all" in this clause to refer to persons.

the bed undefiled—Translate, as Greek requires "undefiled" to be a predicate, not an epithet, "And let the bed be undefiled."

God will judge—Most whoremongers escape the notice of human tribunals; but God takes particular cognizance of those whom man does not punish. Gay immoralities will then be regarded in a very different light from what they are now.