Is there any evidence of an actual gay marriage in the bible?

by Honest Question
(USA)

Rick Brentlinger Answers -

To answer your question, we first have to describe marriage in the Bible. A marriage in the Old Testament was not authorized by civil government nor was a marriage authorized by the Jewish religion.

The first marriage in the Bible is the marriage of Adam and Eve, Genesis 2:18-24.

Modern marriages do NOT resemble
Adam and Eve's marriage

Adam and Eve were naked before, during and after their marriage "ceremony," Genesis 2:24, 3:7.

They did not have an ordained minister officiate at the ceremony.

They did not have any guests, caterers, photographers or family members at the "ceremony."

Adam and Eve did not exchange rings.

They did not recite vows to each other.

They did not have a church wedding.

They did not pray for God's blessing on their marriage.

No city, county, state or federal office gave them a wedding certificate.

No church or religion gave Adam and Eve a wedding certificate.

How do we know

these facts about Adam and Eve's marriage? The same way anti-gay Christians allege that they know there are no gay marriages in the Bible, because none of these items are explicitly mentioned in the Bible concerning the marriage of Adam and Eve.

Ancient marriage was based on the
partners committing to each other

Marriage in Bible times consisted of the partners leaving father and mother and committing to each other.

Things hadn't changed much four thousand years later in the first century AD when Jesus walked the earth. In Palestine, a Jewish wedding usually involved the consent of the bride's family and the groom's family. Often there were no papers attesting to the marriage.

The wedding ceremony in New Testament times was a family affair, involving feasting and a party, sometimes lasting a week, if the parents were wealthy enough to afford that, John 2:1-11.

The point is that your question can only be accurately answered in the context of ancient cultures and customs, many of which are obsolete today.

Is there any evidence of an actual
gay marriage in the bible?

IF by marriage, you mean a union sanctioned in writing by civil and/or religious authorities, then the answer is NO, there probably were no gay marriages in the Bible.

Of course, if we're only accepting as valid, marriages which were sanctioned in writing by religious or civil authorities who lived at the same time as the Biblical married couple, then MOST heterosexual marriages in the Bible are NOT marriages by that standard.

Did same sex couples in Bible times partner together as a committed couple in some way? I think the answer to that is Yes, although their partnership probably looked different and functioned differently than same sex partnerships today.

Since approximately 5% of the human population is same sex oriented, certainly for as long as there have been human beings, there have been partnered couples in one form or another.

Did those partnered couples enjoy the same kind of partnership we think of today, jointly owning a house and possibly a business, living together as a vital part of the community, with their partnership recognized by the community? Probably not in most cases.

Is there any evidence of an actual
gay marriage in the bible?

IF by marriage, you are NOT referring to a union recognized in writing (with a wedding certificate) by civil authorities and religious authorities but instead, you're referring to the kinds of marriages affirmed in the Bible, like Adam and Eve, Isaac and Rebekah, David and Jonathan or the Centurion and his beloved partner then YES, there probably are several gay marriages in the Bible.

Gay marriages in the Bible include the marriage partnership of Jonathan and David, which was recognized as a sexual partnership by King Saul himself, 1 Samuel 18:21, 20:30, and the marriage partnership of the centurion and his beloved servant, Matthew 8:5-10 and Luke 7:1-10.

Here is a helpful Link which explores Gay Couples in the Bible. The other Links on the page take you to additional information about the committed partnership of David and Jonathan.

Here is another helpful Link which explores the possible marriage of the centurion and his beloved servant. The other Links on the page take you to additional information.