Hebrews 13 · Verse 4

Hebrews 13:4

Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
Hebrews 13:4, King James Version

Hebrews 13:4 in other translations

BSBMarriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
WEBLet marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled; but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
ASVLet marriage be had in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled: for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
YLThonourable is the marriage in all, and the bed undefiled, and whoremongers and adulterers God shall judge.
DARBYLet marriage be held every way in honour, and the bed be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers will God judge.
BBELet married life be honoured among all of you and not made unclean; for men untrue in married life will be judged by God.
WebsterMarriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but lewd persons and adulterers God will judge.

What does Hebrews 13:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
4. is, &c.--Translate, "Let marriage be treated as honorable": as He 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 He 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.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 4. Marriage is honourable in all. The object here is to state that honour is to be shown to the marriage relation. It is not to be undervalued by the pretence of the superior purity of a state of celibacy, as if marriage were improper for any class of men, or any condition of life; and it should not be dishonoured by any violation of the marriage contract. The course of things has shown that there was abundant reason for the apostle to assert, with emphasis, that "marriage was an honourable condition of life." There has been a constant effort made to show that celibacy was a more holy state; that there was something in marriage that rendered it dishourable for those who were in the ministry, and for those of either sex who would be eminently pure. This sentiment has been the cause of more abomination in the world than any other single opinion claiming to have a religious sanction. It is one of the supports on which the Papal system rests, and has been one of the principal upholders of all the corruptions in monasteries and nunneries. The apostle asserts, without any restriction or qualification, that marriage is honourable in all; and this proves that it is lawful for the ministers of religion to marry, and that the whole doctrine of the superior purity of a state of celibacy is false. See this subject examined 1Cor 7.

And the bed undefiled. Fidelity to the marriage vow.

But whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. All licentiousness of life, and all violations of the marriage covenant, will be severely punished by God. 1Cor 6:9. The sins here referred to prevailed everywhere, and hence there was the more propriety for the frequent and solemn injunctions to avoid them which we find in the Scriptures.

(b) "marriage is honourable" Prov 5:15-23 (c) "whoremongers" 1Cor 6:9, Rev 22:15

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 4 Marriage is honorable in all - Let this state be highly esteemed as one of God's own instituting, and as highly calculated to produce the best interests of mankind. This may have been said against the opinions of the Essenes, called Therapeutae, who held marriage in little repute, and totally abstained from it themselves as a state of comparative imperfection. At the same time it shows the absurdity of the popish tenet, that marriage in the clergy is both dishonorable and sinful; which is, in fact, in opposition to the apostle, who says marriage is honorable in All; and to the institution of God, which evidently designed that every male and female should be united in this holy bond; and to nature, which in every part of the habitable world has produced men and women in due proportion to each other. The bed undefiled - Every man cleaving to his own wife, and every wife cleaving to her own husband, because God will judge, i.e. punish, all fornicators and adulterers. Instead of δε but, γαρ, for, is the reading of AD*, one other, with the Vulgate, Coptic, and one of the Itala; it more forcibly expresses the reason of the prohibition: Let the bed be undefiled, For whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Hebrews 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…

Read the full comment on Hebrews 13:1-6 →

Hebrews 13:4 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ΤίμιοςTimiosHonorable [let]G5093
ὁho<the>G3588
γάμοςgamosmarriage [be]G1062
ἐνeninG1722
πᾶσινpasinallG3956
καὶkaiandG2532
ἡhētheG3588
κοίτηkoitēmarriage bedG2845
ἀμίαντος·amiantosundefiled;G283
πόρνουςpornous[the] sexually immoralG4205
γὰρgarforG1063
καὶkaiandG2532
μοιχοὺςmoichousadulterersG3432
κρινεῖkrineiwill judgeG2919
ὁho<the>G3588
θεός.¶theosGod.G2316

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Hebrews 13:4

  • Genesis 2:24

    Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

  • Proverbs 5:15-23

    Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. …

  • 1 Corinthians 7:2-16

    Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. …

  • Galatians 5:19

    Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

  • Genesis 1:27-28

    So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

  • 1 Corinthians 6:9

    Know ye 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,

  • Galatians 5:21

    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.

  • Colossians 3:5-6

    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:

  • 1 Corinthians 5:13

    But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

  • Ephesians 5:5

    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.

  • 1 Corinthians 7:38

    So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.

  • Malachi 3:5

    And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Marriage.
Ge 1:27,28; 2:21,24; Le 21:13-15; 2Ki 22:14; Pr 5:15-23; Isa 8:3
1Co 7:2-16; 9:5; 1Ti 3:2,4,12; 5:14; Tit 1:6
and the bed.
12:16; 1Co 6:9; Ga 5:19,21; Eph 5:5; Col 3:5,6; Re 22:15
God.
Ps 50:16-22; Mal 3:5; 1Co 5:13; 2Co 5:10

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Hebrews 13:3

    Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

  • Hebrews 13:4

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

  • Hebrews 13:5

    Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Read all of Hebrews 13

Hebrews 13:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Honroso es en todos el matrimonio, y el lecho sin mancilla; mas á los fornicarios y á los adúlteros juzgará Dios.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Que le mariage soit tenu en honneur à tous égards, et le lit sans souillure; mais Dieu jugera les fornicateurs et les adultères.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Die Ehe sei geehrt in allem, und das Bett unbefleckt; Hurer aber und Ehebrecher wird Gott richten.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Honorabile connubium in omnibus, et thorus immaculatus. Fornicatores enim, et adulteros judicabit Deus.