Bible Verses About Dating may not use the modern word, but Scripture says a great deal about choosing a partner, guarding your heart and honouring God before marriage. From Isaac and Rebekah to Jacob waiting years for Rachel, the Bible shows that love takes patience and wisdom. These passages set out principles for relationships that honour the Lord and each other.
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
2 Corinthians 6:14 (KJV)
Paul warns believers not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, a key principle when choosing whom to date.
Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
Amos 3:3 (KJV)
Can two walk together unless they are agreed, the prophet asks, pointing to shared direction and faith.
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (KJV)
Believers are told to flee fornication and honour God with their bodies, which belong to him.
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 (KJV)
God’s will includes sanctification and self-control, not the passion of those who do not know him.
I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.
Song of Solomon 2:7 (KJV)
The repeated charge not to stir up love until it please teaches patience and good timing.
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Proverbs 4:23 (KJV)
Keeping your heart with all diligence is wise counsel before giving it to someone.
But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7 (KJV)
The Lord looks on the heart rather than outward appearance, a better measure for a partner.
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
Proverbs 31:30 (KJV)
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, so character and faith matter most in a future spouse.
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (KJV)
This classic description of love gives a clear standard for any dating relationship.
Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
1 Corinthians 15:33 (KJV)
Evil communications corrupt good manners, a reminder that close company shapes us.
Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
2 Timothy 2:22 (KJV)
Paul urges fleeing youthful lusts and pursuing righteousness with others who call on the Lord.
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
Romans 12:9-10 (KJV)
Love without dissimulation and honour toward one another describe sincere relationships.
And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.
Genesis 24:12-14 (KJV)
Abraham’s servant prays for guidance in finding a wife for Isaac, modelling prayer in the search.
And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.
Genesis 29:20 (KJV)
Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed but a few days, a picture of patient love.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 6:33 (KJV)
Seeking God’s kingdom first puts relationships in their proper place.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)
Trusting the Lord rather than your own understanding is steady guidance for relationship decisions.
Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
Hebrews 13:4 (KJV)
Marriage is honourable and the marriage bed undefiled, the goal toward which godly dating looks.
The Bible does not describe dating as we know it today, but it gives clear principles for anyone considering marriage. The first is shared faith. Paul warns believers not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14), because a marriage partner will shape your walk with God more than almost anyone else. Amos 3:3 asks whether two can walk together unless they are agreed.
A second principle is purity. Scripture calls believers to flee fornication and to honour God with their bodies, which are temples of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). Song of Solomon repeats the charge not to stir up or awake love until it please, a reminder that intimacy belongs in its proper time. Proverbs 4:23 urges us to keep our hearts with all diligence.
A third principle is looking beyond appearance. God told Samuel that man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7), and Proverbs 31:30 says that favour is deceitful and beauty is vain. The story of Abraham’s servant praying for guidance in finding a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24) shows the value of seeking God’s direction, and Jacob’s seven years of work for Rachel show that real love is willing to wait.
1 Corinthians 6:18’s instruction to “flee fornication” addresses physical purity directly, relevant to any relationship before marriage.
For a related angle, see Bible Verses For Marriage and Love or Bible Verses For Comfort in Grief.
Each passage is quoted from the KJV, and Blue Letter Bible has the whole text if you want the surrounding chapter.
You might also turn to Bible Verses About Perseverance and Strength and Bible Verses For Prayer.
Bible Verses About Calling and Bible Verses About Protection and Safety explore related themes.
If you want to keep reading, Bible Verses About Repentance and Bible Verses About Walking by Faith sit close to this topic.
Two nearby collections worth opening next are Bible Verses About Relationships and Love and Bible Verses For Dating.
If the KJV wording feels unfamiliar, Bible Gateway lets you set it beside a modern translation.
Bible Hub collects commentary on every verse if you want to study one more closely.
Scripture’s principles on purity and wise relationship apply directly to dating, even without using the modern term.
These verses were never meant to sit on a page as decoration \u2014 they’re meant to shape how you actually respond the next time you’re not sure whether the relationship you’re in is actually good for you.
You don’t need polished or formal language for it \u2014 an honest, plainly worded sentence is enough, something as simple as telling God directly for discernment to see the relationship clearly.
Jacob’s first sight of Rachel at a well outside Haran moved him enough that he single-handedly rolled away a heavy stone covering the well before even introducing himself properly, then wept openly once he realized who her family was. That immediate, visible reaction to meeting her did not translate into an immediate marriage; Jacob agreed to work seven years for Laban first, and Genesis notes those years felt short to him because of how much he loved her.
These Bible verses about dating find in Jacob someone willing to commit to a long process rather than demanding an immediate outcome, even though his patience was later tested further by Laban’s deception on the wedding night itself. His attraction at first sight was real, but it did not exempt him from years of honest labor before the relationship became a marriage.
Jacob’s story reminds anyone thinking through Bible verses about dating that strong initial feeling and a willingness to commit real time and effort are not opposites; in his case, the second grew directly out of the first rather than replacing it.
Samson saw a Philistine woman in Timnah and told his parents plainly, “get her for me; for she pleaseth me well,” over their objection that he should look among his own people instead. Judges records that his parents did not know this attraction was part of a larger plan God intended to use, yet Samson’s own decision-making process was based almost entirely on appearance and immediate desire.
The marriage that followed ended in disaster within days, tangled up with a riddle, a betrayal, and eventually a burned wheat field and dead relatives on both sides. Among Bible verses about dating, Samson’s choice functions as a clear warning: attraction alone, disconnected from wise counsel or shared values, can set events in motion that spiral well beyond what either party expected or wanted.
Samson’s pattern repeats later with Delilah, suggesting his difficulty was not one bad choice but a consistent habit of letting attraction override every other consideration, a habit Bible verses about dating consistently warn readers to examine honestly in themselves before it becomes a pattern too.
Before Isaac ever laid eyes on Rebekah, Abraham’s servant devised a specific test at a well: he would ask a young woman for water, and the one who also offered to water his ten camels without being asked would be the one God had chosen. Rebekah passed the test immediately and without hesitation, drawing enough water for ten thirsty camels, a physically demanding task she performed for a total stranger.
This account offers Bible verses about dating a useful principle even though the courtship happened entirely through an intermediary: character revealed through small, unglamorous actions, performed when nobody was specifically watching for them, told the servant more than any conversation could have. Rebekah’s willingness to leave home immediately once she understood the situation showed the same decisiveness that first caught the servant’s attention.
Isaac’s reaction upon meeting her, going out to meditate in a field at evening and later loving her once she arrived, suggests these Bible verses about dating do not require lightning-strike romance to produce a lasting, affectionate marriage; sometimes character assessed first leads to genuine love afterward, and Bible verses about dating built this way tend to hold up well once the initial excitement has settled.
Boaz’s interest in Ruth develops only after he learns specific details about her: her loyalty to Naomi, her decision to leave her own country and gods behind, and her willingness to work hard gleaning in his fields rather than depending on charity alone. He tells her directly that he has heard about everything she has done for her mother-in-law, showing his attraction grew out of observed character rather than appearance alone.
These Bible verses about dating find in Boaz a pattern worth noticing: he protects Ruth in the field and ensures she has enough to eat well before any romantic pursuit begins, treating her wellbeing as important on its own terms rather than as a means toward a relationship. Only later, once Naomi guides Ruth toward a direct approach at the threshing floor, does the courtship move toward marriage.
Boaz’s willingness to follow the proper legal process for marrying Ruth, including giving another qualified relative the first opportunity to claim her, shows a man unwilling to shortcut a public, orderly process even once his interest was clear to everyone involved.
Shechem’s attraction to Dinah is described in troubling terms from the very beginning, involving an act of violence before any relationship existed, though the text notes that afterward “his soul clave unto Dinah” and he wanted to marry her and asked his father to arrange it. His father Hamor approached Jacob’s family formally, offering marriage and full integration between the two communities.
Dinah’s brothers responded with deception and eventually violence of their own, tricking Shechem’s whole city into circumcision before killing the men while they were still recovering, a brutal ending to a situation that began with Shechem’s own violation of Dinah. Among Bible verses about dating, this account offers no comfortable resolution; every party involved compounds the initial wrong rather than correcting it.
Read as a warning rather than a model, Shechem’s story shows how desire pursued without regard for another person’s consent set off consequences that consumed an entire town, a sobering counterpoint to the more patient Bible verses about dating built on character and mutual respect discussed elsewhere in this piece. Every party in this account ends up worse off than before, which is unusual for a story this violent to make so plainly clear.
Jacob, Samson, Rebekah, Boaz, and Shechem describe five very different approaches to forming a relationship: patient labor sustained by real affection, attraction pursued without wise counsel, character tested through an unglamorous task, interest that grew out of observed integrity, and desire pursued without any regard for consent. These Bible verses about dating do not present a single formula, yet a clear pattern still emerges once all five accounts sit side by side and are read together rather than in isolation from one another.
For a related collection focused on what comes after the relationship becomes a marriage, see these Bible verses for dating, which look more closely at practical guidance for the courtship period itself. Read together, both collections suggest that patience and attention to character consistently produce better outcomes than attraction pursued in a hurry.
Jacob’s willingness to wait, Rebekah’s character revealed under an unplanned test, and Boaz’s attention to Ruth’s integrity before acting on his interest all stand in sharp contrast to Samson’s impulsiveness and Shechem’s disregard for another person entirely. Bible verses about dating, read across these five accounts, keep pointing back to the same basic distinction: whether a person’s interest in someone else is shaped by genuine respect or by unchecked desire alone, and whether that difference shows up in how someone actually treats another person over time, not only in what they say about their feelings in the moment.
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” The father speaking in that chapter is teaching his son, and the picture behind the word issues is a spring or a source: water that flows out and feeds everything downstream. If the source gets muddy, the whole field suffers. That is a useful way to think about the early weeks of getting to know someone. What you feed your heart in those weeks will shape the decisions you make months from now.
Guarding the heart does not mean locking it in a box. A guard at a gate still opens the gate for the right visitors. It means paying attention to what is going in, how fast, and who has the key. A person who tells everything on the second date, or who gives away deep trust before there is any track record, has left the gate swinging in the wind. Slow, honest steps are not coldness. They are the very diligence the proverb asks for, and the person worth knowing will not be bothered by them.
Paul quotes a line in 1 Corinthians 15:33: “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” He was writing to a church in Corinth where some people were drifting from what they had believed, and he told them the drift began with the people they spent time with. Nobody wakes up one morning and decides to abandon their convictions. It happens through a long run of small compromises that each felt reasonable at the time.
Think about that in a dating setting. If you are regularly with someone who laughs at what you hold sacred, you may not argue about it. You may simply stop mentioning it. Then you stop praying before meals when they are around. Then church becomes optional on weekends you are together. Amos 3:3 asks, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” The question is not rude. It is practical, because walking together means keeping the same pace and heading the same direction, and two people pulling opposite ways end up tearing something.
Paul told young Timothy, “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). Notice that the verse has two verbs pointed in opposite directions. Flee, and follow. Most people hear only the first half and imagine the Christian life as a list of things to dodge. But running away from something with no destination just leaves you tired and confused.
In practice, the second half is what protects you. A couple who spends their time serving together, praying with friends around, sitting in a group study, or helping a neighbor move house is giving their energy somewhere good. Compare that to two people alone at midnight with nothing planned. The temptation was never really about willpower alone. It was about what the evening was built for. Plan the date as if you took the verse seriously, and half the battle is already won before it starts.
The refrain in Song of Solomon 2:7 is a little odd to modern ears: “I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem… that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.” It is a warning, spoken by a bride who knows the power of desire, and she is saying that love has its own season and should not be hurried. Impatience is the common mistake in dating. People rush into labels, into physical closeness, into talk of the future, because the silence of waiting feels unbearable.
Yet waiting is not empty time. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and that other things would be added. If you are single and hoping, that does not mean your calling is on hold. It means there is work in front of you today: friendships to deepen, skills to grow, a church to serve, debts to clear, a character to settle. Someone who has done that work arrives in a relationship with something to give instead of a hole to fill.
Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding, and to acknowledge him in all our ways. That includes the dull, practical questions that dating eventually raises. Does this person keep their word about small things? How do they speak to a waiter, a parent, a younger sibling? How do they handle being told no? Where do they stand on money, children, and where they would live? These are not cold calculations. Hebrews 13:4 honours marriage, and anything honoured deserves honest preparation.
A word of caution belongs here too. If someone is controlling, frightening, or cruel, that is not a lesson in patience and no verse asks you to stay. Talk to a pastor, a counselor, or a trusted older friend, and if you are ever in danger, contact local help straight away. Good dating asks you to pray and to use your eyes, and to bring other people in. Wise counsel from a few seasoned believers has saved many people from heartbreak they could see coming only in hindsight.
Lord, you know how much I want to be loved, and you know how easily I confuse wanting with readiness. Guard my heart the way a careful gardener guards a spring. Give me friends who tell me the truth, and let me hear them even when it stings. Help me to walk away from what would hurt me and toward what builds me up. Teach me to wait without being idle, and to speak honestly without being harsh. If a relationship is meant to grow, let it grow in the open, under your eye, with my family and my church able to see it. If it is not, give me the courage to say so kindly. And when I feel lonely, remind me that I was already known and wanted before anyone ever asked me out. Amen.
Nearby topics worth a look: Bible Verses About Dating A Non-Believer, Bible Verses For Dating, Bible Verses For Dating A Non-Believer, Bible Verses About Faith and Bible Verses About Hope.
If you want to dig further, Blue Letter Bible, Bible Gateway and Bible Hub are good places to start.
The Bible does not describe dating as we know it today, but it gives clear principles for anyone considering marriage. The first is shared faith.
This page brings together 6 King James Version references about dating, drawn from 5 different books of the Bible.
2 Corinthians 6:14 is one of the verses about dating referenced in this collection, alongside Amos 3:3.
Yes, the verses referenced on this page, including 2 Corinthians 6:14, are quoted according to the King James Version (KJV), and are suitable for daily reading, memorization, or devotional use.
Beyond the references highlighted on this page, dating appears throughout Scripture in books such as 2 Corinthians, Amos, 1 Corinthians, Proverbs, 1 Samuel; this collection focuses on some of the clearest examples.
