What does it mean that marriage is honorable among all (Hebrews 13:4)?

A new topic comes before us in verse 4: "[Let,] marriage [be] honourable in all things and the bed [be] undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge." Here the Jewish Christian is called to stand the more on his guard, as the law allowed a latitude which the Lord showed to be far from God's mind. The A.V. is faulty in two respects. It is not a mere affirmative sentence stamping the relationship with dignity, but an exhortation in the imperative calling us to carry it on worthily, and to guard it from all taint of unchastity or impureness. And we are bid to set it in honour, not in this respect or in that, but "in all things." Thus it is in no way a certificate of respectability which all people possess because they are in wedlock, but a solemn charge to married saints that, their use of the relationship be thus pleasing to the Lord in every detail. To say it is honourable "in all men" overlooks, if it does not destroy, the force of the scripture for the Christian's conscience. And this is the more evident as we hear next that God will judge every violation of its sanctity whether in neglect or in misuse.

A. The word of the Lord enjoins (Hebrews 13:4), "Let marriage be honourable in all things," a very different thing from the A.V. which makes it a necessarily dignified status for any and everybody. It is a solemn exhortation that nothing should be done in the relationship inconsistent with its holy and intimate character, as well as implying honour due to the relationship in itself and in every way. For Christians 1 Corinthians 7:39 guards the limits of "will" with that sole worthy principle, "only in the Lord." The immediate application is to a widow marrying again; but it would be absurd to restrict it to her, or to doubt that it equally applies to any Christian woman or man.

The opening is singularly emphatic, "Man, man, etc." This the Septuagint follows closely. Man's attention is called for. Marriage is only honourable where God's will is observed. Heb. 13:4 in no way sanctions or sanctifies a forbidden union. The true rendering is, Let marriage be honourable (not "among all" as the Revisers say, but) "in all things," and the bed be undefiled. The construction is alike before and after. It is an injunction, not an affirmation as in the A.V. with Wiclif, Cranmer, and the Geneva translators. The Rhemish is an ungrammatical evasion, meant to correspond with the Vulgate, which would seem to take the Greek like the Peschito, Wiclif, etc. Tyndale alone was right. Against unions or licences, such as are here indicated, Jehovah sets His face. His name from beginning to end of the chapter is the solemn warrant against them all. If an Israelite allowed passion to carry him away, it was rebellion against Jehovah and at his own peril.

The exercise laid on my heart is that there might be a word spoken which will enhance the dignity of Christian marriage in all our affections and thoughts. I suppose we must face the fact that, in this world with its back upon God and Christ, the ordinance of marriage which comes from God in His rich mercy for His creature, is often entered into without regard to its precedings or its proceedings, and God is very much out of the picture. But beloved brethren, we do well to seek help from God that an institution which came freshly from His own blessed heart, might be held by those who know God in all the dignity of which it is worthy. The Scriptures make it abundantly plain that God has in mind that this mercy from Himself should be extensively enjoyed by His creature, and so we have the word which says that "Marriage is honourable in all," indicating that God has in mind that the blessings of the relationship which He Himself thought of for man, should be widely enjoyed.

Covetousness. — Proceeding with his subject, he next warns against covetousness. And as he has given two illustrations of brotherly love, he will furnish his readers with two of covetousness. First, he warns against unchastity, whilst reminding all of the honourable estate of matrimony, which is God's institution for His creatures. It is honourable in all. No class of Christians are forbidden to enter into such estate. Asceticism is foreign to Christianity; and to decry marriage is part of the doctrine of demons (1 Tim. 4:3). But "fornicators [or, whoremongers] and adulterers God will judge." We have read (12:16) of care to be taken against allowing any fornicator in the company of the saints; here it is of that solemn dealing with such on the part of God that we learn. Elsewhere (Eph. 5:3; Col. 3:5), we see, and especially in the former passage, that covetousness and fornication are spoken of in close connection, the latter really springing out of the former, as the tenth commandment had already taught.

Surely after this something heroic and altogether out of the common would be expected of us. Could those whose associations and dignity are so exalted settle down to ordinary affairs of life? Well, let us see. “ Let brotherly love continue .” That is simple enough, describing as it does the everyday intercourse of the family of God. “ Be not forgetful to entertain strangers. ” There is nothing spectacular about that. It means, be kind and hospitable, and not wrapt up in yourselves. “ Remember them that are in bonds . . . and them which suffer adversity .” That requires not extraordinary powers, but tender, compassionate hearts and sympathies that can flow freely to others. “ Marriage is honourable in all. ” That simply means, enter into and carry out the God-ordained relationships of life in the fear of God. “ Let your conversations be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have .” In this home life be content; don't allow the restless grasping spirit of the world to have a place there; and that will be easily possible If a day-by-day confidence in God upholds us.

Surely after this something heroic and altogether out of the common would be expected of us. Could those whose associations and dignity are so exalted settle down to ordinary affairs of life? Well, let us see. "Let brotherly love continue." That is simple enough, describing as it does the everyday intercourse of the family of God. "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers." There is nothing spectacular about that. It means, be kind and hospitable, and not wrapt up in yourselves. "Remember them that are in bonds … and them which suffer adversity." That requires not extraordinary powers, but tender, compassionate hearts and sympathies that can flow freely to others. "Marriage is honourable in all." That simply means, enter into and carry out the God-ordained relationships of life in the fear of God. "Let your conversations be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have." In this home life be content; don't allow the restless grasping spirit of the world to have a place there; and that will be easily possible If a day-by-day confidence in God upholds us.

1 Corinthians 7:32-34 teaches that the unmarried are the most free from care, but verse 7 as distinctly teaches that “every man has his own proper gift of God.” Each one must know for himself what his proper gift is. It is one thing to say, “Follow Paul's example and quite another thing to have the “proper gift” to do it. It is a fatal mistake for anyone to expect to walk in a path for which God has not given him a call or given him the spiritual power. Remember in these days of ritualism and revived monasticism, that marriage is a holy and honorable institution, established by God in the Garden of Eden and sanctioned by His presence in Cana of Galilee. It is pronounced to be honorable in all by His Spirit in Hebrews 13:4. Thus much as to the general principle, but the moment you come to individual cases, each one must be guided of God. To Him we affectionately commend you.

Verse 4. "Let marriage be honourable in all,"* etc. God's primal institution must be honoured by His worshippers. A Christian might renounce the privilege, if, by doing so, he thought to be more free to serve the Lord. It was even better to be single, where God's adjustment of His gifts made celibacy no hard burden to the flesh (1 Cor. 7). But whoever married in the Lord assumed an honourable place. How this verse condemns beforehand the bold wickedness of that apostasy which wrongs God doubly, first, by its lying invention of clerical distinction, and then, by degrading emphatically what God pointedly extols, has been often noticed by the simple reader of the word. Those who, instead of honour, chose dishonour, God would judge.

The Lord's teaching as to divorce was new and surprising even to His disciples, and prompted their remark recorded in verse 10. This in its turn led Him to declare that marriage is the normal thing for man, and the unmarried state the exceptional, as is also inferred by Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 7:7. If "it is given" to a man, then "it is good not to marry," but normally, "Marriage is honourable in all" (Heb. 13:4).