I’ve previously published a list of people the Bible doesn’t say you can’t have sex with. Since it’s possible to have marriage without sex and vice versa, I’m now also making a separate list of some of the people the Bible doesn’t say you can’t marry.
As before, please keep in mind that by including something on this list, I am not necessarily saying it should be forbidden, nor am I necessarily saying it should not be forbidden. I am including both acceptable matches and unacceptable matches in this list.
As far as I can tell, there are no rules in the Bible1 against marrying…
- Multiple spouses2
- A married person
- Children
- Members of the same sex, as long as you don’t have sex with them.
- A divorced man, if he had a sexually immoral wife
- A divorced man who didn’t have a sexually immoral wife, if you’re a man
- Your ex-wife, if she hasn’t married someone else since your divorce
- Your ex-husband, even if he has been married since your divorce
- Your ex-wife who has married a woman since your divorce
- Your ex-wife who has been married since your divorce, if you’re a woman
- Your ex-husband, if you’re a woman who has gotten divorced and hasn’t had another husband
- Your first spouse, if you’re a man who has gotten divorced and married someone else
- Your first spouse, if you’re a woman who has gotten divorced and married a woman
- Your first wife, if you’re a woman who has gotten divorced and married someone else
- Your cousin3
- Your aunt
- Your uncle
- Your niece
- Your nephew
- Your parents, if they’re not married to each other
- Your offspring, if you’re not married to their other parent
- Your parent of the same sex
- Your offspring of the same sex
- Your brother, if you’re a man
- Your dead brother’s widow4
- Your living brother’s spouse, if you’re a woman
- Your sister’s spouse, if you’re a man
- Your brother’s husband, if you’re a man
- Your sister’s wife, if you’re a woman
- Your sister’s husband, if you’re a woman and you don’t have sex with him until your sister dies
- Your mother’s husband, if you’re a man
- Your father’s wife, if you’re a woman
- Your father’s husband
- Your mother’s wife
- Your offspring’s husband, if you’re a man
- Your daughter’s spouse, if you’re a man
- Your offspring’s wife, if you’re a woman
- Your son’s spouse, if you’re a woman
- Your dead husband’s brother5
- Two sisters, as long as you don’t have sex with one of them until the other dies
- Two brothers, if you’re a man
- A woman and her brother
- A woman and her mother, if you’re a woman
- A man and his father, if you’re a man
- A woman and her father
- A man and his mother