Chapter
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Verse

Hebrews 13:4

ESV Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
NIV Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
NASB Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
CSB Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
NLT Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.
KJV Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

What does Hebrews 13:4 mean?

This passage focuses on specific, practical instructions for Christian believers. Earlier verses included the concept of showing love to fellow Christians (Hebrews 13:1), care for strangers (Hebrews 13:2), and concern for those experiencing persecution and mistreatment (Hebrews 13:3).

This verse presents another common teaching of the New Testament: the critical importance of sexual purity. In the modern world, sexual sins are often brushed aside as minor, or irrelevant. History, however, shows that sex and its consequences are a powerful force in a person's life. Few urges are as universal as sex, and so it is crucial for believers to maintain a godly, healthy approach to sexuality. This includes fidelity within marriage, as well as abstaining from sex until a person is married.

Other Scriptures, such as Romans 1:24–27, explain how sexual sins lead to natural, inevitable consequences. That passage explains how one form of God's judgment is to simply "hand off" a person to the results of these offenses.
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