Forgiveness in marriage is one of the hardest commands to obey because the wounds come from the person you trusted most. When your spouse breaks promises, speaks cruel words in anger, or betrays your trust, the pain cuts deeper than injuries from strangers ever could. You might find yourself replaying hurtful conversations, building walls to protect your heart, or keeping mental scorecards of wrongs that seem impossible to forget. The intimate nature of marriage means your spouse knows exactly which words will wound you most, and when those weapons are used against you, forgiveness feels like an impossible demand.
Yet holding onto unforgiveness in marriage is like drinking poison and expecting your spouse to suffer. Bitterness doesn’t punish them; it imprisons you. The resentment you nurture today becomes the barrier that prevents intimacy tomorrow. What started as justified hurt can evolve into a hardness of heart that slowly kills the love you once shared. You might tell yourself you’re protecting yourself by withholding forgiveness, but you’re actually destroying the very relationship you’re trying to preserve.
God’s call to forgiveness isn’t about excusing wrong behavior or pretending hurt didn’t happen, but about releasing the right to revenge and choosing to rebuild rather than retaliate.
Bible Verses About Forgiveness in Marriage
1. Ephesians 4:32 – Be Kind and Compassionate, Forgiving Each Other
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
New International Version (NIV)
2. Colossians 3:13 – Forgive as the Lord Forgave You
bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
English Standard Version (ESV)
3. Matthew 6:14-15 – If You Forgive Men Their Trespasses
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
New King James Version (NKJV)
4. 1 Peter 4:8 – Love Covers Over a Multitude of Sins
Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.
New Living Translation (NLT)
5. Matthew 18:21-22 – Not Seven Times, but Seventy-Seven Times
Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how many times could my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but seventy times seven.”
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
6. Luke 17:3-4 – If Your Brother or Sister Sins Against You
Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
7. Mark 11:25 – When You Stand Praying, If You Hold Anything Against Anyone
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
King James Version (KJV)
8. 2 Corinthians 2:7 – Now Instead, You Ought to Forgive and Comfort Him
so that now instead you should forgive and console him, so that he may not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
9. Matthew 18:35 – This Is How My Heavenly Father Will Treat Each of You
That’s what my Father in heaven will do to each one of you who doesn’t forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy.
The Message (MSG)
10. Ephesians 4:26-27 – In Your Anger Do Not Sin
Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
11. Luke 23:34 – Father, Forgive Them, for They Do Not Know What They Are Doing
But Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Then they divided his clothes by throwing dice.
New English Translation (NET)
12. Proverbs 19:11 – A Person’s Wisdom Yields Patience
A person’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
13. 1 Corinthians 13:5 – Love Is Not Easily Angered, It Keeps No Record of Wrongs
Love is not rude. It doesn’t look out for its own interests. It doesn’t become angry easily. It doesn’t keep track of other people’s wrongs.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
14. Romans 12:19 – Do Not Take Revenge, My Dear Friends
Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God’s anger do it. For the scripture says, “I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord.”
Good News Translation (GNT)
15. James 5:16 – Therefore Confess Your Sins to Each Other
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed.
New Century Version (NCV)
16. Matthew 5:23-24 – First Go and Be Reconciled
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
International Standard Version (ISV)
17. Galatians 6:1 – Restore Him Gently
Brothers, if someone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
Tree of Life Version (TLV)
18. Proverbs 17:9 – Whoever Would Foster Love Covers Over an Offense
Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
19. 1 John 1:9 – If We Confess Our Sins, He Is Faithful and Just
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
World English Bible (WEB)
20. Romans 12:18 – If It Is Possible, Live at Peace with Everyone
If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men.
American Standard Version (ASV)
21. 2 Corinthians 5:18 – All This Is from God, Who Reconciled Us to Himself
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
Revised Standard Version (RSV)
22. Psalm 32:5 – Then I Acknowledged My Sin to You
I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; then you forgave the guilt of my sin.
New American Bible (NAB)
23. Isaiah 43:25 – I Will Not Remember Your Sins
I am he that blot out thy iniquities for my own sake, and I will not remember thy sins.
Douay-Rheims Bible (DRB)
24. Hebrews 8:12 – I Will Remember Their Sins No More
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
English Revised Version (ERV)
25. Micah 7:18 – Who Is a God Like You, Who Pardons Sin?
Who is a God like Thee, taking away iniquity, And passing by the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? He hath not retained for ever His anger, Because He delighteth in kindness.
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)
26. 1 John 4:20 – Whoever Claims to Love God Yet Hates a Brother or Sister
If any one say, I love God, and hate his brother, he is a liar; for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
Darby Translation (DARBY)
27. Romans 5:8 – But God Demonstrates His Own Love for Us
But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Weymouth New Testament (WNT)
28. Psalm 103:12 – As Far as the East Is from the West
As fer as the eest is fro the west; he made fer oure wickidnessis fro vs.
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
29. Daniel 9:9 – The Lord Our God Is Merciful and Forgiving
To the Lord our God appertaine compassions and forgiuenesse: for we haue rebelled against him.
Geneva Bible (GNV)
30. Psalm 130:4 – But with You There Is Forgiveness
But there is forgeuenes with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
Bishop’s Bible
31. Luke 6:37 – Do Not Judge, and You Will Not Be Judged
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged. Condemne not: and ye shall not be condemned. Forgeve, and ye shalbe forgeven.
Tyndale Bible
32. Acts 3:19 – Repent, Then, and Turn to God
Now change your mind and attitude to God and turn to him so he can cleanse away your sins and send you wonderful times of refreshment from the presence of the Lord.
The Living Bible (TLB)
33. Psalm 86:5 – You, Lord, Are Forgiving and Good
Lord, you are so good and forgiving, so very patient, and always loving to all who cry out to you.
The Passion Translation (TPT)
34. Joel 2:13 – Return to the Lord Your God
Return to the Eternal your God, for He is merciful and compassionate, patient, and overflowing with loyal love; He won’t carry out the disaster.
The Voice Bible (VOICE)
35. Matthew 6:12 – Forgive Us Our Debts, as We Also Have Forgiven Our Debtors
Forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.
New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)
Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Forgiveness in Marriage
Scripture presents forgiveness not as a feeling but as a decision we make, regardless of how we feel about the offense. Biblical forgiveness doesn’t require us to pretend the hurt didn’t happen or to immediately trust again, but it does require us to release our right to revenge and choose reconciliation over retaliation. In marriage, this becomes especially crucial because unforgiveness creates a toxic environment that poisons every interaction and prevents the intimacy God designed for the relationship.
The Bible’s approach to marital forgiveness is both radical and practical. It acknowledges that we’ll hurt each other repeatedly in marriage and provides a framework for ongoing reconciliation rather than one-time absolution. The goal isn’t to become doormats who enable destructive behavior, but to create a safe space where both spouses can acknowledge failures, seek forgiveness, and work toward genuine change.
What makes biblical forgiveness sustainable is that it flows from our understanding of how much God has forgiven us. When we truly grasp the magnitude of our own forgiveness in Christ, forgiving our spouse becomes not just possible but inevitable. Many couples discover that their willingness to forgive and seek forgiveness becomes the foundation for deeper intimacy and stronger marriage bonds than they ever experienced before conflicts arose.
Say This Prayer
Heavenly Father, forgiveness in marriage is one of the hardest things You’ve asked me to do. My spouse has hurt me deeply, and every part of me wants to hold onto this pain as proof of how I’ve been wronged. The wounds feel too fresh, the betrayal too deep, and the thought of forgiving feels like letting them off the hook for the real damage they’ve caused.
But I know that holding onto unforgiveness is destroying me and our marriage. Help me to understand that forgiveness isn’t about excusing their behavior or pretending it didn’t happen. It’s about releasing my right to revenge and choosing to rebuild rather than retaliate. Give me the supernatural ability to forgive as You have forgiven me.
Show me the log in my own eye before I focus on the speck in my spouse’s eye. Remind me of my own need for grace and help me to extend that same grace to my spouse. When the hurt resurfaces and I want to rehearse old grievances, redirect my heart toward healing and restoration.
Create in both of us hearts that are quick to confess, quick to forgive, and committed to rebuilding trust. Let our marriage become a testimony to Your power to heal what seems irreparably broken.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Evang. Anabelle Thompson is the founder of Believers Refuge, a Scripture-based resource that helps Christians to find biblical guidance for life’s challenges.
With over 15 years of ministry experience and a decade of dedicated Bible study, she creates content that connects believers with relevant Scripture for their daily struggles.
Her work has reached over 76,000 monthly readers (which is projected to reach 100,000 readers by the end of 2025) seeking practical faith applications, biblical encouragement, and spiritual guidance rooted in God’s Word.
She writes from personal experience, having walked through seasons of waiting, breakthrough, and spiritual growth that inform her teaching.
Evang. Thompson brings 12 years of active ministry and evangelism experience, along with over 10 years of systematic Bible study and theological research.
As a former small group leader and Sunday school teacher, she has published over 200 biblical resources and devotional studies.
She specializes in applying Scripture to everyday life challenges and regularly studies the original Hebrew and Greek texts for a deeper biblical understanding.