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What does the Bible say about same-sex marriage?

The Bible describes marriage with male-female examples, contains passages long read as prohibiting certain same-sex sexual acts, does not name or discuss modern civil same-sex marriage as an institution, and also depicts marital arrangements (including polygyny and levirate marriage) that differ from a single modern Western marriage model.

Where the claims stand

1 corroborated2 supported1 contradicted

This story tracks what the biblical texts themselves state regarding marriage and same-sex sexual relationships, while distinguishing those texts from later religious interpretation. Biblical quotations use the New American Standard Bible (NASB). The evidence also includes scholarly research on historical and linguistic context. Because the Bible does not name modern civil same-sex marriage as an institution, and because biblical marital practice includes arrangements beyond lifelong monogamy, contemporary appeals to a single "biblical definition of marriage" involve interpretation rather than a one-to-one mapping from text to modern law.

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Additional information

Status

as of July 17, 2026
Contested

The biblical text is fixed, but its interpretation remains actively debated among scholars and religious communities. There is broad agreement about what passages exist, while substantial disagreement remains over how those passages should be read in light of ancient languages, historical context, and modern concepts of sexual orientation and marriage. English translations also differ in how they render contested Hebrew and Greek terms; some modern versions use identity language (for example, "homosexuals") that the source languages do not carry in the same way.

Confidence — current state

Using the NASB, primary texts describe marriage in male-female terms (for example, Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–6; Ephesians 5:31) and include a small set of passages traditionally central to debates about same-sex sexual behavior (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9–10). The biblical corpus does not mention the modern legal institution of same-sex marriage by name. Biblical scholar Martti Nissinen and related historical work argue that modern categories such as "homosexuality" and orientation-based identity are anachronistic when read directly onto ancient texts. That historical gap does not settle theology: many interpreters still treat the sexual-conduct passages as decisive for questions about marriage, while others limit those passages to particular ancient practices. Separately, the same corpus regulates or narrates polygyny, levirate marriage, and related household arrangements that would be illegal or widely condemned if treated as a civil model today. Peer-reviewed work on levirate marriage documents both the biblical institution and later Christian and Roman bans on it. Claims that the Bible supplies one ready-made "definition of marriage" for modern civil law therefore require selecting among biblical patterns and applying them through an interpretive framework—not merely quoting a single proof text.

This is our best read given the published evidence we have reviewed — not a claim of absolute truth.

Open questions

  • How should ancient Hebrew and Greek terminology be translated into modern English, especially where some versions use identity terms such as 'homosexuals'?

    Translation choices, including in formal-equivalence versions like the NASB, affect how key passages are understood.

  • To what extent should historical and cultural context influence interpretation of the sexual-conduct passages?

    Scholars disagree on whether those prohibitions were universal or addressed particular practices.

  • When the Bible contains both male-female marriage ideals and other regulated marital forms, which pattern should govern modern civil marriage policy?

    Appeals to a single 'biblical definition' require choosing among multiple textual patterns.

What would change our mind

  • New manuscript discoveries materially altering the wording of relevant biblical passages.
  • Broad scholarly consensus emerging from new linguistic or historical evidence that substantially changes interpretation of key texts.

Claims & evidence

Each claim is tracked separately — not a single verdict.

  • The Bible contains passages that describe marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

    Supported
    Evidence basisOther · single source
    • Other
      Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–6; Ephesians 5:31 (NASB)

      "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24 NASB; echoed in Matthew 19:4–6 and Ephesians 5:31.)"

  • The Bible contains passages that have traditionally been understood as referring to same-sex sexual acts.

    Supported
    Evidence basisOther · single source

  • The Bible explicitly addresses modern civil same-sex marriage as a named institution.

    Contradicted
    Evidence basisOther · independently corroborated
    • Other
      Biblical text (NASB)

      No biblical passage names or describes the modern legal institution of civil same-sex marriage as practiced today.

    • OtherJanuary 1, 2024
      Martti Nissinen, "It's About Masculinity, Not Homosexuality" (2024)

      The modern categories of hetero-, homo-, or bisexuality, all derivatives of the likewise modern idea of "sexuality," are anachronistic. Relationships and sexual acts between individuals of the same sex appear in ancient sources, but they are described in terms of behaviors, not sexual orientation.

  • Biblical texts describe and regulate marital arrangements beyond lifelong monogamous one-man-one-woman marriage, including polygyny and levirate marriage.

    Corroborated
    Evidence basisPeer-reviewed · independently corroborated
    • Other
      Deuteronomy 21:15–17; Deuteronomy 25:5–6; Exodus 21:10 (NASB)

      "If a man has two wives..." (Deuteronomy 21:15 NASB). "Her husband's brother shall have relations with her and take her to himself as his wife..." (Deuteronomy 25:5 NASB). "If he takes to himself another woman, he may not reduce her food, her clothing, or her conjugal rights." (Exodus 21:10 NASB.)

    • Peer-reviewedJanuary 2, 2020
      Yifat Monnickendam, "Biblical Law in Greco-Roman Attire: The Case of Levirate Marriage" (2019)

      Levirate marriage—the obligatory marriage of a man to the widow of his deceased and childless brother—is depicted in the Hebrew Bible. Starting from the fourth century, Roman emperors and bishops banned such marriage... as incestuous and outlawed it completely.

What this doesn’t establish

Claims commonly associated with this story that the available evidence does not establish. Confirming a narrow fact here is not confirmation of the broader narrative around it. As such, these claims are not included in the claims bar above.

  • A single contemporary "biblical definition of marriage" can be applied to modern civil marriage without interpretive selection among the Bible's marital patterns.

    Contradicted
    Evidence basisPeer-reviewed · independently corroborated

  • Because the Bible does not name same-sex marriage, it therefore permits or endorses it.

    Contradicted
    Evidence basisOther · independently corroborated
    • OtherJanuary 1, 2024
      Martti Nissinen, "It's About Masculinity, Not Homosexuality" (2024)

      Historical anachronism cuts both ways: ancient texts do not address modern orientation-based marriage categories, so silence about the modern institution is not itself a textual endorsement.

    • Other
      Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26–27 (NASB)

      Passages traditionally read as prohibiting certain same-sex sexual acts remain in the text; whether they settle modern marriage questions is interpretive, but their presence means "not named" is not the same as "approved."

  • The biblical text alone resolves contemporary disagreements among Christian denominations about same-sex marriage.

    Contradicted
    Evidence basisOther · independently corroborated

  • The Bible explicitly endorses same-sex marriage.

    Contradicted
    Evidence basisOther · single source
    • Other
      Biblical text (NASB)

      No passage explicitly describes or endorses modern same-sex marriage; affirming interpretations rely on broader theological reasoning rather than an explicit textual statement.

How we got here

6 updates · append-only
  1. Stable for nowAI-assisted · human sign-off

    Evidence review: text is fixed; application remains interpretive

    Primary NASB passages on marriage and same-sex sexual acts are stable. The corpus does not name modern civil same-sex marriage; it also regulates marital forms beyond lifelong monogamy. Claims that the text alone settles modern civil or denominational questions remain contradicted.

    What changed

    • Working read: developing stable-for-now — textual record fixed; interpretation contested
  2. New evidenceAI-assisted · human sign-off

    NASB citations and common-inference claims updated

    Citations switched to the NASB. NASB passages on polygyny and levirate marriage corroborate plural biblical marital forms. Common inferences— that silence equals permission, that one biblical definition maps onto modern civil marriage without selection, that the text alone settles denominational disagreement, or that the Bible explicitly endorses same-sex marriage—are marked contradicted.

    What changed

    • Translation basis: NRSVUE citations NASB citations for biblical text
    • Claim: bible-depicts-multiple-marital-arrangements: absent corroborated
    • Claim: single-biblical-definition-without-selection: unaddressed contradicted
    • Claim: silence-equals-permission-for-same-sex-marriage: unaddressed contradicted
    • Claim: bible-settles-all-modern-denominational-disagreements: unaddressed contradicted
    • Claim: bible-supports-same-sex-marriage: unaddressed contradicted
  3. New evidence

    Modern civil same-sex marriage not explicitly named in text

    The biblical text does not directly discuss the modern institution of legally recognized same-sex marriage, making contemporary conclusions partly interpretive.

    What changed

    • Modern institution gap: Assumed direct textual answers No explicit modern marriage passages — interpretation required
  4. New evidence

    Nissinen argues modern sexual-orientation categories are anachronistic for ancient texts

    Martti Nissinen's scholarship argues that modern hetero-/homo-/bisexuality categories are anachronistic when read directly onto ancient sources, which describe behaviors rather than orientation-based identity.

    What changed

    • Historical category scholarship: Not yet on timeline Nissinen (2024) on anachronism of modern sexuality categories
  5. New evidence

    Monnickendam documents biblical levirate marriage and later bans

    Peer-reviewed work in the Journal of Law and Religion documents levirate marriage in the Hebrew Bible and traces fourth-century and later Christian and Roman bans on the practice as incestuous.

    What changed

    • Levirate marriage scholarship: Biblical text alone Monnickendam JLR (2019) on biblical levirate and later bans
  6. New evidence

    Key biblical passages on marriage and same-sex acts documented

    Standard biblical translations document male-female marriage language and passages traditionally central to discussions of same-sex sexual acts.

    What changed

    • Textual evidence: General religious debate Standard translations document key passages

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Confidence last reviewed July 17, 2026. Updates are append-only; nothing here is edited silently.