Respect in marriage isn’t just about polite behavior or avoiding arguments. It’s the daily choice to honor your spouse’s thoughts, feelings, and dignity even when you’re frustrated, tired, or completely disagreeing. Real life doesn’t look like the wedding day photos. It looks like showing consideration when they’ve left dishes in the sink again, speaking kindly when stress has you both on edge, and choosing grace when you’d rather keep score.
The challenge is that respect doesn’t come naturally when familiarity breeds contempt or when unmet expectations pile up. You see your spouse’s flaws up close every single day. You know exactly which buttons to push and which words will hurt most. The temptation to use sarcasm, dismissiveness, or contempt as weapons is constant, especially in moments of conflict.
The Bible’s perspective on spousal respect cuts through cultural noise about submission, equality, and rights to reveal something deeper: mutual honor rooted in reverence for God. These verses show that respecting your spouse isn’t about agreeing with everything they say or ignoring legitimate concerns. It’s about treating them with the dignity they deserve as someone created in God’s image and chosen by you for life.
Bible Verses About Respecting Your Spouse
1. Ephesians 5:33 – Respect Your Husband, Love Your Wife
However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
New International Version (NIV)
2. 1 Peter 3:7 – Husbands, Be Considerate
Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
English Standard Version (ESV)
3. Colossians 3:19 – Husbands, Love Your Wives
Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.
New King James Version (NKJV)
4. 1 Peter 3:1-2 – Wives, Submit to Your Husbands
In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives.
New Living Translation (NLT)
5. Ephesians 5:25 – Husbands, Love as Christ Loved
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
6. Proverbs 31:28 – Her Children and Husband Praise Her
Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying: “Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
7. 1 Corinthians 7:3-4 – Give Each Other What Is Due
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.
King James Version (KJV)
8. Proverbs 12:4 – A Good Wife Is Her Husband’s Crown
A good wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
9. Ephesians 5:21 – Submit to One Another
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
New International Version (NIV)
10. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 – Love Is Not Rude
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.
English Standard Version (ESV)
11. Genesis 2:24 – Two Become One Flesh
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
New King James Version (NKJV)
12. Proverbs 18:22 – He Who Finds a Wife Finds What Is Good
The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord.
New Living Translation (NLT)
13. Colossians 3:18 – Wives, Submit to Your Husbands
Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
14. Hebrews 13:4 – Honor Marriage
Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
15. Titus 2:4-5 – Train Younger Women
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
King James Version (KJV)
16. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 – Two Are Better Than One
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
17. Proverbs 19:14 – A Prudent Wife Is from the Lord
House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.
English Standard Version (ESV)
18. 1 Corinthians 7:16 – You May Save Your Spouse
For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?
King James Version (KJV)
19. Ephesians 4:2-3 – Be Patient, Bearing with One Another
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
New International Version (NIV)
20. Malachi 2:15 – Guard Yourself in Your Spirit
Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth.
New Living Translation (NLT)
21. Proverbs 5:18-19 – Rejoice in the Wife of Your Youth
Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.
English Standard Version (ESV)
22. 1 Timothy 5:8 – Provide for Your Family
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
English Standard Version (ESV)
23. Romans 12:10 – Honor One Another Above Yourselves
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.
King James Version (KJV)
24. Song of Solomon 7:10 – I Belong to My Beloved
I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me.
New International Version (NIV)
25. Philippians 2:3-4 – Consider Others More Important
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
English Standard Version (ESV)
26. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 – Encourage One Another
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
English Standard Version (ESV)
27. Proverbs 14:1 – The Wise Woman Builds Her House
The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.
English Standard Version (ESV)
28. Matthew 19:6 – What God Has Joined Together
So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.
New International Version (NIV)
29. 1 Corinthians 13:7 – Love Always Protects
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
New International Version (NIV)
30. Proverbs 27:15-16 – Constant Quarreling
A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping of a leaky roof in a rainstorm; restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand.
New International Version (NIV)
31. Ephesians 4:32 – Be Kind and Compassionate
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
32. 1 Peter 4:8 – Love Covers a Multitude of Sins
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
New International Version (NIV)
33. Proverbs 15:1 – A Gentle Answer Turns Away Wrath
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
English Standard Version (ESV)
34. Galatians 5:13 – Serve One Another in Love
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
New International Version (NIV)
35. 1 John 4:18 – Perfect Love Drives Out Fear
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
New International Version (NIV)
Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Respecting Your Spouse
The biblical model of spousal respect is radically countercultural because it’s built on mutual service rather than power dynamics. Both husbands and wives are called to put the other’s needs above their own, which only works when both people are committed to the same standard. This isn’t about scorekeeping or conditional respect that depends on your spouse earning it through perfect behavior.
What strikes me most is how Scripture ties respect to reverence for God. When you honor your spouse, you’re acknowledging that they’re made in God’s image and that your marriage reflects Christ’s relationship with the church. That changes everything. Disrespecting your spouse isn’t just a relationship conflict; it’s a theological problem that affects your connection with God.
The Bible also acknowledges that respect looks different depending on context. Husbands are called to sacrificial love that mirrors Christ’s self-giving. Wives are called to honor that reflects trust and partnership. But the underlying principle is the same: treat your spouse with dignity, speak life instead of contempt, and choose humility over being right.
Say This Prayer
Heavenly Father, I confess that respecting my spouse isn’t always my first instinct, especially when we’re frustrated with each other or when I feel unappreciated. Help me to see my spouse through Your eyes, remembering that they’re made in Your image and deserving of honor regardless of how I feel in the moment.
Teach me to guard my words, especially during conflict. Give me the self-control to speak truth without contempt, to disagree without demeaning, and to express frustration without attacking character. When I’m tempted to use sarcasm or dismissiveness as weapons, remind me that those patterns destroy intimacy and dishonor the covenant we’ve made.
Help both of us to practice mutual submission, putting each other’s needs above our own preferences. When I want to keep score or withhold respect until I get what I want, soften my heart and remind me that Your love never operates on those terms.
Show me practical ways to honor my spouse today, through words of affirmation, acts of service, or simply by listening well. Build our marriage on a foundation of mutual respect that reflects Your love for us both.
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.