What does the Bible say about being single and waiting for a spouse?

If singleness is good, why did God create Eve?

Because marriage is God’s good design, and for most people it is His plan. Before sin ever entered the world, God looked at Adam and said, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18), and made Eve. Marriage is not second best, and the desire for it is God-given.

But God also made room for singleness. Jesus said some are given the ability to remain single for the sake of the kingdom (Matthew 19:11–12), and Paul called it a gift (1 Corinthians 7:7). Both are good; neither is a lesser life.

And “alone” in Genesis 2 is not the same as single. What was not good was isolation, a person with no one beside them. A single believer is never meant to be alone: God places them in a family of faith (Psalm 68:6; Mark 10:29–30).

Marriage also points to something bigger: Jesus and His church (Ephesians 5:31–32). In the resurrection, people will not marry (Matthew 22:30), because the reality marriage pictures will be here. Marriage is God’s design for most, singleness is His gift for some, and both are meant to point to Him.

How to wait well

Seek God first, and let Him be your security (Matthew 6:33). Grow: in faith, character, finances and friendships. Serve and use your gifts now. Stay sexually pure. Get to know believers in community, where good relationships often begin. Be honest with God about the desire and the loneliness.

What to look for

Someone who loves Jesus and shows it (1 Corinthians 7:39), whose character you can trust, who pulls you closer to God, and with whom you share a direction for life.

What to avoid

Settling for someone who doesn’t follow Jesus. Making marriage your idol. Comparing your timeline to everyone else’s.

What the Bible says

1. 01

   Singleness as a gift.

   1 Corinthians 7:7–8, 32–35
2. 02

   Seek first.

   “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”

   Matthew 6:33
3. 03

   The desires of your heart.

   “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.”

   Psalm 37:4–5
4. 04

   Ruth in Boaz’s field.

   “Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a prominent man of noble character from the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go into the fields and glean heads of grain after someone in whose sight I may find favor.” “Go ahead, my daughter,” Naomi replied. So Ruth departed and went out into the field and gleaned after the harvesters. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech. Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and said to the harvesters, “The LORD be with you.” “The LORD bless you,” they replied. And Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters, “Whose young woman is this?” The foreman answered, “She is the Moabitess who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. She has said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the harvesters.’ So she came out and has continued from morning until now, except that she rested a short time in the shelter.” Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Do not go and glean in another field, and do not go away from this place, but stay here close to my servant girls. Let your eyes be on the field they are harvesting, and follow along after these girls. Indeed, I have ordered the young men not to touch you. And when you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.” At this, she fell on her face, bowing low to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me, even though I am a foreigner?” Boaz replied, “I have been made fully aware of all you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and how you came to a people you did not know before. May the LORD repay your work, and may you receive a rich reward from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have taken refuge.””

   Ruth 2:1–12
5. 05

   Character that lasts.

   “A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he lacks nothing of value. She brings him good and not harm all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She rises while it is still night to provide food for her household and portions for her maidservants. She appraises a field and buys it; from her earnings she plants a vineyard. She girds herself with strength and shows that her arms are strong. She sees that her gain is good, and her lamp is not extinguished at night. She stretches out her hands to the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household, for they are all clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known at the city gates, where he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchants. Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the days to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband praises her as well: “Many daughters have done noble things, but you surpass them all!” Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her at the gates.”

   Proverbs 31:10–31
6. 06

   Your Maker is your husband.

   “For your husband is your Maker— the LORD of Hosts is His name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.”

   Isaiah 54:5

Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.