Age And Marriage In The Bible

The Bible is a beautiful book full of spirituality and life lessons. When talking about marriage in the bible, there are several stories that we can learn from. These examples include Ruth and Boaz, Hannah and Samuel, King David and Bathsheba, Solomon and many others. Some people would like to know how old were the oldest marriages in the bible.

Most people assume that the bible teaches that you must be married by a certain age. If they believed that, then there might be some hope for those who wish to marry in their youth but are not financially or emotionally prepared for doing so. But it’s not like that! There is no one exact date, or set time period you have to wait to get married. It’s not even necessarily an order in which you should consider getting married (#1: a baby!#2: your co-teacher!#3: the elderly neighbor across the street). At the end of your marriage, you will find out you have lived with a person for a long time and you can’t really tell how old is she by looking at her.

You’ll never be able to know her age or even see if she has ever been in love before really. But one thing for sure , it’s certain that every person has their own aspirations, likes and dislikes in life; and no matter what, as long as you have love in your heart, will always make sure that your partner gets what they need – which is you!

Age And Marriage In The Bible

Genesis 2:18-24

Genesis 2:18-24 tells the story of how God created Eve as a suitable partner for Adam. This passage emphasizes the importance of marriage as a sacred union between a man and a woman, ordained by God himself.

1 Corinthians 7:8-9

The Apostle Paul discusses the topic of marriage in 1 Corinthians 7:8-9, stating that it is better to marry than to burn with passion. This passage suggests that marriage is a solution for those who struggle with sexual temptations.

Proverbs 18:22

Proverbs 18:22 states, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” This verse highlights the blessing that marriage can bring to a man, indicating that it is a positive and fulfilling aspect of life.

1 Timothy 4:12

The Apostle Paul instructs Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12 not to let anyone look down on him because of his youth, but to set an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. This passage emphasizes that age is not a barrier to marriage, as long as one is mature and responsible.

In Genesis 2:18-24, God creates Eve as a suitable partner for Adam.
1 Corinthians 7:8-9 emphasizes the importance of marriage for those struggling with sexual desires.
Proverbs 18:22 highlights the blessing of finding a wife.
1 Timothy 4:12 encourages young individuals to set a good example in all aspects of their lives.

The Bible does not have any specific ruling on minimum or maximum age. Marriage is a serious issue and a lifetime covenant between two people. And whether the man is older than the woman or vice versa, is not given much attention in the Bible

Should Age Be A Barrier For Intending Couples

Emotional maturity is where age comes in. There are people who are not emotionally mature, even at age 30 and these are people that keep running to their parents or third parties to discuss their marital problems, thereby complicating things.

If you are mature in these four areas, you can get married as an adult and not as a teenager, because marriage is meant for adults. The Bible didn’t say ‘a boy shall leave father and mother…’ so you must be a man before you get married.

There are some wives that are older than their husbands. In such cases, what we do is to counsel that the age difference should not be too much.

For instance, if a woman is 50 years old and the man is 22 years and they come to me for marriage, I would ask them to pray over it. If they do and then there is parental consent because we must get letters from both parents to show that the intending couples have obtained their consent, then we go ahead to unite them.

The Bible says with two or three witnesses a matter is established. If the man is 10 years older than the lady, that usually is not much of a problem because I am six years older than my wife.

It’s when the woman is much older than the man that we ask them to go and really pray because as a woman grows older, she gets closer to menopause, although there is nothing God cannot do. In our church, we’ve heard testimonies of 52, 57 years old women getting pregnant. But if the age difference is very wide, we ask them to pray and the pastor also prays with them.

If they come back to say that God is leading them to get married and the pastor also gets a message from God, of course, they will get married. In every marriage, understanding is very critical.

The man must understand his wife and vice versa. But where this is missing, suspicion and such things come in. A couple must know how to communicate, which, if lacking in a marriage can create problem. Love and affection are also part of it. Of course, if you are not born again, there is no way you can be joined together as husband and wife.

The fear of God must be in every marriage, so that when the couple has issues, they can ask themselves what the Bible says concerning such. ‘If The Man Is Older By 10 Years, We Refer Such Cases To Our Leader’ (Pastor Jerry Asemota, Church Secretary, Deeper Life Bible Church) THE people getting married should be adults, not children.

Adam wasn’t marrying a small, immature girl. So, they should be mature and then, of course, God brought the woman to the man, and that is why we impress it on our members that they should pray and know God’s will, which is very important.

It solves the problem of incompatibility, background differences and all that. Once that is solved, every other thing in the marriage should work, though that doesn’t mean that the couple will not have likes and dislikes. Marriage is supposed to bring them together irrespective of whatever differences.

Obviously, the man being older than the woman seems to be the normal thing, and that is when he can assume the headship that God had given to him because God made the man the head of the woman.

To that extent, when the man is older it’s alright, though this does not mean if the woman is older and it is the will of God, that they should not marry.

The essential thing is getting the will of God because He is the One that knows the hearts of all men. Whatever the age of the woman, God has a plan for her, and He will still fulfill that in her life.

If God arranges it in such a way that she is to marry somebody younger than her, it shouldn’t cause any alarm though the society may frown on it because of culture and the fact that people have been used to something different. But God doesn’t work to satisfy society or tradition.

In that case, the church won’t be averse to such decision, once the two of them agree. So, if it is God’s will that a 35-year-old woman marries a 32 year-old man, the church has nothing to say against it.

So long it is God’s will. The parents may say, ‘but this is not what we are used to’ but if it is God’s will, that ends the matter. The church is out to do the will of God and not that of man. However, if the man is older than the woman by 10 years and vice versa, we normally refer such cases to our leader. He also prays and if he is led by God to confirm it, there is no problem.

Although nobody knows when a man or woman will die, you want to also avoid a situation, where we have young widows in the church. It puts the woman in a very precarious situation, if the man is too old and eventually passes on leaving her with very young children.

And the fact that she has children can make it difficult for suitors to marry her again. With the life expectancy in Nigeria, it becomes worrisome, when a man is 20 years or more older than the woman.

Christian Marriage Age Gap

Marriage is a relationship given by God to mankind and it was done out of love. So, there should be love between the man and woman, which will help the marriage to grow

Again, as Christians, they would want to go to heaven. They should be able to teach their children the way and fear of God. Whatever we do with our marriage, we would be answerable to God. ‘The Bible Did Not Specify Minimum Or Maximum Age’ (Most Rev. Adebayo Akinde, Archbishop, Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion /Bishop, Lagos Mainland) THE Bible doesn’t have any specific ruling on age, but when one considers the Biblical standard for marriage, clearly it is important that the people involved should be mature emotionally, in terms of exposure to life.

However, with Biblical guidelines, I would say a minor that has not attained the age of taking independent decisions and is not ready to accept responsibilities shouldn’t go into marriage. There are basic requirements before two people can contract marriage.

The Bible does not have any specific ruling on minimum or maximum age. Marriage is a serious issue and a lifetime covenant between two people. And whether the man is older than the woman or vice versa, is not given much attention in the Bible. But Adam was created before Eve, which gives the impression that he must be older than Eve. And if that is the ideal created by God, then we should be applying it.

I would advise it is much better for the man to be older, but there are people who get mature faster than others. That the woman is older than the man should not be a problem, as long as there is love between both of them.

Age should not be a prerequisite. The basic thing to consider in marriage is love and where there is love, it matters not whether the man is wealthy or not, whether the woman is beautiful or not, as all these considerations become secondary.

The basic ingredient and success in marriage is love. The man must love the wife and vice versa. In this wise, it is not sufficient to just look for the right partner.

The husband must make conscious effort to be the right person for the wife and vice versa. Basically, both of them have responsibilities and they must resolve that it is a lifelong union, which is what the Bible says.

Finally, both must work at making their marriage successful. ‘As Long As People Are Not Minors, Age Should Not Be A Problem’ (Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Ralph Madu, Secretary General, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Abuja) THERE is a barrier, as in the case of somebody that is under age.

But who says a marriage should not hold simply because the man is older than the woman and vice versa? Have you seen a couple that are born on the same day? One must be older either with one day or years.

People can be on the same age bracket, but one will definitely be older. Marriage is between two people, and if one of them is 100 years old and the other is 20 years old, whose responsibility is it to decide? All those considerations are frivolous and happen in present time.

Can I decide who should marry whom? What if a person is marrying an elderly person to be able to give him/her support; who am I to disrupt that type of marriage? Age should not be a problem in marriage, as long as the people are not minors.

If they are adults with one being 50 years and the other 20 years, it is their own responsibility, once they have agreed. That is why people should not be forced into marriage.

Once there is consent and freewill then they should be wedded. Even if one of the intending couple is 120 years, so long they know the implication of the engagement and all; they are free to go ahead.

For instance, in the Catholic Church, marriage is indissoluble unless from the beginning there was no proper intention. Once the marriage is established and the couple have gone through the normal process and the marriage has been consummated, it is indissoluble.

Catholic couples know this and so, they have to be as patient as possible. They have to be tolerant, accommodate and have respect for the other person. Above all, they have to accept that their spouses are their equals. There must also be fidelity.

It’s one man, one wife and not one man one and half wives, or concubines here and there. These are the principles we teach couples as they go through the process of marriage.

God Chooses The Marriage Partner, Not Age’ (Rev. (Dr.) Samson O. A. Ayokunle, President/CEO Nigerian Baptist Convention/National Vice-President, Christian Association of Nigeria) TO me, God chooses the marriage partner and not age.

However, Adam was in the Garden before God formed Eve and brought her to him, as such we can say that Adam was older than her in a way. On the other hand, it may not be theologically sound to say that Adam was older than Eve because she was with Adam from the beginning because the bone God used to create her was taken from Adam.

It may be more accurate then to say that they were companions. The age difference between the man and his wife has to do with culture. In some cultures, especially our own part of the world, the husband is preferred to be older than the wife. We have, however, seen it even here that some wives that are older than their husbands enjoy good marriages.

At the same time, many marriages have broken down, where the husbands are older than their wives. To me, doing God’s will when choosing a marriage partner is the most crucial thing. It may seem more acceptable in our world for the husband to be older to get respect from the wife.

However, respect for the husband and having a sense of responsibility does not come automatically from the husband being older than the wife, they are things of the heart. They are virtues that must be cultivated by both for the marriage to succeed.

In choosing a marriage partner, the following are important: knowing God’s will, Agape love and Economic maturity on both sides, especially the husband who is the bread winner.

Both must be born again. An unbeliever is not mature for marriage because marriage is first of all a holy institution and secondly a divine gift. Only those who have a relationship with God will be able to operate God’s manual for marriage for it to succeed.

Intending couples are expected to pray fervently before choosing life partners. ‘Emphasis Should Rather Be On Maturity, Character’ (Rev. Francis Ejiroghene Waive, General Overseer, Fresh Anointing Missionary Ministries Inc./Senior Pastor, Church of the Anointing, Warri, Delta State) THE role of the church in marriage begins with teaching and counselling.

Many times, the church simply advises the individuals but the final decision lies with the intending couple. We teach and guide them by using scriptural examples and instructions.

The church also avails young people the benefit of its experience and learning. There is no verse in the entire Bible that indicates that a man must be older biologically than his intended wife. We can only infer that Adam was created before Eve and, therefore, seems exemplary. But the New Testament removes every gender barrier, as ‘there is neither male nor female in Christ.”

Age consideration should rather be emphasised in the case of maturity, character and walking with the Lord. Firstly, both individuals must be mature in thinking and behaviour, as well as in being able to cope with the challenges of life. I have seen successful marriages where the woman is older.

I have also seen cases, where the younger woman finds it difficult to submit and becomes controlling. I do not think this is a case of one-rule-applies-to-all. The minister, however, draws the attention of the intending couple to the fact that women age faster and if the wife is biologically older, she might end up looking much older after a number of births.

Once this is settled, they can get married. In choosing a life partner, young people should try to discern if the person in question really cares about them and treats them with love and respect in private and in public.

Young people should only marry evidently God-fearing persons having a testimony of salvation and consistent godly living. ‘If The Age Gap Is Too Much, We Discourage The Marriage’ (Pastor (Dr.) Jacob E. Umoru, President Lagos Atlantic Conference of Seventh-Day Adventist Church) AGE should not be a barrier, but it depends on the age gap, because of the sociological development of the man and woman.

If a man is two years younger than a woman that is okay and a marriage could be allowed. Even if it is three years, there’s no problem, but by the time it’s going to five years, it becomes an issue because of the sociological problem.

They will not enjoy themselves. And when there are some health challenges and all that, the marriage will be in trouble. When we see that the age gap is too much we discourage the marriage. But aside this, so long they are interested in each other, love each other and fear God, we will encourage them to be married.

As a matter of principle, we do not teach that age should be a barrier in our church; we only counsel that if you are getting married to somebody you should ensure that the gap is not too much so that they can enjoy their marriage.

For instance, if the man is 10 years older and vice versa, we don’t prevent them from marrying. We only tell them of the emotional and social implications. It is worse, if the woman is five years older, as there will be issues after.

God has given us intelligence and power of choice and it is left for us to apply that intelligence. The first thing to consider in marriage is the faith of the intending couple: Do they fear God? Can they live with each other? Is s/he open to reason? Does this person have the potential to take care of me? Can this person lead me heavenward? Will this relationship lead me to eternal life? If the answers are positive, then you can go ahead. ‘

The Lord’s Will Has Nothing To Do With Age’ (Pastor Faith Charis Ajala, Lead Pastor, Special Treasure Covenant Church, Lagos) AGE cannot stand as a barrier between a man and woman. I believe the uppermost thing is genuine love and knowing each other, which begins with courtship and ends in marriage.

All I’m after in marriage is the Lord’s will, which has nothing to do with age. I have seen women that are older than their husbands and who are enjoying a good marriage.

Age does not play any role at all in ascertaining the genuineness or establishment of a Christian marriage. Once a relationship is genuine and God is in it, age shouldn’t be a barrier.

Maturity is important, but not applying the age factor. The gap in age is a personal thing. It becomes an issue maybe when the man starts thinking that the woman might dominate and not listen to him.

That is why we must always go to the Bible to see what it says about marriage. Sarah called Abraham ‘my Lord’ but if based on worldly thoughts and deeds, then one can begin to say ‘oh, this woman is five years older.’ That’s not it. What matters is getting the right person. Once this is done and God approves it nothing else should matter.

After this, maturity, wisdom, love, behavioural patterns and the upbringing can now come into play, but not age. The uppermost thing in marriage is the Lord’s will, not the appearance of the man or woman and money, but finding the right person based on the Lord’s will. God is the greatest matchmaker, and I’m sure He cannot approve of someone with no character, which determines destiny.

Age and marriage in the bible

According to Leviticus, the marriageable age of a girl was 12 and that of a boy was 13. It is impossible for anyone 18 or older to marry in biblical times; this includes women who had given birth to another child (1:5). Young women often married much younger men, but it was possible for an older woman to marry an adolescent man. The Bible does not specify what constitutes marriageable age for boys, but in the case of Boaz, age alone does not seem to be a problem (4:4). The sacrament of marriage is holy and sacred. The Bible has a lot to say about relationships, the importance of love, and marriage. There are many marriages mentioned in the Bible that are extremely young.

What are the average ages for a Christian marriage in the bible? How old was Isaac when he married Rebekah, who was seven years older than him? And can you even have a real marriage without sex? We might think that these questions are obvious. But we have to consider that there is an ancient time period in which we live, which makes it a bit difficult to reach accurate information about these topics from our current perception

ruth and boaz age difference

The Bible does not specify any particular age requirement for a person to be married; rather, it speaks in general terms of marriage being for those who are “grown up” (see Ruth 1:12–13). Both the language and culture of the Bible strongly support the idea that puberty, at bare minimum, is a condition that must be met before becoming someone’s spouse. This fits with one of the historical purposes of marriage—conceiving and rearing children. Scriptural evidence indicates that those too young for childbearing are not candidates for marriage, though there is no explicit age given in the Bible.

It is reasonable to look at the practices of ancient Judaism for cultural considerations on the proper age for marriage. According to tradition, boys were not considered “men,” and therefore not marriageable, until the age of 13. Girls were not considered “women” until age 12. These ages more or less correspond to the onset of puberty. While those ages might seem too young to us, they are not unusual ages for getting married, historically. It has only been within the last century or so that the average age of getting married has drifted into the late twenties and early thirties.

It’s also important to recall that maturity—often used as a benchmark for allowing sexuality and marriage—is highly cultural. In modern Western countries, people are not generally expected to be self-sufficient until they are nearly in their twenties, or even later. For most of human history, however, people were expected to “grow up” much sooner. The age of getting married was normally young, as everyone was expected to mature socially and emotionally more quickly than today.

older man younger woman bible

The Hebrew language also supports the idea that puberty is a requirement for a legitimate marriage. Ezekiel 16 contains a metaphor for God’s relationship to Israel. In this passage, God cares for Israel, pictured as an orphaned girl in various stages of development. The Lord first sees her birth, then watches her grow up: “You grew and developed and entered puberty. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown. . . . Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you” (verses 7–8). In this illustration, it’s only after the girl arrives at physical maturity, sometime after (not during) puberty when she is “old enough to love,” that she is ready for marriage. Other translations say the girl “grew tall and came of age” (NET) and “grew up, matured, and became a young woman” (GWT).

Hebrew, as English, uses different words for younger and older members of either sex. Naˈar refers to young men, while yeled refers to boys age 12 or younger. For females, naˈarah means “a marriageable woman,” while yaldah refers to a girl 11 or younger—too young for marriage. Once again, these words and definitions seem to enforce the idea that the onset of puberty is a requirement for marriage. Before that time, a boy or girl is not of an age to be married.

The New Testament has even less to say about the age of getting married. Still, there are clues in New Testament Greek similar to those in Hebrew. For example, 1 Corinthians 7:36 uses the word hyperakmos in reference to a female. In this case, it’s a young woman who’s engaged to be married. Hyperakmos is translated as “past her youth” (NASB), past “the flower of her age” (KJV), or “past marriageable age” (CSB). The word literally means “ripe,” a common euphemism in many cultures for describing a woman’s capability for bearing children. Paul’s inclusion of the word definitely indicates that the marriageable age was sometime after puberty, when a woman is fully grown. But Scripture nowhere sets a definitive marriageable age: physical maturity is a must, but when a girl reaches maturity can vary. The 12-year-old in Mark 5:41–42 is still a “little girl” and obviously not ready for marriage.

As with many other issues, the proper age for getting married has a cultural component that the Bible does not specifically override. What constitutes a proper marriage age can vary from culture to culture and still fall within the bounds of scripturally proper conduct. The bottom line is that pedophilia and child marriages are unacceptable. A person must be fully grown to be married; he or she must be physically mature enough for sexuality and child-bearing. Beyond that, the Bible does not specify a minimum age for marriage.

How old is Rebekah when she married Isaac? You may be surprised to learn that even though she was a young girl of 19 or 20 years old, there is no specific age for marriage in the bible. Men often marry women their own age or slightly older. Women who were in their thirties were sometimes married before they hit 30, and so forth.

Rebekah was a daughter of Bethuel and the sister of Dinah. She was a wife of the patriarch Ishmael, who lived in Abraham’s household. She was Jacob’s niece and she married Isaac when he was 60 years old (Genesis 24:2). According to the Bible, women have an average marriage age of nearly 37 years old while men have an average age of almost 41 years old in biblical times.

The Bible is filled with stories of how God worked miracles, and how marriages were made in the Bible. One of my favorite stories is of Rebekah and Isaac. Ivan noticed the Old Testament references to this woman and thought it would be cool to find out some information about her. I found many different websites that gave you all kinds of information, each one giving a little bit on a different part. The problem was, none of them really answered questions or told what I needed to know. Here are some important things you need to know about Rebekah’s life:

Rebekah was a beautiful young woman who had married a good man, Isaac. She was overjoyed when she discovered that she was going to become pregnant. However, within three days of the birth of her son Gershom (Isaac’s grandson) Rebekah died. This is in stark contrast to the times where the Bible says that women usually gave birth at age 65 and men died from old age by 95 years old. Does this mean there is something wrong with the way we live today? The Bible clearly shows God’s interest in giving women proper care during pregnancy and childbirth as well as during their postpartum period.

looks like the bible has some stuff for us to learn about marriage. and what better way to learn than by using the bible as a model.

Rebekah was born in canaan, the daughter of Bethuel, a rich man from pethorath and the granddaughter of Abraham. She never knew her father, having been born after he died. She married her cousin Isaac, who was 20 years older than she. With Rebekah’s marrying age being at the peak of 26, this could be a marriage where they lived together for many years and had children together. Despite that, they were never able to get pregnant.

What are the average marriage ages? What biblical characters is a couple from the bible most like? How does a woman look in her early 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70+?

The Bible is very clear on the issues of marriage and divorce. The Old Testament shows that it was perfectly acceptable for a man to marry women younger than him, as long as they were virgins when they were married (Deuteronomy 22:13-21). This was so because a woman before marriage lacked protection against sexual activity, which in turn caused them to use their bodies for pleasure and lust. If a woman has had sexual relations with a man prior to being married, then the man is considered an adulterer and must be put to death by stoning (Leviticus 20:10). While this may seem harsh, you have to remember that there were no contraceptives or condoms back then. It would have been extremely uncomfortable for a couple to have sex unprotected and if no precautions were taken prior to having sex, then any children born from this union would not be considered legitimate offspring by God.

Some of us are celebrating a successful wedding. That was congratulations! You’re overjoyed that you found the right person to share your life with, and it’s everyone’s hope that your love will last a lifetime. But what about those couples who have already celebrated their vows but still can’t seem to fill the void in their hearts? As Christians, we know we should be choosing God’s best for us – but sometimes it can be hard to make that choice when it comes down to who we marry.

The age at which a man and woman are allowed to marry varies from country to country, and country to country within countries. As such, we can’t really make any generalizations about the ages that couples who believe in Christianity should get married at or anyone else for that matter.

If a wife is to be submissive, she must be wise in the family. The wife should see to it that the husband’s heart and spirit are agreeable with her own. This is done by way of loving, like an underling greets his master; it is done by submitting, like the servants of God. As mother and daughter, daughter-in-law or grandmother we need to make sure our husbands know that they are worthy of respect and admiration as men. Men value women because they know their role as protectors of children, providers for families and caregivers in times of illness or loss.